Physical Features of Latin America Chapters 10, 11, and 12

Yucatan Peninsula Historic home to the Mayan people Major tourist center for Mexico (ex. Cancun) Famous for its sinkholes (known locally as cenotes)

Gulf of Mexico Ninth largest body of water in the world Filled with petroleum— Mexico’s most valuable natural resource

Isthmus of Panama An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas Connects North and South America

Andes Stretches over 7 countries World’s longest continental mountain range (4,300 miles long) Part of the Ring of Fire

Atacama Desert Driest desert in the world (average rainfall is.04 inches of rain each year) Formed by the rain shadow of the Chilean Coast Range and the Andes 600 miles long

Llanos Means “Plains” in Spanish Large tropical grassland that covers Colombia and Venezuela

Pampas Fertile South American grasslands Cattle ranching Densely populated

Patagonia Semiarid steppelike plains Stretches from Pampas to Tierra del Fuego (across Argentina and Chile)

Tierra del Fuego An archipelago is a group of islands near each other Spanish for “Land of Fire” Split between Argentina and Chile

Strait of Magellan Strait between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans Difficult to navigate through Named after Ferdinand Magellan, the first European to sail through it

Cape Horn A cape is a body of land that extends into water Most southerly point of South America

Amazon River 2 nd longest in the world (4,200 miles) Depths of the river range from 60 to 300 feet Every year it floods the forests around it

Amazon Basin Drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries Covered by largest rain forest in the world (8, 235, 430 sq. kilometers)

Rio de la Plata Spanish for “River of silver” Formed by the Uruguay and Parana Rivers Acts like an estuary

Angel Falls World’s highest waterfall (3,212 feet) Located in Venezuela Starts off of a tepui—table top mountain

Climate Major factors of climate in Latin America include: – Elevation – Latitude Tropical wet and dry climates are both common in Latin America During El Nino years—Pacific is warmer and climate is wetter During La Nina years—Pacific is colder than usual

Natural Resources Petroleum is a major source of wealth Warm and sunny climates (important for tourism) Bauxite (ore that is used to make aluminum) Gold and silver