Physical Geography of Latin America

Landforms Latin America includes Mexico (NA), Central America (connects NA and SA), South America, and the Caribbean (islands just South of Florida). The Andes are the largest mountains in Latin America and a continuation of the Rockies. The Andes have multiple volcanoes on them. It’s tough traveling over the Andes. Much of the area is not settled. Colombia and Venezuela- llanas/Brazil-cerrado-great plains, grassy, treeless plains, farming, and grazing.

Landforms The Southeast part of South America is Argentina and Uruguay-Pampas- grassland, rich soil. Cattle and Grain. Horses very important. Orinoco River-Most important river in the Northern part of South America. Venezuela and Colombia heavily depend on this river. Amazon River-4,000 miles through Brazil, the largest country in Latin America. The Amazon has many tributaries attached to it. Parana River-3,000 miles, South of the Amazon River, through Paraguay and Argentina.

Resources There is tons of different natural resources in South America. It has many climates and different minerals, metals, gems, oil, and coal. Finding them all can be very difficult. Growing crops is easy in some parts of South America (especially in the East) because of the climate, rain, and soil. That resulted in thousands of slaves being shipped to the islands in the Caribbean like Jamaica where sugarcane was grown. Brazil had more slaves than any country at 5,000,000 and was not abolished till 1888.

Different Climates South America is an extremely large continent running from North to South resulting in many different climates and types of life. There is also many different elevation types because of all the mountains. The Atlantic runs hot and the Pacific runs cold by SA, resulting in an overall warmer climate on the East coast. A lot of South America is tropical, especially, the Rain Forests which is hot, humid, and rainy. The Amazon Rain Forest is one of the largest forests in the world.

Slash and Burn To grow crops, many countries and people have engaged in slash and burn techniques which means to cut trees, bushes, and grass, then burn the rest of it down. The fire results in really fertile soil. Slash and burn is happening too frequently. Growing the same crop in the same area for a long time drains resources and nutrients from the ground. Many who live by the rain forest drain the area of nutrients and then burn another forest down. People are trying to stop this.

Mountains and Swamps Because much of Western South America is made up of mountains, people had to find a way to grow food. The Incans invented terraced farming. They were able to carve indentations and platforms into mountains and hills. This took a lot of time and energy. If the steps had not been carved in. All the rain water would have fell to the bottom. In Mexico, the Aztecs and other ancient civilizations developed floating platforms on rivers and swamps to farm to avoid the desert climate.

Urbanization Many people have abandoned a rural life for city life because of jobs. South America is going through what the US went through during the Industrial Revolution. It takes a ton of effort to survive in rural areas. People struggle to grow enough food, to find medical care, education, and there is nothing but low paying jobs if any at all. Unfortunately, not much better in the city. Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela are the most urban countries. Mexico City is the biggest city with 20,000,000.

Cities Unemployment and crime is an extreme problem in many cities. Mexico City is suffering a huge organized crime problem with the cartels. This has effected tourism which has been a major revenue source in the past. Many are afraid to go there because of kidnappings. Many governments have a problem keeping up with infrastructure like sewers, electricity, and housing. This has resulted in the poor living in terrible poverty without a solution coming. Brazil-murder capital of the world.

Tourism Tourism is a huge part of the economy in Latin America, especially in the Caribbean Islands. It makes up the vast majority of their economy. Locals are totally dependent on cruises. If ships can’t go, people starve. Tourists create many service jobs like hotels and restaurants. Some also work on cruise ships. Many people who go on cruises buy souvenirs from those places. There are also people who give land or water tours. Tourism can enhance the an income gap and cause hostility. Tourist locations open.

Rain Forests Uses and Destruction More undiscovered life forms are found in the Rain Forest than any other place. There is still plants and animals there that are unknown. Some people hope that someday, we will find cures in the rainforest. Biodiversity-lots of animals and plants The RF also helps keep the atmosphere clean and regulate the climate. Many parts of the RF are being torn down for lumber to sell. Natives also try to grow food, and raise cattle even though the soil’s not great. People’s homes are also being put in danger.

Problems The Rain Forests converts a ton of Carbon Dioxide into Oxygen. Now the CO2 builds up in the atmosphere causing more global warming. Home to 50% of the world’s plants and animal species. We fear that we may be losing some species that would provide better quality life. Some countries are trying to restrict the use of the rain forest, but it is so large that is difficult. It is almost impossible to keep any eye on the entirety of the rain forests.

Solutions Some people are volunteering to educate people about the best use for the Rain Forest and try to show how ineffective slash and burn is. Also, how to rotate crops-plant one thing for a season then change. There are also people who protest if a company or government is planning to tear down part of the rain forest for economic gains. Debt for nature swap- Many Latin American countries owe a ton of money. Some organizations and private companies have offered to pay those countries to protect the rain forests.

Miscellaneous To the South of Florida and to the East of Mexico are a series of islands called the West Indies. The big islands are Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic called the Greater Antilles. There are dozens of smaller islands to the East of the big mountains called the Lesser Antilles. There are plenty of resources in Latin America that are still being developed. The Western part of South America has a lot of minerals and mining is prevalent. The West is mostly agricultural except oil.