Latin America and the
Caribbean
Countries of Mexico and
Central America
 Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El
Salvador, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
Panama
Countries of South America
 Colombia, Venezuela,
Guyana, Suriname, French
Guiana, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay,
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
Countries of the
Caribbean
 Cuba, Haiti, Dominican
Republic, Jamaica, Puerto
Rico (US)
Physical Features
 Major Mountain ranges
Andes Mountains
Sierra Madre Mountains-Oriental and Occidental
 Rainforests
 Coastal Desert--Atacama Desert
 Amazon River Basin
 Tropical Grasslands--Pampas,
Llanos
 Archipelagoes groups of related
islands
 Reversed seasons south of the
Equator
 Volcanoes and Earthquakes
 Vertical Zonation of Climates in
Mexico
Tierra Templada-temperate
Tierra Fria-cold
Tierra Caliente-hot
Economic Characteristics
 diverse economies
 subsistence farming
 plantation agriculture
 slash and burn agriculture
 cash crops and food crops
 haciendas
 cattle ranches and gauchos
 deforestation
 destruction of the rainforests
 oil resources--Ecuador,
Venezuela, Mexico
 Heavy smog and pollution-Mexico City
 disparity of income distribution
 NAFTA member
 diverse mineral resources
copper in Chile
iron ore in Venezuela and
Brazil
Cultural Characteristics
 Indian civilizations--Aztec, Inca
 African traditions--slaves
 influences of European
colonization--Spanish
 predominance of the Roman
Catholic religion
 rigid social structure—no
movement
 Mestizos-European and Native
 location of settlements--coastal
in South America
 Megacities with large squatter
settlements
 rapid population growth
 out-migration
Cultural heritage
 music--African influences,
calypso, steel drum bands,
reggae
 traditional dances
 Spanish and Portuguese
languages
Cultural landscape
 pyramids and cathedrals
 haciendas and ejidos
(communal land)
 ruins at Machu Picchu
 ruins at Tikal
Latin America
From Mexico to Chile and
Argentina
Mountain Ranges
 Sierra Madres
 Andes
In Mexico
2nd highest
3 different
range in the
areas
world.
ORIENTAL
Run from Chile
OCCIDENTAL
to Panama
DEL SUR
Latin
America
in
Pictures
Squatter
City in
Brazil
Native American
heritage
Mayan
Inca
Inca
Chieftain
Steel Drums
Steel Drum Band
Cathedral in Mexico
Cathedral
in Mexico
Macchu Picchu
in Peru
Macchu Picchu is an
ancient city that the Inca
claimed was the center
of the earth.
Tikal
in Guatemala
ancient Mayan city
 ceremonial and civic center
 Tikal is the "New York City" of the
Maya, its skyscraper-like
pyramids soaring up out of the
jungle canopy.
Gauchos in Argentina
ANDES
Peaks in the ANDES
Looking up
Inca city of Machu Pichu
Sierra Madres
Sierra rocky cliffs
Green slopes
Looking across the range
Amazon River Basin
 Over 1000 tributaries feed the
Amazon River.
 Drains an area almost the size of
the USA.
nd
 Amazon 2 largest river in the
world.
 Drains 60 times more water then
the Nile.
Amazon River Basin
(dark green)
Amazon flowing through the
rainforest.
Grasslands
 Pampas
In Argentina
Used for
grazing and
farming
 Llanos
In Venezuela
Used for
grazing and
farming
Cattle on the Pampas
Shade trees on the llanos
A small pond on the llanos
Rainforests
 Rainforests cover much of Latin
America.
 Rain forests are near the
equator.
 Amazon rainforest covers
almost 2 million acres.
Water fall in the forest
Deserts
 Atacama Desert
Driest desert in the World.
Sheltered from the
rainforest by the Andes
Atacama
Archipelagoes
(groups of islands)
 Bahamas
Hundreds of islands off the tip of
Florida and to the North of Cuba
 Greater Antilles
Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico,
Hispaniola
 Lesser Antilles
Smaller islands to the South
of Puerto Rico
Bahamas
Bahamas from space
The Beach
Warm Blue Water
FIN
Latin America--Test
Review
 What is the main language of Latin
America?
 Spanish
 What is the main religion of Latin
America?
 Roman Catholic
 Name the major mountain ranges
of Mexico?
 Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra
Madre Occidental
 What is the most important and
populous region of Mexico?
 Central Plateau
 What do Tierra Fria, Tierra
Templada, and Tierra Caliente
have in common?
 All are climate zones from the
Latin American mountain regions
 Ancient Mayan ruins can be found
in which region of Mexico?
 Yucatan Peninsula
 Which native civilization was
conquered by Cortez and the
Spanish in Mexico?
 the Aztecs
 What three cultures make-up
Mexico?
 Ancient Indian, colonial Spanish
and modern Mexican
 What is an EJIDOS?
 Farmland owned collectively by
members of a rural community
 What is a HACIENDA?
 Large Spanish-owned estates of
land, usually run as a farm or
cattle ranch
 Who provided the labor on the
Haciendas?
 Indians
 What is a mestizo?
 Person of mixed Spanish and
native Indian ancestory
 What economic alliance is Mexico
a member of?
 NAFTA
 What is an isthmus?
 A narrow strip of land with water
on both sides
 What is the main economic activity
of Central America?
 Agricultural
 What does an unequal
distribution of wealth mean?
 Most money/resources
controlled by a few
 What do Cuba, Puerto Rico,
Jamaica, and Hispaniola (Haiti
and the Dominican Republic)
make up?
 Greater Antilles
 What group was originally brought
to the Caribbean to work on the
sugar plantations?
 Africans
 What is an archipelago?
 Island group or island chain
 What is subsistence farming?
 Growing only enough for your use
 What are the tropical grasslands
of South America called?
 Llanos and pampas
 What is the predominant climate
in Latin America?
 Tropical climates
 Does Latin America have
volcanoes and earthquakes?
 YES
 What do Ecuador, Venezuela and
Mexico have in common?
 oil
 What is the main problem in
Mexico City?
 Smog and pollution
 What mineral resources does
Chile have?
 Copper
 What was the ancient South
American native culture
conquered by Spain?
 Incas
 Describe Latin America’s social
structure.
 Rigid
 What 3 things do most Latin
American cities have in
common?
 Coastal, megacities, squatter
settlements
 What is Macchu Picchu?
 Ancient Incan ruins
 What is the name of the ancient
Mayan ruins in Guatemala?
 Tikal
 Name the major mountain range
of South America?
 Andes
 When it is summer in the US,
what season is it in Argentina?
 winter
 What is the largest economic
activity in Argentina’s patagonia
region?
 Cattle ranching
 What are Argentina’s cattle
ranchers called?
 gauchos