Name: World Geography Unit 3: Latin America Chapter 7- Physical ...

Name: ____________________

World Geography

Unit 3: Latin America

Chapter 7- Physical Geography of Latin America

Chapter 8- History and Cultures of Latin America

Chapter 9- Latin America Today

Psalm 67:4- May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the

peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.

First Things First:

List four questions below that you have about Latin America:

1. _________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________________

5. How might a wide variety of physical features affect

transportation and communications within a region? ________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________

6. In what ways can language and religion both unite and divide a

region? __________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

7. What human activities benefit the environment and what activities

harm it? _______________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Chapter 7 Notes- Physical Geography of Latin America

Essential Question- How might a wide variety of physical features affect transportation and communications within a region?

________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Section 1- Physical Features

Landforms

? Geographers divide the region of Latin America into ___________ subregions: _______________ America, the

______________, and ____________ America. Middle America is made up of ____________ and ________________

America. Central America is an isthmus, or a narrow piece of land that links North America and South America.

? _______________ ranges run along Mexico¡¯s eastern and western coasts with a high ______________ between.

Central America has mountains and lowlands along its coasts. Thick _____________, rugged mountains, and coastal

marshes make it difficult to transport goods in that country.

? The islands of the Caribbean Sea, also known as the _________________, are divided into the ____________ Antilles,

the _____________ Antilles, and the _______________. The Greater Antilles include the largest islands- __________,

Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica.

? The Lesser Antilles is an __________________, or group of islands, curving from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad. The third

group is the Bahamas, another archipelago.

? ____________ has about half of the Caribbean¡¯s land area. Some islands are low-lying, but others, formed by

________________, have rugged mountains. Some volcanoes are still active and can be damaging, but the __________

volcanic soil is good for growing sugarcane and tobacco.

? The _____________ mountain ranges and the vast ____________ Basin are South America¡¯s major landforms. The

Andes, the world¡¯s longest mountain system, are a cordillera and stretch along the ____________ coast of South

America for about ____________ miles. Between the mountain chains lie plateaus and valleys, where most people

________ and farm.

? The Amazon Basin is a low-lying area formed the Amazon _________ and covering 2.7 _____________ square miles.

Highlands to the north and south border the basin. The Brazilian Highlands end in an __________________, a series of

steep cliffs that drop down to the Atlantic coastal plain.

? Tropical grasslands known as the ___________ stretch through eastern Colombia and Venezuela. Another well known

plain, the ____________, covers much of Argentina and Uruguay and provides grazing land for beef cattle and fertile soil

for growing ____________.

Waterways

? The Amazon, Latin America¡¯s ______________ river, starts in the Andes and flows east about ___________ miles to

the Atlantic Ocean. Heavy rains and many tributaries, or small rivers that flow into a larger river, feed the Amazon.

? Three other rivers- the ________________, _______________, and _______________- form Latin America's

____________ largest river system. These rivers flow into the Rio de la Plata- a broad estuary, or area where river

currents and ocean tides meet- which meets the Atlantic Ocean.

? The ______________ Rover flows through Venezuela to the Caribbean Sea, carrying fertile soil into the Llanos

region. Venezuela¡¯s Lake ________________ is South America¡¯s largest lake and contains some of Venezuela¡¯s

________ fields.

? Lake ________________ lies between Bolivia and Peru. About __________ feet above sea level, it is the world¡¯s

____________ lake that can be used by large ships.

? The _____________ Canal, a ____________ made waterway, stretches across the narrow Isthmus of Panama.

Ships use the canal to shorten travel time between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

A Wealth of Natural Resources

? Latin America¡¯s largest country, ____________, is more than 55 percent ____________, including a large area

of tropical rain forests. The rain forests provide timber, ___________, palm oil, and Brazil nuts.

? Brazil has large amounts of bauxite, gold, and tin but limited oil and natural gas reserves. Its deposits of iron ore

and manganese help support one of the world¡¯s largest iron and _________ industries. To reduce its

dependence on oil imports, Brazil uses _____________ produced from sugarcane and gasoline to produce a fuel

for cars called _______________.

? ________________ has the region¡¯s largest oil and _____________ gas reserves, and Mexico has large

amounts of oil and natural gas along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Both countries use the supplies for their

own energy needs as well as for exports. _____________ and Ecuador also have valuable oil and natural gas

deposits.

? _____________ is mined in Mexico and Peru, and Venezuela has rich iron ore deposits. Colombian mines

produce the world¡¯s finest _______________, while Chile is the world¡¯s largest exporter of copper.

? The Caribbean islands generally have relatively ________ mineral resources, although Jamaica has large

deposits of bauxite. Cuba mines nickel, and the Dominican Republic mines gold and silver. The Central

American countries of __________________ and Guatemala have rich gold deposits, but political conflicts and

_______________ problems make mining these deposits difficult.

Section 2- Climate Regions

Hot to Mild Climates

? Most of Latin America lies within the ______________- the area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of

Capricorn. This area has generally warm temperatures because it receives the direct rays of the sun for much of the

year. However, mountain ranges and ___________ patterns create a variety of climates in the region.

? A ______________________ climate is found in some Caribbean islands and much of Central America and South

America. This climate is marked by year round ________ temperatures and ______________ rainfall. Vast areas of

________________ cover much of this climate zone.

? A rain forest is a dense stand of tress and other plants that receives high amounts of ______________. Warm

temperatures and heavy rains facilitate the growth of rain forests.

? South America¡¯s Amazon basin is home to the world¡¯s ______________ rain forest with more species of plants and

animals per square mile than anywhere else on __________. Trees there grow so close together that their tops form a

dense ____________, an umbrella like covering of leaves.

? From June to November, _____________________ often strike the Caribbean Islands. The heavy winds and rain of

these storms can cause considerable damage. Still, many Caribbean islands have used their warm climate and beautiful

beaches to build a strong _____________ industry.

? ___________________ climates are found in the parts of South America that lie south of the Tropic of Capricorn. A

humid subtropical climate dominates much of southeastern South America, from southern Brazil to the Pampas of

Argentina and Uruguay. This means that winters are _________ and mild, and summers are __________, hot, and

humid.

? Central ___________ has a Mediterranean climate that features dry summers and rainy winters. Farther south is a

_______________________ climate zone. In this area, rainfall is ____________ and falls throughout the year.

? Along the Pacific coast of northern Chile and in the rain shadow of the Andes lies the ____________ Desert, one of the

____________ places on Earth. Winds from the Atlantic Ocean bring rain to the regions east of the Andes, but they carry

no moisture past them.

? The cold __________ Current in the Pacific Ocean does not evaporate as much moisture as a warm current does. As a

result, only dry air hits the coasts.

? Weather in South America is strongly influenced by the _____________ effect. This is a set of changes in air pressure,

temperature, and rainfall that begins in the Pacific Ocean.

? When El Nino takes place, the Pacific waters off Peru¡¯s coast are unusually _____________. As a result, winds blowing

toward land carry heavy rains that lead to severe ________________ along Peru¡¯s coast. El Ni?o can also bring a long

dry season to northeastern Brazil, causing crop failures.

Elevation and Climate

? Mountains and highlands cover much of ___________ America. Altitude, a place¡¯s height above _________ level,

affects climate in these rugged areas.

? Mountains and highlands cover much of Latin America. The Andes, for example, have __________ altitude zones of

climate.

? The Tierra _______________, or ¨Dhot land,¡¬ refers to the hot and humid elevations near sea level. The average

temperature range is between 75 and 80 degrees F. There is little change from one month to another.

? Higher up the mountains- from 3,000 feet to 6,000 feet- the air becomes cooler. Abundant rainfall encourages the

growth of forests. This zone of moist, pleasant climates is called the Tierra ________________, or ¨Dtemperate land.¡¬

The mild temperatures- between 65 and 75 degrees F- make it the most densely populated of the climate zones.

? The next zone is the Tierra _________, or ¨Dcold land.¡¬ It begins at 6,000 feet and stretches up to 10,000 feet.

Average yearly temperatures here can be as low as 55 degrees F. The Tierra Fria has forested and grassy areas.

Farming can take place in this zone in the warmer summers.

? The Tierra ______________, or ¨Dfrozen land,¡¬ is the zone of highest elevation. It lies above 10,000 feet to 12,000

feet. Conditions here can be harsh. The climate is cold, and the temperature can be as low as 20 degrees F.

Relatively few people live at these heights.

Chapter 8- History and Cultures of Latin America

Essential Question- In what ways can language and religion both unite and divide a region? ___________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Section 1- History and Governments

Early History

? The _____________ civilization of southern Mexico lasted from 1500 B.C. to 300 B.C.

? Some Olmec cities specialized in _____________, growing maize, or corn, and squash and beans.

? Others controlled important mineral resources such as ____________ and _______________, a hard, black, volcanic

glass.

? The ___________ lived in Mexico¡¯s _______________ Peninsula and surrounding areas between A.D. 300 and A.D.

900.

? They used __________________ to record their history.

? About A.D. 900, the Maya civilization _____________________ collapsed.

? Next, the _________ seized what is now northern ____________, building the city of Tula and conquering lands all the

way to the Yucat¨¢n Peninsula.

? Around A.D. 1200, the ____________ people from the north moved into central Mexico and captured Tula.

? ___________________ was the Aztec capital.

? During the 1400s, the ___________ empire, in what is now _______ in South America, stretched more than 2,500

miles (4,023 km) along the Andes.

? The Inca ruler put in place a complex system of _____________ keeping.

? In 1519 a Spanish Army led by Hern¨¢n _____________ marched to Tenochtitl¨¢n, Mexico, and overtook the Aztec.

? In 1532 Francisco ________________ attacked the Inca, killed the ruler, and conquered that empire.

? The Aztec and Inca conquests allowed Spain to build an empire that included much of South America, the

_________________, Middle America, and parts of present-day United States.

? _________________ took control of what is today Brazil.

? France, Britain, and the ________________ overtook some Caribbean areas and parts of North America.

? The arrival of the ________________ transformed the populations of these lands by settling the land, setting up

colonial governments, and spreading __________ among the Native Americans.

? They also used _____________ Americans as workers to grow cash crops.

? Eventually, European landowners brought _______________ Africans for labor.

Forming New Nations

? In 1804, enslaved Africans under Fran?ois-Dominique Toussaint-L¡¯Ouverture threw off French rule in

______________.

? Haiti became the only nation ___________ created as a result of a revolt by enslaved people.

? Despite many battles, Mexicans did not gain their __________________ until 1821, becoming a republic in 1823.

? That same year, the countries of Central America won their freedom from ____________.

? In 1819 Sim¨®n _________________ won freedom from the Spanish for the present-day countries of Venezuela,

Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

? In 1817 Jos¨¦ de San Mart¨ªn liberated ________________.

? A few years later, San Mart¨ªn and Bol¨ªvar jointly defeated the _____________ in Peru.

? By the end of the 1820s, all of Spain¡¯s and Portugal¡¯s colonies in Latin America had won their

_________________________.

? Many of the new Latin American countries ________________ slavery.

? Many Latin American nations hoped their countries would become stable __________________ with prosperous

economies.

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