Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
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 structureno 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
From Mexico to Chile and Argentina
Mountain Ranges Sierra Madres Andes In Mexico 2nd highest 3 different range in the areas world. ORIENTAL Run from Chile OCCIDENTAL to Panama DEL SUR
Latin America
in Pictures
Mayan
Inca
Inca Chieftain
Steel Drums
Cathedral in Mexico
Cathedral in Mexico
Macchu Picchu
in Peru
Macchu Picchu is an ancient city that the Inca claimed was the center of the earth.
Tikal
in Guatemala
Gauchos in Argentina
ANDES
Looking up
Sierra Madres
Green slopes
Amazon River Basin Over 1000 tributaries feed the Amazon River. Drains an area almost the size of the USA. nd largest river in the Amazon 2 world. Drains 60 times more water then the Nile.
Rainforests
Rainforests cover much of Latin America. Rain forests are near the equator. Amazon rainforest covers almost 2 million acres.
Deserts
Atacama Desert Driest desert in the World. Sheltered from the rainforest by the Andes
Atacama
Bahamas Hundreds of islands off the tip of Florida and to the North of Cuba Greater Antilles Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola
Bahamas
The Beach
FIN
Name the major mountain ranges of Mexico? Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental
What is the most important and populous region of Mexico? Central Plateau
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
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
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
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 What is the main economic activity of Central America? Agricultural
What does an unequal distribution of wealth mean? Most money/resources controlled by a few
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
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
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
What is the main problem in Mexico City? Smog and pollution What mineral resources does Chile have? Copper
What was the ancient South American native culture conquered by Spain? Incas
Describe Latin Americas social structure. Rigid What 3 things do most Latin American cities have in common? Coastal, megacities, squatter settlements
What is Macchu Picchu? Ancient Incan ruins What is the name of the ancient Mayan ruins in Guatemala? Tikal
Name the major mountain range of South America? Andes When it is summer in the US, what season is it in Argentina? winter
What is the largest economic activity in Argentinas patagonia region? Cattle ranching
What are Argentinas cattle ranchers called? gauchos