Physical Geography of Latin
America
Chapter Nine
General Overview of Latin America




Runs from Mexico to
Tierra Del Fuego
which is over 7000
miles
Includes all of Central
and South America and
the Caribbean Islands
Bordered by the
Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans, as well as the
Gulf of Mexico and the
Caribbean Sea
Video
Mountains and Highlands

Andes Mountains
◦ Runs the entire length of North, Central, and
South America
 North America – Rocky Mountains
 Mexico – Sierra Madre
 South America – Andes
◦ They keep people from moving across into
the interior of South America
◦ Was the home of the Incas in Peru
Mountains and Highlands

Highlands –
Mountainous or hilly
sections of a country

Guiana Highlands –
In the northeast
region of South
America
Plains of Latin America

Llanos of Columbia and Venezuela
◦ Grassy treeless areas used for livestock and
farming

Amazon River Basin
◦ In the interior of Brazil
◦ Known as the cerrado
◦ Vast savannas with moderate rainfall perfect
for farming
◦ Had been ignored but now the Brazilian
government is encouraging settlement
Plains of Latin America

Pampas
◦ Found in northern
Argentina and Uruguay
◦ Main products –
wheat and cattle
◦ Gauchos
 Accomplished horsemen
 Very similar to the
cowboys in the United
States
Gauchos
Rivers of Latin America

Central America and
the Caribbean
◦ These areas do not have
large river systems
◦ Unlike South America,
they do not depend on
rivers for transportation
◦ River to know – Rio
Grande (border of
Mexico and United
States)
Rivers of Latin America

Orinoco River
◦ Runs through northern half of South America
◦ Flows 1500 miles to the Atlantic
◦ Forms part of the border between Venezuela
and Columbia

Parana River
◦ Starts in the highlands of southern Brazil
◦ Flows 3000 miles to the Atlantic
◦ Known as the Rio de la Plata in Uruguay
Rivers of Latin America

Amazon River
◦ Flows 5000 into the
Amazon River
◦ Starts in the Andes
near the Pacific Ocean
◦ Fed by 1000
tributaries
◦ Carries more water to
the ocean than any
other river
Islands of the Caribbean
Made up of three groups of islands:
 Bahamas – hundreds of islands south of
Florida
 Greater Antilles – Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto
Rico, and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic
and Haiti)
 Lesser Antilles – Southwest of Puerto
Rico

◦ Windward Islands – Winds blow across them
◦ Leeward Islands – Sheltered from winds
El Nino
Weather pattern
caused by warm
water off the coast
of South America
 Causes warm
winters in US and
other abnormal
weather
 Can cause problems
around the world

Resources of Latin America

Energy Resources
◦ Oil, natural gas, hydroelectric power

Mineral resources
◦ Gold, silver, iron, copper, tin, lead, nickel
◦ Also have gems and titanium
◦ Among the world’s leaders in raw material
production

Problems in Latin America
◦ Much of what is produced is owned by other
countries
◦ What is produced is exported away
Slash-and-Burn Farming
Clear cutting trees, brush, and grass.
Then burning the refuse.
 Began by the Pre-Columbian native
Americans
 Problems with Slash-and-Burn

◦ Soil is used up quickly
◦ People move and do it again. This destroys
even more land
Terraced Farming
Ancient way of
growing crops on the
sides of hills and
mountains
 Farmers cut flat
areas into the sides
of mountains and
plant crops on them
 Cuts down on soil
erosion

Urbanization
People in Latin America are rapidly
moving from rural to urban areas.
 Most urbanized countries – Argentina,
Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay
 Push-Pull Factors

◦ Push factors – Poor medical care, poor
education, low paying jobs, and rich own all
the land
◦ Pull factors – Better jobs, schools, and medical
care
Urbanization

Latin America has many large cities
◦ Rio de Janeiro
◦ Buenos Aries
◦ Mexico City – 30 million people in entire
metropolitan area

Problem with rapid growth
◦ Slums & pollution
◦ Strain on the infrastructure
Tourism

Advantages of tourism
◦ Brings visitors who spend money
◦ Provides jobs

Disadvantages of tourism
◦
◦
◦
◦
Pollution
Uses lots of land
Governments can create debt
Other countries own resort areas so money
goes out of the country