1. Physical and Political Features
Latin America
Physical and Political Features

2. Amazon River The world’s second longest river.
Flows from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean- almost entirely through the country of Brazil. ( Just south of the equator )

3. Andes Mountains Run the length of the western side of South America.
( 4500 miles )
Where the Amazon River begins.

4. Atacama Desert
Located on the west coast of South America – south of Peru – occupying most of Chile.
The Andes Mountains on the east block winds and rain- making it one of the driest places on Earth.

5. Atlantic Ocean North Atlantic Ocean South Atlantic Ocean
The eastern border of South America above the equator.
South Atlantic Ocean
The eastern border south of the equator-
Eastern border of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina

6. Caribbean Sea Body of water : east of Mexico and Central America
north of South America
south of Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica.

7. Gulf of Mexico Body of Water: north of the Caribbean Sea
east of Mexico
south of the United States

8. Pacific Ocean Western border of: Mexico Central America
the entire western coast of South America ( South Pacific Ocean )

9. Panama Canal NOT a physical feature since it is man-made.
It runs 50 miles across the isthmus of Panama.
Allows for ships to travel from the Atlantic to Pacific ( and vice versa ) rather than sail all around South America.

10. isthmus
a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water that otherwise separates them.

11. Sierra Madre Mountains- chief mountain range of Mexico
Sierra Madre Oriental
Located in northeastern Mexico
Sierra Madre Occidental
Located in northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona
Sierra Madre del Sur-  a mountain range in southern Mexico

12. Central Plateau Flat, arid land located in central Mexico .
Surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains.

13. Bolivia Capital- LA Paz One of only two landlocked
countries in South America.
( Paraguay is the other )

14. Landlocked
A country completely surrounded by land. No water borders at all.

15. Brazil
Largest country in South America- all countries except Ecuador and Chile share a border with Brazil.
Atlantic Ocean is the eastern border.
Capital- Brazilia
Home of the Amazon Rain Forest( the world’s largest )

16. Columbia Located in northwestern South America.
Water borders are Caribbean Sea and the South Pacific Ocean.
Connected to Panama.
Capital- Bogota.

17. Cuba Largest island in the Carribean.
East of the Gulf of Mexico, south of the Atlantic Ocean and north of the Caribbean Sea.
Capital- Havana

18. Hispaniola- the collective term for Haiti and Dominican Republic
Capital- Port-au-Prince
Located southeast of Cuba, north of the Caribbean Sea, south west of the Atlantic Ocean.
Western border of Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
Eastern border of Haiti
Capital- Santo Domingo
The larger of the two islands on Hispaniola

19. Mexico Located south of the United States.
Pacific Ocean on the west, Gulf of Mexico on the east.
Capital- Mexico City

20. Panama
“ Tail end “ of the Central American Isthmus. Connects Central America to South America.
Capital- Panama City

21. Venezuela Located in northeast South America
Caribbean Sea borders the north. Atlantic Ocean to the east ( Guyana )
Brazil borders the south, Columbia borders the west.
Capital- Caracas