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Latinamerica Caribbeangeography
Latinamerica Caribbeangeography
Physical Features
Major Mountain ranges
Andes Mountains
Sierra Madre Mountains--
Oriental and Occidental
Rainforests
Coastal Desert--Atacama Desert
Amazon River Basin
Tropical Grasslands--Pampas,
Llanos
Archipelagoes groups of related
islands
Reversed seasons south of the
Equator
Volcanoes and Earthquakes
Vertical Zonation of Climates in
Mexico
Tierra Templada-temperate
Tierra Fria-cold
Tierra Caliente-hot
Economic Characteristics
diverse economies
subsistence farming
plantation agriculture
slash and burn agriculture
cash crops and food crops
haciendas
cattle ranches and gauchos
deforestation
destruction of the rainforests
oil resources--Ecuador,
Venezuela, Mexico
Heavy smog and pollution--
Mexico City
disparity of income distribution
NAFTA member
diverse mineral resources
copper in Chile
iron ore in Venezuela and
Brazil
Cultural Characteristics
Indian civilizations--Aztec, Inca
African traditions--slaves
influences of European
colonization--Spanish
predominance of the Roman
Catholic religion
rigid social structure—no
movement
Mestizos-European and Native
location of settlements--coastal
in South America
Megacities with large squatter
settlements
rapid population growth
out-migration
Cultural heritage
music--African influences,
calypso, steel drum bands,
reggae
traditional dances
Spanish and Portuguese
languages
Cultural landscape
pyramids and cathedrals
haciendas and ejidos
(communal land)
ruins at Machu Picchu
ruins at Tikal
Latin America
world.
Drains 60 times more water then
the Nile.
Amazon River Basin
(dark green)
Grasslands
Pampas Llanos
In Argentina In Venezuela
Used for Used for
grazing and grazing and
farming farming
Cattle on the Pampas
Shade trees on the llanos
A small pond on the llanos
Rainforests
Rainforests cover much of Latin
America.
Rain forests are near the
equator.
Amazon rainforest covers
almost 2 million acres.
Water fall in the forest
Deserts
Atacama Desert
Driest desert in the World.
Sheltered from the
rainforest by the Andes
Atacama
Archipelagoes
(groups of islands)
Bahamas
Hundreds of islands off the tip of
Florida and to the North of Cuba
Greater Antilles
Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico,
Hispaniola
Lesser Antilles
Smaller islands to the South
of Puerto Rico
Bahamas
Bahamas from space
The Beach
Warm Blue Water
FIN
Latin America--Test
Review
What is the main language of Latin
America?
Spanish
What is a HACIENDA?
Large Spanish-owned estates of
land, usually run as a farm or
cattle ranch
Who provided the labor on the
Haciendas?
Indians
What is a mestizo?
Person of mixed Spanish and
native Indian ancestory
What economic alliance is Mexico
a member of?
NAFTA
What is an isthmus?
A narrow strip of land with water
on both sides