Chapter 9 Notes- Latin America

Physical Geography of Latin America- From the Andes to the

Amazon

Section 1: Landforms & Resources

Section 1: Landforms & Resources

• Andes Mountains- longest mountain chain in the world

Section 1: Landforms & Resources

• Angel Falls- tallest waterfall in the world (Venezuela)• Over 15x’s the height of Niagara

falls• DON’T WRITE-Video & Base Jump

Section 1: Landforms & Resources

• Grasslands of Latin America• Llanos- grassy plains of

Colombia & Venezuela

• Cerrado- plains of Brazil

• Pampas- plains of Argentina & Uruguay

Llanos

Cerrado

Pampas

Section 1: Landforms &

Resources

• Orinoco River- goes through northern part of Venezuela

Section 1: Landforms & Resources

• Amazon River- • Flows about 4,000 miles West to East

• Over 1,000 rivers empty into it

• Carries more water to the ocean than any other river• More than the next 7 largest rivers combined

Section 1: Landforms & Resources

• Parana River- Over 3,000 miles long• Travels through Paraguay &

Argentina

Section 1: Landforms & Resources• The Caribbean-

• Greater Antilles- consists of the islands of

• Cuba• Jamaica• Puerto Rico• Hispaniola (Haiti & the Dominican

Republic)

Section 1: Landforms & Resources

• The Lesser Antilles- consists of the islands of • The Virgin Islands and several smaller

island groups

Section 1: Landforms

& Resources

• The Bahamas

Section 1: Landforms & Resources

• Average Rainfall, Natural Vegetation, & Average Temperatures of South America in January & July

DON’T WRITE

Section 2: Climate & Vegetation

• Rain forests- dense forest of many different trees• Hot & rainy year round• Some trees over 150ft.

high

Piranha Video

• Climate conditions change as elevation levels rise, this determines the types of crops that can be grown for each country

Section 2: Climate & Vegetation

DON’T WRITE

Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction

• Slash-&-Burn Farming- cut down trees, brush, grasses, and then burn the debris • Effective method in tropical regions• Leading to destruction of rain forests

• Non-landowning poor?

Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction

• Terraced Farming- ancient technique to grow crops on hillsides• Reduces soil erosion• Used by Incas, & Aztecs

DON’T WRITE

Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction

• Push Factors- reasons that people are forced to leave rural (country) areas

• Pull Factors- reasons that people are drawn to urban (cities) areas

Push Factors

Pull Factors

DON’T WRITE

Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction

• Rapidly Growing Cities-• Regions cities are

growing very rapidly

• Can cause slums, crime, unemployment, & pollution

• Governments can’t handle infrastructure improvements

Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction

• Tourism- • Good effects- creates jobs, hotels,

restaurants, $$$, & can reduce income gap between rich & poor

Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction

• Bad effects- more pollution, congestion, gap between rich tourists & poor locals, owners of resorts don’t always live in area