Physical Geography Sections 1 & 2

 Latin America- The region that includes Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands and South America

 Isthmus-Strip of Land that connects two landmasses.  Highlands-Mountainous and hilly sections of a country.  Archipelago-A chain of islands.  Andes Mountains-A mountain Range located on South America’s west coast and extending the full length of the continent.

ArchipelagoHighlands

Andes MountainsIsthmus

 Landforms found in Mexico include: mountains, plateaus,  and plains.  2 Major Mountain Ranges are found in Mexico: Sierra Madre Occidental (found in the west) and Sierra Madre Oriental (found in the East).

 On your map of Latin America, draw in the location of the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental Mountain Chains.

 South of Mexico are the countries of Central America.  Central America is made up 7 places: Belize, Costa Rica, BelizeCosta Rica El Salvador, Guatemala,El SalvadorGuatemala  Honduras, Nicaragua, HondurasNicaragua  and Panama.Panama  Central America is an Isthmus that connects North and South America.

 East of Central America lie the Caribbean Islands.  The islands are made up of 3 main parts: The Bahamas, The Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles.  Bahamas: They are an archipelago consisting of almost 700 islands.  Greater Antilles: include the largest islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  Lesser Antilles- Include the remaining smaller islands.

 South America is a continent that consists of countries such as Brazil, Chile and Venezuela.  South America has many land features including plains, highlands and the Andes Mountain Range.

 The Andes are the world’s second highest range.  Only the Himalayas in Asia are higher.

 South America is also home to the Amazon rain forest, grasslands,  deserts and the Amazon River.  The Amazon River flows from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean.  It is about 4,000 miles long.  It carries about 1/5 th of the Earth’s river water.

.  1. Create a chart. 2.Using your book, fill in the Climate, Vegetation and Landforms for each location CountryLandformsClimateVegetation South America Use book pages Mexico Use book pages 120, 122 Central America Use book pages 120,122 Caribbean Use book pages 120, 123