1. Latin America chapter 8

2. Latin America 8 million square miles 16% of earth’s surface
Common European heritage (Spain and Portugal)

3. Divisions of Latin America
Middle America= Mexico and 7 central American countries
Caribbean Island, also called West Indies = the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles
South America = 13 countries below central America; Brazil is the largest

4. Sierra Madre Occidental
Latin American Mountains
Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre del Sur
Mexican Plateau
Mato Grasso Plateau
Andes Mts.
Brazilian Highlands

5. Mexican Plateau
Between Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental
Densely populated
Includes Mexico City

6. Andes Mountains-the backbone of South America
4,500 miles long; longest in world
Cordilleras (kawr-duhl-yehr-uhs) parallel mountain ranges
Altiplano-high plane formed by Andes’ peaks in Peru and Bolivia
Patagonia- hills and lower flatlands in southern Argentina
altiplano
Patagonia

7. Altiplano-high plateau

8. Patagonia-plateau of southern Argentina

9. Brazilian Highlands Located in Eastern Brazil
So vast that it has several climate and vegetation zones
Plunges to Atlantic Ocean along eastern border in escarpment, steep cliff or slope

10. Escarpment-steep cliff or slope
Along Atlantic coast of Brazil

11. Mato Grosso Plateau Located in Brazil
Sparsely populated area of forests and grasslands

12. Lowlands and Plains
Longest strip of coastal plain lies in Brazil along Atlantic coast
Major area of settlement and economic activity
Llanos- grasslands of Colombia and Venezuela
Pampas- grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay, major breadbasket of the world, wheat and corn grown there

13. llaneros
Ranchers in the llanos on large estates that employ cowhands

14. gauchos Ranchers in the pampas
Known for growing both small and large crops

15. Water Systems
Most Latin American water systems are in South America, except for the Rio Grande
Rio Grande forms border between Mexico and the United States

16. Amazon River Longest river in the western hemisphere
Carries ten times more water than the Mississippi River
Hundreds of smaller rivers join the Amazon to form the Amazon River Basin
Navigable up to 2,300 miles from the mouth

17. Parana, Paraguay, Uruguay Rivers
2nd largest river system in Latin Am.
Provide hydroelectric power for Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay
Flow into estuary called, Rio de la Plata, or “River of Silver”

18. Lakes
Lake Titicaca- world’s highest navigable lake; in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru; 12,500 feet above sea level
Lake Maracaibo- Venezuela; S. America’s largest lake; very important oil reserves found around lake
Lake Nicaragua- largest lake in Central America

19. Lake Titicaca

20. Lake Maracaibo
Pollution, like leaking oil, leads to dead fish and polluted drinking water.

21. Lake Maracaibo

22. Natural Resources Farmland Oil-Venezuela and Mexico
Gold-Venezuela and Brazil
Silver- Mexico and Peru
Emeralds- Colombia

23. Section 2
Climate and Vegetation