Central America, South America, and the Caribbean
Islands
** Latin America is divided into 3 areas: Central or
Middle America, South America, and the Caribbean
Islands
Central/Middle America -- includes the large country of
Mexico and the seven smaller countries of Guatemala, Els
Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and
Belize
Caribbean Islands (West Indies) -- divided up into 3
categories: The Bahamas, The Greater Antilles, and the
Lesser Antilles. They include the large Islands of Cuba,
Puerto Rico, and Jamaica as well as several much smaller
islands.
South America -- the largest area of Latin America,
South America contains the large countries of Brazil and
Argentina, as well as smaller countries of Columbia, Peru,
Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela,
Guyana, French Guyana, and Suriname
MOUNTAIN RANGES & HIGHLANDS
- Many of the Caribbean Islands are actually the peaks of
underwater mountain ranges
- 2 major mountain ranges include the Sierra Madre's in
Mexico and Central America, and the Andes in South
America
- Andes are the world’s longest mountain chain in the
world at over 4,500 miles.
- Andes is the world’s 2nd tallest mountain chain
rising to 20,000 feet above sea level
-They are located in South America and join the
Rocky Mountains in United States and Sierra Madre
in Mexico and have many active volcanoes
- the Eastern coast of South America contains the
Brazilian Highlands and the Guiana Highlands, that drop
sharply into the Atlantic Ocean forming an escarpment
- Escarpment -- slope or long cliff between a higher
and lower surface
PLATEAUS & PLAINS
Altiplano Plateau- is a Spanish word meaning high
plain, spreading over much of Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia.
- Motto Grosso Plateau -- sparsely populated plateau in
south eastern Brazil covered by forests and grasslands
- Llanos - fertile plains that run along the Caribbean coast
of South America
- Pampas - treeless grasslands that cover Uruguay and
Argentina
- Gran Cacao - lowlands between the 2 plateaus that is
covered by heavy, dense forest
RIVERS, LAKES, WATERFALLS
- Lake Nicaragua-- largest lake in Central America in
Nicaragua
- Lake Maracaibo-- largest lake in South America in
Venezuela
-Amazon River—flows about 4000 miles from west to
east and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It carries more
water to the ocean than any other river in the world.
Parana’ River- located in Brazil and the last part of the
river where it turns into an estuary is called the Rio de la
Plata
- Due to the vast span of plateaus, South America is
covered by many of the world's largest waterfalls
- Angel Falls -- the world’s highest waterfalls located in
Venezuela, drop over 3,212 feet; (compare to the Niagara
Falls drop of 176 feet)
Resources of Latin America
There are 3 types of resources they are
 Mineral resources which include; gold, silver,
lead, copper, iron, etc.
 Energy resources which include; oil, coal,
natural gas, hydroelectric power, etc.
 Agricultural and forest resources which include
timber
CLIMATE REGIONS OF LATIN AMERICA
- Almost all of Latin America lies between the Tropic of
Capricorn or the Tropic of Cancer, thus most of the region
has some form of TROPICAL CLIMATE
There are 3 climate zones which include;
 TROPICAL CLIMATE ZONE: From southern
Mexico thru Central America to the middle of South
America has a Tropical Rainforest climate. These
areas contain hot temperatures and abundant rainfall
year round.
 Dry Climate Zone: found in Mexico in North
America and various countries of South America.
Central America and the Caribbean doesn’t have dry
climate zones
 Mid-Latitude Climate Zone: the moderate climate
zones in the region are located south of the equator,
from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil southward.
 HUMID SUBTROPICAL: south eastern South
America from the southern tip of Brazil,
throughout Argentina, has a humid sub tropical
climate with short mild winters, long hot/humid
summers, and ample rainfall.
 MEDITERRANEAN: hot, dry summers and
cool, moist winters.
 MARINE WEST COAST: cool, rainy winters
and mild, rainy summers.
 HIGHLANDS: vary from moderate to cold,
depending on elevation. These climates are
found in the mountains of Mexico and South
America
DESERT: northern Mexico, eastern Peru, and the Pacific
coast of Chile, and south eastern Argentina have a desert
climate.
- The Atacama Desert located in Chile and Peru is one
of the dryest places in the entire world;
- in some parts of this desert NO RAINFALL HAS
EVER BEEN RECORDED!
STEPPE: north eastern Mexico and scattered areas
around the South American highlands contain hot
summers, cold winters, and very light rainfall. These
areas have colder winters and slightly less rainfall than
deserts
TROPICAL SAVANNA: a huge portion of Central
America, Southern Mexico, and central South America
have flat grasslands with few trees that contain warm/
humid climates and ample rainfall year round
Highlands Climates by Altitude
Tierra caliente -- means "hot country", land from 0 to
3000 feet above sea level
Tierra templada -- means "temperate country" land from
3001 to 6000 ft above sea level
Tierra fria -- means "cold country" land from 6001 to
10,000 ft above sea level. However, remember "cold" in
this sense is not below 45 degrees, which is much colder
than most of the area due to the tropical climates.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A RAIN FOREST
 - Rainforests contain broad-leafed, evergreen trees
that grow tall and thick.
 The South American Countries of Brazil, Peru,
French Guiana, and Suriname contain rainforest.
 The Largest rain forest is in Brazil in the Amazon
River basin, it covers 1/3 of South America.
 Canopy -- dense covering formed by the tops of the
trees in the rain forests that keep the sun from
reaching the forest floor. Due to this very few plants
grow on the forest floor.
 there are more species of plants, trees, and animals
living in the rain forests than in any other area of the
world
 Deforestation- cutting down and clearing away of
trees-in the rain forest. This is destroying many of
our rainforest in the world today.
VEGETATION OF LATIN AMERICA
 - Most of Latin America is made up of tropical rain
forests and grasslands.
 - a number of rain forests are scattered across Latin
America, in Central America, in South America, and
in the Caribbean Islands
 - The countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El
Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama in
Central America contain rain forests.
 - Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Islands contains a rain
forest
 - The South American Countries of Brazil, Peru,
French Guiana, and Suriname contain rain forests.
 - The largest rain forest is in Brazil in the Amazon
River basin, it covers 1/3 of South America
Human characteristic
 Over 500 million people live in Latin America
(Central America, South America, and Caribbean
Islands) Roughly 9% of the total world population.
 Compared to 300 million and 5% in North America
 Today Spanish is the official language of most Latin
American Countries, but dialects differ from Country
to country.
 Millions of Latin Americans speak Native American
languages or a combination of both Native Language
and Spanish.
 Mestizito—people of mixed European and Native
decent
 Mulattoe---people of mixed African and European
decent.
 Over 66% of Latin Americans, over 300 million, live
in South America
 Around 100 million people live in Mexico, more than
3 times as the rest of the Central American countries
put together.
Largest Cities (all among the top 10 largest urban areas
in the world)
 Mexico City, Mexico
 Sao Paula, Brazil
 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Carnival is a huge festival held in Rio de Janeiro just
prior to the Catholic Holiday of Lent. This festival has
huge parades that celebrate the holidays though song,
dance, elaborate costumes and theatre like performances.
This celebration is similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.