South America

Andes Mountains Pampas Amazon Rainforest Amazon River Orinoco River Rio de la Plata Peru Chile Brazil Argentina Rio de Janeiro

Key Terms

Located in the Western hemisphere. 4th largest continent in area. Lies between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

South America

Label your map to look like this.

The Andes Mountains are among the highest

in the world. They stretch over 4500 miles in the western part of South America.

Once the basis of the Inca Empire.

Andes Mountains

Mountain and poor soil make much of South

Americas land unproductive. EXCEPT…the pampas of Argentina and

Uruguay. They provide large areas of fertile soil for growing crops and grazing cattle.

Grasslands and Plains

Rainforests are located on the east coast of

Central America and the northern part of South America.

They have warm, humid climates. The Amazon Rainforest is the world’s largest

tropical rainforest. It is located in Brazil.

Rainforest

Amazon River – 2nd longest river in the world. Orinoco River and the Rio de Plata are also

major rivers in South America. Most of the population in South America lives

near or on these major river systems. Why?

Bodies of Water

Much of South America is warm because it lies

near the equator. The mountains and the ocean winds however,

help keep many places in South America at comfortable temperatures.

Climate

Australia

Label your map!

Label –

• Great Barrier Reef

• Indian Ocean

• Great Victoria Desert

Great Barrier Reef

Lies off Australia’s northeastern coast. Coral formations have piled up for millions of years to create a colorful chain that stretches 1250 miles. A coral reef is a structure formed by the skeletons of small sea animals.

Australia is surrounded by the Indian and

Pacific Oceans. The central areas of Australia are mainly

desert. The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of

Australia is the world’s largest coral reef. It is the only country that takes up an entire

continent. It has many unique animals.

Information