 The name given to the vast region that lies south of the United States.  Latin America begins at the Rio Grande – the river that divides the United States and Mexico.  Latin America extends to the southern tip of South America

 Latin America covers 7.9 million square miles – about 16% of the earth’s surface  It includes Mexico, the countries of Central America and South America, and the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea

 High mountains can be found in much of Latin America  Three mountain ranges run through Mexico and mountains run south through much of Central America  Most of the islands in the Caribbean were created by volcanoes.

 In South America, you will find the Andes Mountains – the longest mountain chain  Volcanic activity and earthquakes are common in these mountainous areas of Latin America

 Vast plains cover other areas of Latin America  Plains are located along the coasts of Mexico and Central America.  Broad inland plains can be found in parts of South America  The two major plains include:  Pampas in Argentina  Illanos of Columbia and Venezuela

 South America has five major rivers:  Magdalena  Orinoco  Rio de la Plata  Sao Francisco  Amazon ▪ The longest river in the Western hemisphere (4,000 miles)

 Mexico and Venezuela are among the world’s leading producers of oil and natural gas.  Latin America in general is rich in natural resources such as copper, iron ore, silver, tin, lead, oil and natural gas.  Rivers and waterfalls provide electric power to many countries  Farmers use rich soil to grow grains, fruit and coffee

 Most of Latin America lies in the tropics and has some form of tropical climate  Elevation affects climate throughout the region  Low elevations have hot and humid climates with tropical vegetation  Higher elevations are cooler and milder  Coffee, corn and wheat grow here

 Rain forests cover lowland areas of Latin America  Hot, rainy all the time  Rain forests have more kinds of plants and animals than anywhere else on earth  The largest tropical rain forest is located in Brazil around the Amazon basin  Other rain forests grow along the eastern coast of Central America and in some of the Caribbean islands

 Latin America’s economies are based partly on agriculture.  Fertile soil and warm, wet climate allow farmers to grow tropical crops – coffee, bananas and sugarcane – in parts of the region  The also use grassland to raise livestock  Argentina, Mexico and Brazil are among the world’s leaders in cattle raising and meat production

 Service industries and manufacturing have grown rapidly in Latin America  Products such as cars, textiles, cement, chemicals and electrical goods are gaining popularity  Some countries, however, lack the money, skilled labor and transportation systems needed to build industries.  Rugged mountains and thick tropical vegetation provide physical barriers to movement

 Latin America has 500 million people – 9% of the world’s population  Most live along the coasts of South America or on a broad strip of land reaching from Mexico into Central America  Many have moved from the country to the city – about 70% of the people are now city dwellers

 Latin Americans include Native Americans, Europeans, Africans and Asians.  All of these groups have influenced the culture of the region  Native American peoples, such as the Maya, Aztec and Inca, had advanced civilizations long before Europeans arrived in the Americas  During the 1500s, the Europeans enslaved and destroyed these civilizations

 Spain and Portugal ruled most of Latin America from the 1500s to the early 1800s.  They brought Roman Catholicism and their languages to the region  The languages are based on Latin, thus the name “Latin America”  Most Latin Americans are Roman Catholic

 Many Latin American countries won their freedom in the early 1800s  Wealthy landowners and military officials, however, controlled governments and often ignored the needs of poor farmers and workers  By the mid-1900s, the rise of cities and industries challenged these leaders.  New democratic governments emerged.