Landforms and Bodies of Water in Latin America

Landforms and Bodies of Water in Latin America 3. 2. 2 Describe and list the different land forms and bodies of water associated with Latin American S. Couch

Regions of Latin America Mexico Central America Caribbean South America Brazil

Mountains and Highlands • The Andes Mountains • The Andes are a 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 • There are many volcanic peaks throughout the Andes.

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

Highlands • The other mountainous regions in Latin America include the following: • The Guiana Highlands • The Brazilian Highlands

The Plains of Latin America There are vast plains regions in Latin America well suited for agriculture Llanos: Colombia and Venezuela Pampas: Argentina and Uruguay Amazon River Basin: Brazil

The Pampas: Argentina

The Amazon River and Other Major River Systems • South America has three major River Systems: Amazon River: Brazil Orinoco River: Venezuela and Colombia Paraná River: Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina

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

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

The Paraná River • The Paraná river begins in the Brazilian Highlands and flows southward through Paraguay and Argentina. It meets with several other rivers to create the Rio de la Plata a very important estuary in South America.

Islands of the Caribbean • Three Main Island Groups make up the West Indies: The Bahamas The Greater Antilles The Lesser Antilles

The Bahamas • The Bahamas are made up of hundreds of islands off of the southern tip of Florida. Nassau is the capital and largest city in the Bahamas.

The Greater Antilles • The Greater Antilles is made up of the largest islands in the Caribbean including Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico.

The Lesser Antilles • The Lesser Antilles includes the smaller islands in the region southeast of Puerto Rico. They are divided into two groups- the Leeward island the Windward islands.