Ch. 9-1: Physical Geography Ch. 9-1: Physical Geography of Latin Americaof Latin America

Objective: Identify important landforms and resources of Latin America

Regions of Latin AmericaRegions of Latin AmericaMexico

Central America

Caribbean

South America

Mountains and HighlandsMountains and Highlands

• The Andes Mountains-– part of the mountain range that runs through a

portion of North, Central and South America.• United States- The Rocky Mountains• Central America- The Sierra Madres• South America- the Andes

Andes Mountains - Peru

Patagonia – Southern Andes

• Many volcanoes

• The longest mountain range in the world, nearly 5,000 miles long.

• Creates a barrier between the coastal cities on the west coast and the interior of the continent.

HighlandsHighlands

• The Guiana Highlands

• The Brazilian Highlands

Guiana Highlands

The Plains of Latin AmericaThe Plains of Latin America- Well suited for agriculture

Llanos: Colombia and Venezuela

Pampas: Argentina and Uruguay

Amazon River Basin: Brazil

The Pampas: Argentina

The Amazon River and Other Major The Amazon River and Other Major River SystemsRiver Systems

Amazon River: Brazil

Orinoco River: Venezuela and Colombia

Paraná River: Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina

The Mighty AmazonThe Mighty Amazon

• Amazon : Flows 4,000 miles from west to east and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Source is the Andes Mountains close to the Pacific Ocean.

The Orinoco RiverThe Orinoco River

• Flows mainly through Venezuela and Colombia. It creates part of the border between the two countries.

The ParanThe Paraná Riverá River

• begins in the Brazilian Highlands and flows southward through Paraguay and Argentina. It meets with several other rivers to create the Rio de la Plata

Islands of the CaribbeanIslands of the Caribbean

• Three Main Island Groups make up the West Indies:

The Bahamas

The Greater Antilles

The Lesser Antilles

The BahamasThe Bahamas

• Made up of hundreds of islands off of the southern tip of Florida.

The Greater AntillesThe Greater Antilles

• Made up of the largest islands in the Caribbean including Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico.

The Lesser AntillesThe Lesser Antilles

• Includes the smaller islands in the region southeast of Puerto Rico.

ResourcesResourcesGoldSilver

OilNatural gas

Hydroelectric powerCopperTimber

Agricultural Products

Ch. 9-2: Climate and VegetationCh. 9-2: Climate and Vegetation

• Objective: Identify Latin American climate and vegetation patterns and their impact on the daily life of the people

Climate and VegetationClimate and Vegetation

Tropical WetRain forest (Brazil)

Tropical Wet and DryLlanos and Pampas (Venezuela and Argentina)

Semiarid Patagonia- Argentina

DesertAtacama Desert-

Chile

Mid-Latitude ClimatesMid-Latitude ClimatesHumid SubtropicalParaguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina

Mediterranean West coast of Chile

Marine West Coast Southern Chile, eastern Argentina

Highlands

Vertical Climate ZonesVertical Climate Zones

About 15,000 ft Tierra Helada (Mountain Tundra)

Tree Line

10,000-12,000 ft Tierra Fria (Cloud Forest)

6,000 -6,500 ft Tierra Templada (Wet forest)

2,500- 3,000 ft Tierra Caliente (Dry Forest and swamp)

Ch. 9-3: Human-Environment InteractionCh. 9-3: Human-Environment Interaction

• Objective: Explain the impact of agricultural techniques on the physical environment.

AgricultureAgriculture

Slash-and-burn technique used to clear the land for farmland in the Amazon River basin.

Slash and burn- PanamaSlash and burn- Panama

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Slash and burn agriculture in Peru

• Terraced Farming is an ancient technique introduced by the Inca for growing crops on the side of a mountain. This reduces soil erosion.

Terraced farming - Peru

UrbanizationUrbanization

• Push and Pull factors: People are moving from rural to urban areas in search of better opportunities.

Push FactorsPush Factors• Push factors:

reasons people move away from rural areas

• Ex: Poverty, poor medical care, poor educational opportunities, low-paying jobs

Pull FactorsPull Factors

• Pull factors: reasons people are drawn to the cities.

• Ex: Possibilities for work, education, medical care.

Urban SprawlUrban Sprawl• Unemployment

• Crime

• Illegal Drug trafficking

• Slums

• Pollution

• Sanitation

• Shortages of clean drinking water and housing

The Constitution Square, Or Zócalo. With The Palacio Nacional, Mexico City, Located On The East Side.Photo Taken From The Top Of The Latin American Tower. Looking East. January 18, 2005

TourismTourism

• Advantages:– Creation of new

jobs– Reduction of the

income gap between rich and poor

TourismTourism• Disadvantages:

– Congestion– Pollution– Strain on local

resources– Resentment and

hostility– Large public debt due to

building tourist facilities

5 Minute Writing5 Minute Writing

• Humans interact with the environment in different ways. We depend, modify, and adapt to our specific environment.

• Identify how Latin Americans have depended, modified, and adapted to their physical world.