Chapter 9 Lesson 1 Physical Geography of South

Chapter 9 : Lesson 1 Physical Geography of South America

Essential Question How has South America’s rugged landscape both attracted and isolated people?

Regions of Latin America Mexico Central America Caribbean South America

Cordillera: parallel chains or ranges of mountains

Altiplano: Spanish for “high plain, ” a region in Peru and Bolivia encircled by the Andes

Escarpment: a steep cliff or slope between a higher and lower land surface

Highlands • The Guiana Highlands • The Brazilian Highlands Guiana Highlands

Llanos: fertile grasslands found in inland areas of Colombia and Venezuela

Pampas: a grassy, treeless plains of southern South America

The Pampas: Argentina

Mountains and Highlands • The Andes Mountains– part of the mountain range that runs through a portion of North, Central and South America. • United States- The Rocky Mountains • Central America- The Sierra Madres • South America- the Andes

Andes Mountains - Peru Patagonia – Southern Andes

• Many volcanoes • The longest mountain range in the world, nearly 5, 000 miles long. • Creates a barrier between the coastal cities on the west coast and the interior of the continent.

The Amazon River and Other Major River Systems Amazon River: Brazil Orinoco River: Venezuela and Colombia Paraná River: Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina

The Mighty Amazon • Amazon : Flows 4, 000 miles from west to east and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Source is the Andes Mountains close to the Pacific Ocean.

The Orinoco River • Flows mainly through Venezuela and Colombia. It creates part of the border between the two countries.

Review Question: Chapter 9 : Lesson 1 Read pages 218 -222 and answer Review Questions on page 222 Hand in Google Class Room.