Geography of South America
I. Andes Mountains
A. Longest (and one of the
youngest) mountain range(s)
in the world, more than 5,000
mi (8,000 km) long,
B. Extend from Venezuela, to
Tierra del Fuego and the
Falkland Islands.
C. The Andes go through seven
South American countries—
Argentina, Chile, Bolivia ,
Peru, Ecuador, Colombia , and
Venezuela .
II. Altiplano





A. High plateau near the border between Peru
and Bolivia.
B. Very high altitude, between 12,500 ft to over
15,000 ft.
C. Few trees, plants, or native animals live here.
D. However, 70% of Bolivia’s population lives in
or around the Altiplano.
E. Lake Titicaca- worlds highest navigable lake.
Survival on the Altiplano


To live at such a high altitude with little
oxygen, many people living on the
Altiplano chew coca leaves.
The coca leaves allow people to slow their
breathing down and relieve head-aches
and hunger pangs.
III Atacama Desert




The _____ Desert in the
world
Lays in Northern Chile
and Southern Peru
Averages Less that .004
inches of rain a year!
What is so unique is that
the desert is bordered by
the ocean.
IV. Patagonia



A. The Patagonia region,
located in the _________
end of South America,
embraces the countries of
Argentina and Chile.
B. This is a
___________________
dry plateau.
C. Difficult to support an
abundance of life
V. Gran Chaco



A great, low-lying
plain in South
America.
The Chaco has a
tropical climate with
alternate wet and dry
seasons.
The Chaco is sparsely
settled and largely
underdeveloped by
humans.
Dry season. Tree’s store water in
their trunks.
Wet season. Tropical environment.
VI. Pampas





A. Pampas , wide, flat,
fertile grassy plains,
300,000 sq. miles
particularly in Argentina and
extending into Uruguay
B. Chief crop is _________
C. livestock are the main
source of income.
D. Eastern part is humid
and receives over
____inches of rain
E. Western part is dry
because of the Mountains.
Rain blows over the mtns.
and hit the eastern part of
the pampas.
VII. Gaucho


A. gaucho , __________
of the Argentine and
Uruguayan Pampas
(grasslands).
B. The typical gaucho, a
familiar figure in the 18th
and 19th cent., was a
daring, skillful horseman
and plainsman, and
sometimes soldier.
IV. Geography of the Andes



A. What is the climate like in the Northern
Andes?
B. What is the climate like in the Central
Andes?
C. What is the climate like in the Southern
Andes and Argentina?
VIII. Brazilian Highlands


A. The Brazilian Highland
region is a steep coastal
ridge rising along
______miles of shoreline
in Southern and
Southeastern Brazil.
Average elevation is
_______feet.
B. The range clings
closely to the coast, and
reappears in spots as
offshore _i______.
IX. Guiana Highlands




A. Located in Guyana,
Suriname, and ____________.
B. Tepuis rise one after
another, like gargantuan steps,
in sheer ___________
hundreds to thousands of feet
high.
C. Numerous rivers, fed by
heavy rainfall, rise in the
highlands and pour over the
edges to create deep gorges
and magnificent waterfalls.
D. _________________
Highest waterfall in the world
(3,312 ft)
X. Amazon River Basin




A. The Amazon river basin
is located mainly in
_____________. It also
stretches into some of Peru.
B. Contains Amazon river
and forest.
C. The largest in the world,
covered by more than 2
___________square miles
in the form of dense tropical
forest.
D. For centuries, this has
protected the area and the
animals residing in it.
Amazon River Basin is Like
Folsom Field
Guiana Highlands
Andes Mountains
AMAZON RIVER
Brazilian Highlands
XI. Amazon River





A. The _________ river in the
world in amount of water.
The river ranges from 11/2 to 6
miles wide for most of its
course. It widens to about 90
miles at its mouth. The
Amazon's depth averages
about 40 feet
Discharge rate- average,
209000 m3/s (7381000 cu ft/s)
B. It flows east, across
northern Brazil and into the
Atlantic Ocean at the Equator.
http://www.mbarron.net/Amaz
on/factfile.htm