Chapter 12: South America Sec. 1: Natural Environments

Landforms 12 countries Andes Mountains- collision of Nazca and S. American plates tepuis- high plateaus left by erosion plains cover most of S. America llanos- large plains (Columbia and Venezuela) Pampas- wide grasslands

Rivers Amazon- 4,000 miles long (largest in vol) dilutes sea water 100 miles off shore Orinoco and Parana (longest of 3)

Climate Tropical rain forests- Amazon Basin (rains 150 inches per year) wet summers, dry winters driest region- Atacama Desert trap fog for water El nino- Pacific warmer and climate wetter La nina- Pacific waters colder

Elevations Zones Tierra Caliente- (0-3,000) Bananas, rice, sugar cane Tierra Templada- (3,000-6,000) coffee, corn, wheat Tierra Fria (6,000-10,000) potatoes, wheat Paramo (10,000-16,000) potatoes, grasslands Tierra Helada (16,000- up) Snow

Natural Resources Rivers dammed generate electricity Rain forest- rubber and timber Brazil- gold, silver, iron Chile- copper Colombia-emeralds Venezuela-oil tar sands- sand layers that contain oil (cooked out of rock)

Parana River

The Andes: World's Longest Mountain Range

Wildlife of S. America

The Nazca Lines