Chapter 9, Section 1 Latin America: Physical Features

Latin America Latin America includes Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and all of South America. All of Latin America is located in the western hemisphere.

Around 500 years ago, Europeans sailed to Latin America, bringing their language and customs with them. Because most of the explorers who came here spoke Spanish and Portuguese (and both these languages have their roots in Latin), almost all Latin Americans speak these languages today. Latin America

Major Landforms of Middle America Middle America (Mexico and Central America) stretches 2500 miles from the U.S. border to Panama. Mountains dominate this region (they are part of the Rocky Mountain chain.)

The Central Plateau Between the mountains is Mexico’s Central Plateau. A plateau is a large, mostly flat highland area. The Central Plateau is important because it contains most of the country’s important cities and best farmland.

Central America Central America is an isthmus. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that has water on both sides. Like in Mexico, Central America’s beaches quickly rise into mountains and volcanoes. Volcanic ash has made the soil good for farming.

The Caribbean The second region of Latin America is the Caribbean. The Caribbean is made up of two types of islands. The smaller ones were formed by the skeletons of tiny sea animals. Over hundreds of years, the skeletons formed a rocklike substance called coral.

The larger islands of the Caribbean are the tops of huge underwater mountains. Most people make their living there by farming. The Caribbean

South America The third region of Latin America is South America. South America is a region of great variety and contrast. South America’s greatest landform are the Andes Mountains, which stretch along the entire western side of the continent.

South America The Andes are steep and treacherous, but their rich soil has drawn farmers to the area. East of the Andes are rolling highlands in Brazil and Venezuela. Farther south are the Pampas, a large plains area.

The Rivers of Latin America Latin America’s rivers and lakes are some of the longest and largest in the world. They serve as transportation corridors where it is hard to build roads, and provide water for farming, fishing and hydroelectricity.

Amazon: The Ocean River The Amazon is the second longest river in the world. It is called “The Ocean River” because it carries more water than any other river in the world and contains 1/5 of all fresh water on the earth.

Other Rivers The Amazon has over 1,000 tributaries. A tributary is a river that flows into a larger river. The next largest river system in Latin America is the Rio de la Plata in Argentina and Uruguay.

Chapter 9, Section 2 Latin America: Humans and the Physical Environment

The climate of the Caribbean is usually sunny and warm. However, from June to November, the region is hit with fierce hurricanes. Winds hundreds of miles fast tear apart houses, rip trees from the ground and create giant waves along the beach. Climate

Climate Regions of Latin America Many parts of Latin America have a tropical wet climate, with hot, humid, rainy weather all year around. Other areas have both a tropical wet and dry climate. (Like Mexico, for example.)

Climate Regions South America has a very diverse climate. Much of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay has a humid subtropical climate (like the southern U.S.) with hot, wet summers and cool winters. Farmers in this area can raise crops like wheat and apples, which need a cold season to grow.

Climate Regions In southern South America, the climate turns arid (dry.) Farmers raise sheep on the plains of this cold, dry area called Patagonia. South America also contains the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest places on earth.

What Affects Climate? Elevation (the height of land above sea level) greatly affects climate. The higher on goes up in elevation, the colder and windier it typically gets. The crops grown by farmers in the Andes Mountains are greatly affected by elevation. Coffee!!!

Climate Regions Another climate factor is how close an area is to the equator. Why? Wind patterns also affect climate. The Andes mountains block moist winds from crossing to the west. Rain falls only on the eastern slopes of the Mountains. The Amazon rain forest is moist and hot, and the vegetation there is dense. Sunlight doesn’t even touch the ground in the rain forest.