Opener: 4/13 - #1
COPY and answer the following
questions using TB page 193.
1. What capital cities are located on the
coast in South America?
2. Why do you think there are so many on
the coast?
3. What capitals are located near the
center of the country?
4. What would be the advantage of
having a centrally located capital?
5. Which South American country has two
capitals?
Opener: 4/14 - #4
COPY and answer the following:
Many Latin American countries are
suffering from problems associated with
deforestation. Do you think the
government should create laws to protect
the environment? For example, should
recycling be mandatory?
Write a response in 3-5 complete sentences!
Physical Geography of
Latin America
From the Andes to the Amazon
Why is this region called
“Latin America”?
• Spanish and
Portuguese are the
official languages of
most countries
• Spanish and
Portuguese are
based on Latin.
How do Geographers divide
Latin America?
• North America
– Mexico
• Central America (an Isthmus)
– 7 countries: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
– Land link between North and South America
• The Caribbean
– Islands-West Indies; divided into the Greater and Lesser
Antilles
• Greater Antilles = Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Hispaniola
(Dominican Republic and Haiti)
• Lesser Antilles = all other Caribbean islands
– Most are exposed peaks of under-water mountain ranges
• South America
– Largest land area, 13 countries total
– Brazil is largest
The Caribbean
Central
America
Regions
of
“Latin America”
South
America
Mountains
• Mexico:
– Sierra Madre Oriental
to the East
– Sierra Madre
Occidental to the West
– Both meet near Mexico
City to form the Sierra
Madre del Sur.
• Peru/Chile:
– The world’s longest
mountain chain
– ANDES
MOUNTAINS
(4500 miles)
– Runs the entire length
of South America
– Home to the Inca
Civilization in Peru
Andes
Waterfalls & Lakes
• Lake Titicaca
– Shared between Peru
and Bolivia
– Highest navigable lake
• Lake Maracaibo
– Largest in South
America
– Contains oil fields
• Angel Falls
– Worlds tallest waterfall
– 3212 feet down and 500
feet across
– Located in Venezuela
Rivers
• Parana
– Second longest river
system in South America
– Join near Buenos Aires to
form the Rio de la Plata
meaning “river of silver”
• Amazon
– Longest river in the
Western Hemisphere
(4000 miles long)
– More than half of the
length is navigable
– Second only to the Nile
River in length
– Carries more water to the
ocean than any other
river
Strait of Magellan
• A winding waterway
between South
America and the
islands of Tierra del
Fuego
• Discovered by
Ferdinand Magellan
as a short-cut to
avoid sailing around
Cape Horn
Panama Canal
• Built by the U.S. in the early 1900s
– Allows ships to move from the Atlantic
Ocean and Caribbean Sea to the Pacific
Ocean.
Atacama Desert
• Atacama Desert:
– One of the world’s driest deserts
– Completely barren of plant life
– The town of Calama, which is located in the
Atacama, has NEVER received rain.
Amazon Rainforest
• World’s largest
rainforest
– Receives over 80 inches
of rain per year
– Home to 90% of the
Earth’s animal and plant
species
– Produces half of the
world’s oxygen
– Provides rubber and
timber for export
– Many of the nuts and
plants from the
rainforest provide
essential medicine
Deforestation in the Amazon
Original Forest Cover
Current Forest Cover
Future Forest Cover
Natural Resources
• Hydro-Electric Power
– Readily available because of numerous river
systems and waterfalls
• Oil & Natural Gas
– Among the worlds leaders in production
– Mexico is 5th largest producer in the world (most
of Mexico’s oil is exported to the U.S.)
– Venezuela is the only South American member of
OPEC {largest known oil reserves in the world}
• Copper
– Chile is the world’s leading copper producer
– Produces 20% of the world’s copper
• Emeralds
– Colombia is famous for producing quality emeralds
Do-Now: Thursday, 3/21
Match the description (left column) to the
country it is found in (right column).
1. World’s 2nd longest
river
2. World’s tallest
waterfall
3. World’s highest
navigable lake
4. World’s driest desert
5. Latin America’s
leader in tourism
A.
B.
C.
D.
Venezuela
Chile
Brazil
Dominican
Republic
E. Peru and Bolivia