Latin America Why Latin America Because most of
Latin America
Why Latin America? • Because most of the people in the region speak either Spanish or Portuguese, which are languages derived from Latin, the region is called Latin America
3 Parts to Latin America • Latin America spans about 8 million square miles • It takes up about 16 percent of the Earth’s land surface • It is made up of: Latin America is about • Middle America 3 times the size of the • Mexico United States • 7 Central American Countries • Caribbean Islands • Also called the West Indies • Divided into 3 parts • Greater Antilles • Lesser Antilles • Bahamas • South America
Mountains and Plateaus • Most distinctive aspect of Latin America is that mountains stretch from the northern part of the region, all the way to the south • Mountains are all called something different, despite the fact that it is the same chain • In Mexico, they are the Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, and Sierra Madre del Sur • In Central America they are referred to as the Central Highlands • In South America they are the Andes • Mountains have made it difficult for trade and transportation and has led to isolation • Television, radio, air transport, and the internet have helped end this problem
Pacific Ring of Fire • Latin America is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire • This has caused the formation of mountains and volcanoes over billions of years • The landscape continues to change because of this
Mexico and Central America • Sierra Madres span the east and west coast of Mexico and met in the south • Mexican Plateau, located in the middle of the country between the two ranges, is home to most of Mexico’s population • Central Highlands across Central America stretch into the Caribbean • Most of the islands of the Caribbean are part of the mountain chain (the islands are the peaks of the mountains rising up out of the water) • Some of the islands are actually active volcanoes, making living their dangerous
Andes • Andes are the world’s longest mountain chain • The stretch 4, 500 miles across South America • The Andes consist of several chains that run parallel to each other • When several mountain chains run parallel to one another it is called cordilleras • The Andes encircle the altiplano in Peru and Bolivia (it means “High Plain”) • In Argentina, the Andes fall off into the Patagonia, which is a region of hills and lower flatlands
Highlands of Brazil • Mato Grosso Plateau, is a sparsely populated area of forests and grasslands • It spreads across most of Brazil, into Peru and Bolivia • East of the Mato Grosso Plateau are the Brazilian Highlands • It spans several climate regions and vegetation zones • East of the Brazilian Highlands, the plateau drops sharply to the Atlantic, forming a steep cliff or slope called an escarpment
Lowlands and Plains • Narrow coastal lowlands are located throughout Latin America • Inland areas of South America have vast areas of grasslands • In Colombia and Venezuela it is called the llanos • In Argentina and Uruguay it is the Pampas • Both areas provide for grazing of cattle • Cowhands manage the herds – called llaneros in the llanos and gauchos in the Pampas • Because of its fertile soil, the Pampas is also considered one of the world’s “breadbaskets” – producing a lot of wheat and corn
Rivers • Rivers are very important because they provide transportation to an area that is relatively isolated • Most of the major rivers are found in South America with the exception of the Rio Grande, called Rio Bravo del Norte (“Wild River of the North”) • Amazon is the longest river in the Western Hemisphere • Amazon Basin in Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, and Columbia is the mass network of rivers draining into the Amazon on its way to the Atlantic
Lakes • There are very few lakes in Latin America • Lake Titicaca between Bolivia and Peru, sits high up in the Andes • It is the highest navigable lake in the world • Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is considered the largest lake in Latin America, even though it technically isn’t a lake • It is home to vast amounts of oil fields that provide much of the world’s oil • The largest lake in Central America is Lake Nicaragua
Natural Resources • Latin America has the following natural resources: • Minerals • • Not all of Latin America’s countries have Oil access to these types of natural resources Natural Gas Emeralds and as a result, tensions are high in some Tin places because people don’t share! Copper Bauxite (main component of aluminum) Gold Silver One major issue facing the region is • Forestry • Agriculture • Water that because of isolation, political and social unrest, many of the regions natural resources remain untapped
- Slides: 18