The Land of the Maya CENTRAL America In

The Land of the Maya - - CENTRAL America In between North and South America 5 countries: Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador

Map of the Mayan World Please check the map you did and make any necessary corrections! As well, add the Yucatan Peninsula and the following: The ancient Maya civilization occupied the eastern third of Mesoamerica, primarily the Yucatan Peninsula. A peninsula is a piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides, and on the fourth is attached to a mainland The Yucatan Peninsula Gulf of Mexico Chichen Itza Uxmal Tulum Palenque Caribbean Sea Tikal Copan Pacific Ocean

Geography of the Maya - 2 key areas: Lowlands and Highlands Lowlands - divided into Northern and Southern - In this area, crops were grown for personal consumption Northern Lowlands was made up of dry forests with small thorny trees - Hot - Insufficient rainfall - Very little water available - Limestone bedrock sucked water away

Geography of the Maya Southern Lowlands - covered in rainforest about 150 feet high - Very poor for agriculture – thin soil - Also had swamps - About 160 inches of rain from May – November (Vancouver gets about 60 inches of rain in a year) Highlands - Volcanic mountains – led to excellent soil - Source of obsidian, jade and other precious metals - Items that were good for trade - Subject to volcanoes and earthquakes