A funny sounding lake… South American Landforms,

Climate, and Vegetation

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Essential Question: How have physical features and

climate affected the population distribution of Latin

America?

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I. Landforms

A. Andes Mountains

1. Created by the Nazca

Plate and South

American Plate

subducting.

2. Form a barrier to

movement into the

interior of the continent.

3. Home to ancient

civilizations like the Inca

in Peru.

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TQ

How do people modify their

environment?

Terraced Farming The ancient Inca dug terraces (steps) into the

mountain side to create flat land for farming.

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TQ

B. Llanos

1. Tropical grassland area

used for livestock grazing

and farming.

2. Found in Colombia and

Venezuela.

C. Pampas

1. Area known for cattle and

wheat production.

2. Found in Uruguay and

northern Argentina.

D. South America has wide

plains that offer rich soil for

growing crops and grasses

for grazing livestock.

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Llanos and pampas are grassland prairies, AKA savannas

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Llanos of

Colombia

Pampas of

Argentina

E. Cerrado “closed”

1. Area between the Brazilian Highlands and Amazon Basin.

2. Savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall.

3. Brazil is encouraging land development for farming.

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G. Tierra del Fuego

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II. Bodies of Water

A. Amazon River

1. Flows 4,000 miles from

west to east.

2. Origin in the Andes and

flows eastward to the

Atlantic Ocean.

3. Fed by over 1,000

tributaries in the Amazon

Basin.

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B. Xingu River 1. A tributary of the

Amazon River, 1,230 miles long.

2. Belo Monte Dam- will be the 3rd largest hydroelectric dam in the world.

• Will open up Amazon to development.

• Animal diversity at risk.

C. Orinoco River 1. Flows northeast

through Venezuela.

2. Home to Native American people like the Yanomamo.

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D. Lake Titicaca

1. Largest lake in South

America.

2. Sits in Andes, on the

border of Peru and

Bolivia.

3. Name origin unknown but

it has been translated to

be “Rock Puma” or “Crag

of Lead”.

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E. Panama Canal

• The U.S. took over the

project in 1904, and

officially opened the canal

in 1914.

– France began work in

1881, but stopped due to

engineering problems and

high mortality rates due to

disease.

• Panama City has become

a center for urbanization,

transportation, and

economic activity.

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TQ

TQ

IV. Climate and Vegetation

A. Climates range from arid to tropical rain forest.

B. The variety in climate and vegetation is due to:

1. Latin America covering a great distance on each

side of the equator.

2. Changes in elevation due to the Andes Mountains

and other highlands.

3. Warm water currents from the Atlantic Ocean and

cold water currents from the Pacific Ocean.

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C. The ITCZ

• Intertropical Convergence

Zone (ITCZ)

– Occurs between 5o N and 5o S.

– Hot air rises and sinks further

away between 20o-30o N and S.

• Hot air rising- convection

• Produces thunderstorms,

hurricanes, tropical wet/dry

climate.

– This area is also called

the doldrums b/c wind

rarely blows in this

area of earth.

• How would sail boats

be affected?

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D. El Nino

• Occurs in the South Pacific Ocean, about every

5 years.

• El Nino is the warming of the Pacific’s water

temperature, which affects the amount of rainfall

to the Americas.

– Pushes rain into Peru and Ecuador.

– Pushes rain from the Amazon Basin into Central

America, making the Amazon hotter and drier.

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El Nino

E. Highland climate zone

• An increase in

elevation causes a

decrease in air

pressure and

temperature.

• Andes Mountains

– Quito, Ecuador

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TQ

TQ

F. Arid climate zone

• Atacama Desert

– Northern Chile

– Known for its mineral

wealth: Gold, silver,

iron, copper, bauxite

(aluminum ore)

• Patagonia

– Southern Argentina

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G. Tropical climate zone

• The Amazon Rainforest

– Dense rain forest made up

of different species of

trees.

• 2,500 varieties of trees

– The Amazon rain forest

forms a unique ecosystem.

– Covers more than 2 million

miles.

– Almost 1/5 of the Amazon

rainforest has been

cleared.

26 Deforestation

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Wrap Up…

• List three ways that people in South America

depend on, adapt to, or modify the environment.

One way people in South America ________ the

environment is by ________. A second way people

________ the environment is by ________. A third way

people ________ the environment is by ________.

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depend on

adapt to

modify depend on

adapt to

modify

depend on

adapt to

modify

Use your

Notes!