geography of latin america

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GEOGRAPHY OF LATIN AMERICA

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Geography of latin america. Mountains. The Andes Mountains are part of a chain of mountains that includes the Rockies and the Sierra Madre in Mexico They contain many active volcanoes As a result, many people live east of them - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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GEOGRAPHY OF LATIN AMERICA

Mountains

The Andes Mountains are part of a chain of mountains that includes the Rockies and the Sierra Madre in Mexico

They contain many active volcanoes As a result, many people live east of

them They were home to some of the most

important civilizations, including the Inca

Andes

Plains

Cerrado – savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall in Brazil

Pampas – plains made of rich soil, gaucho (cowboy) culture grew up here

Llanos – grassy, treeless plains much like Great Plains in U.S.

Water

Amazon River flows west to east and empties into the Atlantic , it carries more water into the ocean than any other river in the world

Angel Falls is the world’s tallest waterfall located in eastern Venezuela

Major Islands

Caribbean Islands consist of three major groups: Bahamas, Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles

Greater Antilles (larger) – Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico

Lesser Antilles (smaller) – southeast of Puerto Rico

Islands

Resources

South America is among the world’s leaders in mining of raw materials

Jamaica began as a plantation economy dependent on bananas and sugar (and tourism)

It is now an exporter of bauxite (aluminum ore)

Mexico and Venezuela contain important oil resources

Rain Forests contain valuable products used to make medicine, many are undiscovered

HEI

Native people used slash-and-burn farming to clear the land for agriculture

This method is still used today but has over exhausted the land, which is one reason for the shrinking rain forests

The Inca used terrace farming (grown on hillsides) which reduced soil erosion

Urbanization

People move to cities hoping to improve their lives

Push factors: poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs, ownership of land by a few rich

Pull factors: higher paying jobs, better schools and medical care

Most populous city is Mexico City Governments find it difficult to deal with

population increases

Tourism

Is a mixed blessing Brings money and creates jobs Can reduce income gap between rich

and poor Has produced resentment between

rich tourists and less well-off local residents

Governments have run up large debts building tourist facilities