Latin America

1
Latin America
2
Countries of Mexico and Central America

• Mexico
• Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras,
  Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

3
Countries of the Caribbean

• Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto
  Rico (US)

4
Countries of South America

• Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French
  Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay,
  Argentina, Chile, Uruguay

5
(No Transcript)
6
Physical Features

• Major Mountain ranges
• Andes Mountains
• Sierra Madre Mountains--Oriental and Occidental
• Rainforests (Amazon River Basin)
• Coastal Desert - Atacama Desert
• Amazon River Basin

7

• Tropical Grasslands Pampas (Argentina) and the
  Llanos (Colombia and Venezuela)
• Archipelagoes - groups of related islands
• Reversed seasons south of the Equator
• Volcanoes and Earthquakes

8

• Vertical Zonation of Climates in Latin America
• Tierra Fria-cold
• Tierra Templada-temperate
• Tierra Caliente-hot

9
Middle America Mountain Ranges

• Sierra Madres of Mexico
• (3 different ranges)
• Oriental (Eastern Coast)
• Occidental (Western Coast)
• Del Sur (Southern border)

10
Sierra Madres
11
Sierra rocky cliffs
12
South American Mountain Ranges

• Andes
• Longest chain in the world
• 2nd highest range in the world
• Run from Chile to Panama

13
ANDES
14
Peaks in the ANDES
15
Deserts

• Atacama Desert
• Driest desert in the World.
• Sheltered from the rainforest by the Andes

16
Atacama
17
Rainforests

• Rainforests cover much of Latin America.
• Rain forests are near the equator.
• Amazon rainforest covers almost 2 million acres.

18
Water fall in the forest
19
(No Transcript)
20
Amazon River Basin

• Over 1000 tributaries feed the Amazon River.
• Drains an area almost the size of the USA.
• Amazon is the largest river the 2nd longest
  river in the world.
• Drains 4 times more water then the Nile.

21
Amazon flowing through the rainforest.
22
Amazon River Basin(dark green)
23
Grasslands

• Pampas
• In Argentina
• Used for grazing cattle and farming (wheat)
• Ranchers are called gauchos

24
Cattle on the Pampas
25
Gauchos in Argentina
26
Grasslands
Grasslands
Llanos - In Venezuela Colombia - Used for
grazing and farming - Ranchers are called
llaneros
27
A small pond on the llanos
28
Shade trees on the llanos
29
Archipelagoes(groups of islands)

• Bahamas
• Hundreds of islands off the tip of Florida and to
  the North of Cuba

30
Bahamas
31
Bahamas from space
32

• Greater Antilles
• Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola

33

• Lesser Antilles
• Smaller islands to the South of Puerto Rico

34
The Beach
35
Warm Blue Water
36
Economic Characteristics

• diverse economies
• subsistence farming
• plantation agriculture
• slash and burn agriculture
• cash crops and food crops
• haciendas
• cattle ranches and gauchos

37

• deforestation
• destruction of the rainforests
• oil resources--Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico
• Heavy smog and pollution--Mexico City

38

• disparity of income distribution
• NAFTA member (United States, Canada, Mexico)
• diverse mineral resources
• copper in Chile
• iron ore in Venezuela and Brazil

39
Cultural Characteristics

• Indian civilizations--Aztec, Inca
• African traditions--slaves
• influences of European colonization--Spanish
• predominance of the Roman Catholic religion
• rigid social structureno movement

40

• Mestizos-European and Native
• location of settlements--coastal in South America
• Megacities with large squatter settlements
• rapid population growth
• out-migration

41
Cultural heritage

• music--African influences, calypso, steel drum
  bands, reggae
• traditional dances
• Spanish and Portuguese languages

42
Steel Drums
43
Steel Drum Band
44
Cultural landscape

• pyramids and cathedrals
• haciendas and ejidos (communal land)
• ruins at Machu Picchu
• ruins at Tikal

45
Cathedrals in Mexico
46
Squatter settlement/Shantytown/Favela
47
Squatter settlements often result from
Rapid Urbanization
48
Latin American Favela
Squatter settlements usually develop on the
outskirts of a megacity. The wealthy people live
in the heart of the city, while the poor tend to
live on the rim of the city, in shantytowns or
squatter settlements.
49
Native American heritage
50
Mayan
51

52

53
Tikal

• ancient Mayan city
• ceremonial and civic center
• Tikal is the "New York City" of the Maya, its
  skyscraper-like pyramids soaring up out of the
  jungle canopy.

54
Tikal in Guatemala
55
Tikal
56
Inca
57
Incan Chieftan
58
Inca city of Machu Picchu
59
Machu Picchuin Peru
60
Machu Picchu

• ancient city that the Inca claimed was the
  center of the earth.

61
FIN
62
Latin America--Test Review

• What is the main language of Latin America? What
  are the two primary languages?
• Spanish
• Spanish and Portuguese
• What is the main religion of Latin America?
• Roman Catholic

63

• Name the major mountain ranges of Mexico?
• Sierra Madres Oriental and Sierra Madre
  Occidental
• What is the most important and populous region of
  Mexico?
• Central Plateau

64

• What do Tierra Fria, Tierra Templada, and Tierra
  Caliente have in common?
• All are climate zones from the Latin American
  mountain regions.
• Ancient Mayan ruins can be found in which region
  of Mexico?
• Yucatan Peninsula

65

• Which native civilization was conquered by Cortez
  and the Spanish in Mexico?
• the Aztecs
• What three cultures make-up Mexico?
• Ancient Indian, colonial Spanish and modern
  Mexican

66

• What is an EJIDOS?
• Farmland owned collectively by members of a rural
  community
• What is a HACIENDA?
• Large Spanish-owned estates of land, usually run
  as a farm or cattle ranch

67

• What is a mestizo?
• Person of mixed Spanish/European and native
  Indian (Amerindian)
• What economic alliance is Mexico a member of?
• NAFTA

68

• What is an isthmus?
• A narrow strip of land with water on both sides
• What is the main economic activity of Latin
  America?
• Agriculture (mostly subsistence farming)

69

• What does an unequal distribution of wealth mean?
• Most money/resources controlled by a few

70

• What do Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and
  Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
  make up?
• Greater Antilles
• What group was originally brought to the
  Caribbean to work on the sugar plantations?
• Africans

71

• What is an archipelago?
• Island group or island chain
• What is subsistence farming?
• Growing only enough for your use
• What are the tropical grasslands of South America
  called?
• Llanos and pampas

72

• What is the predominant climate in Latin America?
• Tropical climates
• Does Latin America have volcanoes and
  earthquakes?
• YES
• What do Ecuador, Venezuela and Mexico have in
  common?
• oil

73

• What is the main problem in Mexico City?
• Smog and pollution
• What mineral resources does Chile have?
• Copper

74

• What was the ancient South American native
  culture conquered by Spain?
• Incas

75

• Describe Latin Americas social structure.
• Rigid
• What 3 things do most Latin American cities have
  in common?
• Coastal, megacities, squatter settlements

76

• What is Machu Picchu?
• Ancient Incan ruins
• What is the name of the ancient Mayan ruins in
  Guatemala?
• Tikal

77

• Name the major mountain range of South America?
• Andes
• When it is summer in the US, what season is it in
  Argentina?
• winter

78

• What is the largest economic activity in
  Argentinas patagonia/pampa region?
• Cattle ranching
• What are Argentinas cattle ranchers called?
• gauchos