LATIN AMERICA

WHY IT MATTERS

  • Latin America reflects a unique ______of world ______, including ______American, European & African
  • In turn Latin America’s ______cultures have ______to other parts of the world
  • For example the languages, ______, foods & ______of Latin America have profoundly influenced life in the ______
  • Today, many Americans are of Latin American ______& maintain close ties to their ______
  • In addition, the U.S. & many countries in Latin America are close ______partners
  • They share ______values based on human ______& revolt from European ______

THE LAND

  • News accounts of ______disasters in Latin America describe the ______caused by hurricanes, ______& volcanic eruptions
  • A study of the physical ______of Latin America will explain the ______that make the region ______to such natural disasters

Landforms

  • Latin America has an area of about_____ million sq miles = ______ of Earth’s land mass/surface
  • It is divided into ______sub-regions
  • ______to Panama
  • Caribbean
  • South America(the region’s ______land mass)
  • Latin Americas most distinctive ______are its ______
  • It’s majormountain range begins in ______travels to the tip of ______America
  • U.S. it’s called the ______Mountains
  • Mexico it’s called the ______
  • Central America it’s called the______
  • South America it’s known as the ______Mountains
  • Latin America’s ______landscape is caused by it’s ______along the Pacific Ring of Fire
  • Ring of Fire is an area where many of the Earth’s ______meet & formed mountains & ______& causes ______
  • Despite this humans have ______on Latin America’s mountains & ______because they provide ______climates & rich natural ______(water, volcanic soil, timber & minerals)

Mexican Plateau

  • The heart of ______is made up of the Mexican Plateau (700 mi/long & 4,000-8,000 ft/high), which is broken by mountain ______& segmented by deep ______
  • The ______is fringed by two mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre ______(in the east) the Sierra Madre ______(in the west)
  • Within the plateau are drainage ______which have no outlet to the ______& which contain some of the country's densely populated major ______/centers (Guadalajara, León, QueretaroPachuca)
  • A ______climate, relatively abundant ______& rich ______& volcanic soils create favourable ______conditions & has attracted settlers for 1,000’s of years
  • Much of the land supports extensive ______as well as ______grazing in some of the drier basins
  • Significant or important ______include corn (maize), beans, ______& sugarcane; sugar refineries & grain ______are located in Guadalajara
  • Other important industries include______, ______

Sierra Madre

  • The Sierra Madre Occidental “Mother Range” is a mountain range in ______Mexico that extends from near the ______border down to the Sierra Madre del Sur (mountain range in ______Mexico)
  • This uplift in land has caused changes in ______patterns, with ______occurring in the mountains providing islands of available land for wetter ______to form than in the surrounding land
  • This water forms ______(areas that drain into common waterways) that provide the arid surroundings with water that makes it possible to ______&______crops
  • The wet ecosystems are islands of ______, in what would otherwise be a ______landscape
  • ______forests are the predominant plant life & extend into the ______land deserts
  • This forest & canyon land provided a place for a variety of ______people to live, until Spanish ______came into the area to found towns for the ______mines in the area
  • This is a dramatic landscape of steep mountains formed by a high plateau that has been cut through with canyons including Copper Canyon (larger & deeper in some places than the Grand Canyon)
  • Located in the Copper Canyon region of northwest Mexico, Basaseachic Falls on the Basaseachic River is the 2nd highest waterfall in Mexico at 807 ft tall & second in Mexico only to the Cascada de Piedra Volada (Flying Stone Falls---1486 ft)
  • The major ______in the area now are ______& ______
  • The highest point is probably ______at WikiMiniAtlas9,970-10,800 ft

Sierra Madre Oriental

  • The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern ______that runs parallel to its Gulf of Mexico______with a few mountains reaching ______
  • It’s ______point is Cerro el Potosí, Mexico which has an Elevation: 3720 meters or ______

Central Highlands

  • The Central Highlands is the name given for the string of mountains ______which run through the middle of ______America which makes settlement ______b/c some are still active
  • The highlands are part of a circle of volcanoes known as the Pacific Ring of Firethat runs through ______, New Zealand, the ______rims the entire ______Ocean
  • Many of the country's active ______peaks are found along the Highland's Central Volcanic Mountain Range (Cordillera Volcanica Central)
  • ______such as Poas Irazu are some of the most spectacular accessible volcanoes in the country

Andes

  • The Andes is the ______continentalmountain range in the ______(continual range of highlands along the______coast of South America)
  • This range is about ______mi/long, ______mi/wide & has an average height of about ______ft (highest chain outside of Asia)
  • The highest peak, Mount______, rises to an elevation of about ______ft above sea level
  • The Andes consists of______ which are “mountain ranges that run ______” that cause settlements to be ______from one another (some villages havecentury old customs)
  • The Andes extend from north to south through ______South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, ChileArgentina (on the ______coast of South America)

Mato Grosso Plateau

  • The Mato Grosso Plateau is a plateau in ______Brazil & parts of BoliviasPeru (______America)
  • It contains mostly ______(grassland ecosystem) & ______(forest)is an ancient erosional plateau that in the south gives way to ______called the Pantanal
  • The Matto Grosso Plateau is about ______tall & is home to ______peoples

Llanos

  • Llanosis thewide ______that stretch across ______South America & occupying western Venezuela & northeastern Colombia known for ranches of ______
  • Most of the Llanos is ______savanna that is covered with ______grasses & carpet grasses in the drier areas
  • Much of the Llanos Bajos is subject to ______floodingwhich allowsmost ______to nest in the gallery forests ______on the grassland
  • Deer rabbits, as well as the anteater, armadillo, tapir, jaguarcapybara (world’s largest living rodent)
  • The raising of ______has long been the mainstay of the Llanos’ economy, since Spanish colonial daysbut the______importance of the region has been greatly enhanced by the ______fields in the Venezuelan Llanos

Pampas

  • The Pampas or "______"are ______South American lowlands, covering more than 289,577 square miles that include the Argentineprovinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre RíosCórdoba, most of Uruguay, the southernmost BrazilianState, Rio Grande do Sul
  • The climate is ______, with precipitation of ______inches evenly distributed through the year, making the ______appropriate for ______(large amounts of ______)
  • Some of this ______includes the rhea, the pampas ______, several species of armadillos, the pampas ______, the White-eared opossum, the Elegant Crested Tinamouseveral other species

Eastern Highlands

  • The Highlands across the ______side of the continent belong to the ______geologic period, around the same the ______Highlands
  • The Highlands are divided into ___ sections (Guiana Highlands in the north BrazilianHighlands in the south)
  • They highlands are filled with “______”which are steep ______that drop down to the ______from the mountain ranges

Brazilian Highlands

  • The BrazilianHighlands or ______ are an extensive geographical region, covering most of the eastern, southern & central portions of Brazil (about ______of the country's land area)
  • The vast majority of Brazil's population (_____ million)lives in the highlands or on the ______coastal region immediately adjacent to it
  • ______has played a large part in ______the Highlands, forming extensive sedimentary deposits______down the ______
  • The Brazilian Highlands are notable for the great ______to be found there: within the region there are several different ______, vastly different ______conditions, many types of soilthousands of animal plant ______an important area for raising ______

Water Systems

  • Latin America’s water systems ______people & goods to different parts of the ______& the world
  • Most of ______America’s major river systems are in ______America

Amazon River

  • Amazon River in South America is the ______in the world (longest in the Western Hemisphere)
  • Carries ______ times the amount of water as the ______
  • The Amazon also has the largest ______basin in the world (2,720,000 sq mi) & accounts for approximately ______of the world's total ______flow
  • At some points the river ______into anabranchs (multiple channels) that are often very long, with inland & lateral ______all connected by a complicated ______of natural canals
  • More than ______of all ______in the world live in the Amazon ______(a giant tropical forest & river basin with an area that stretches more than ______sq mi)
  • It is the ______tropical forest in the world in terms of ______withover ______species of fish, mammals & dangerous ______& spiders

Paraná,Paraguay, & Uruguay River System

  • The Paraná,Paraguay, & UruguayRivers form the ______ largest river system in Latin America that ______the ______half of South America & empties into the “______”
  • These rivers provide an important ______water route for ______in the region as well asproviding an important source of______power

Lake Titicaca

  • South America's ______lake the world's ______navigable body of water (borders PeruBolivia)
  • Lake Titicaca has long been considered a ______place among indigenous Andean peoples (considered the birthplace of man & the sun by the Incas)

CLIMATE & VEGETATION

  • Diverse ______make Latin America a region of astonishing contrasts from ______rainforests, ______deserts, ______plains & ______beaches
  • In the dense nearly impenetrable vegetation of Latin America’s tropical rainforests, the world’s greatest biodiversity exists as millions of plants & animals live together

Elevation & Climate

  • Differences in ______from the equator create ____ diverse ______climate zones in Latin America
  • Tierra ______- Above 16,000 feet (______), permanent ice & snow; some grasses & temperatures below 20 F
  • ______- 12,000 to 15,000 ft, cold temperatures; ______grazing (20-55 F)
  • Tierra ______ - 6,000 to 12,000 ft, ______temperatures, winter ______common; grow potatoes & barley, highest zone in Central America, (up to the tree line) (55-65 F)
  • Tierra ______ - 2,500 to 6,00o ft, cooler temperatures, leafy & cone bearing ______trees, most densely populated zone; grow ______, corn, & wheat (65-75 F)
  • Tierra ______ - b/w sea level & 2,500 ft., hot ______coastal temperatures, ______; grow bananas, sugar & rice“hot land”(75-80 F)

Climate & Vegetation Regions

  • Much of Latin America has a ______climate with lush ______
  • Although much of Latin America is location in the ______it also has other ______regions

Tropical Wet

  • A tropical ______climate with tropical rain forest ______dominates much of the region
  • ______temperatures & abundant ______year-round result from the area’s location on the Equator & the prevailing ______that carry warm, ______air from the Atlantic Ocean
  • The Amazon ______ holds the worlds ______tropical rainforest“Amazon Rainforest” & the world ______tropical plain
  • Heavy rains (______inches a year) drench much of the densely ______lowlands throughout the year & the dense “______” keeps sunlight from hitting the forest floor

Tropical Dry

  • A tropical ______climate is typical of the coast of ______Mexico, most of the CaribbeanIslands & north-central South America
  • These areas experience ______temperatures & abundant ______but also experience an extended dry season with many flourishing ______& ______farmland (Llanos)

Humid Subtropical

  • A humid subtropical climate prevails over much of ______South America
  • Winters here are short with cool to mild ______& summers are long, hot & ______
  • ______is generally uniform & short grasses are the natural vegetation of the area (due to overgrazing)

Dry Climates

  • Hot ______, cold ______with little to no ______
  • Home to the ______Desert (coastal desert) so arid that in some places no ______has ever been recorded