Regions of Latin America Central America The Caribbean South America South America

Mountains and Peaks Andes Mts. Sierra Madres Mts. Guiana Highlands Brazilian Highlands Patagonian Plateau

Elevation

Andes Mountains miles long, up to 300 miles wide

The Sierra Madres, Mexico

Valleys Plains and Basins Amazon Basin Pampas

Amazon Rain Forest

Amazon Rain Forest produces 20% of the world’s oxygen

Three-Tiered Vegetation

Deforestation in the Amazon

Original Forest Cover Future Forest Cover Current Forest Cover

Cattle Ranching on the Pampas

Deserts Atacama Desert

Atacama Desert-driest (non- polar) place on earth!

Other features Panama Canal

The Panama Canal

Earthquake Zones

12/23/72 Earthquake hits Managua, Nicaragua 5,000 dead, 250,000 homeless out of 2.6 million in the country Contributed to eventual overthrow of Somoza

Hurricanes Hurricanes Hurricane Mitch: 20,000 dead, $5 billion

The Tropical Hemisphere

Vertical Climate Zones

LatinAmerica’sPopulationDistribution

Population and Projections

What would have caused this rapid increase post-1950?

LatAm birth rates have been falling dramatically since : 6.0 births per woman : 2.9 births per woman

Cities Mexico City Havana Port-au-Prince Panama City Santiago Lima Buenos Aires Sao Paulo Rio De Janeiro Caracas Bogota

Largest cities—growing urbanization Mexico City (Mexico) 22.7 million (1 in 5) Sao Paulo (Brazil) million (1 in 10) Buenos Aires (Argentina) 13 million (1 in 3) Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 12 million Bogotá (Colombia) 8.6 million (1 in 5) Lima (Peru) 8.5 million (1 in 3) Santiago (Chile ) 7 million (1 in 2.5)

LatAm Urban Population % %

Sao Paolo, Brazil

Overcrowding in Sao Paolo, Brazil

Squatter Settlements in Major Latin American Cities