Unit #3: Latin America

Chps 9-11

Take Five…

Where is Machu Picchu located?

Chp 9: Section #1: Landforms & Resources

Latin America: part of N. America (from southern most US border), all of South and Central America & the Caribbean Islands

Highlands…

Contains one of the largest mountain ranges in the world: The Andes Mountains—begins as the Rockies in the US, the Sierra Madre in Mexico and the Andes in S. America

Other highlands regions as well in parts of Venezuela & Brazil

Andes Mtns.

Wally Points…

Due to the number and height of highlands in Latin America, where do you think the majority of people chose to settle and why?

Plains…

Llanos of Colombia & Venezuela for livestock grazing and farming

Cerrado in Brazil for farmingPampas in northern Argentina &

Uruguay for cattle and wheat grain

Take Five…

• Define the following:• Llanos• Cerrado• Pampas

Rivers…

Longest river system in Mexico= Rio Grande

3 major river systems in South America:Orinoco River—Colombia & VenezuelaAmazon River—beginning in the Andes

Mtns. and flowing into the Atlantic2nd longest river in the world

Parana River—Brazil through Paraguay & Argentina

Rio Grande

Amazon River

Wally Points…

If the Amazon is the 2nd longest river in the world, what is the longest?????

Major Islands of the Caribbean

3 major island groups (The West Indies)The Bahamas

Southern tip of FL and North of CubaThe Greater Antilles

Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto RicoThe Lesser Antilles

Windward and Leeward Islands

Queen’s Staircase in Nassau, Bahamas

Straw Market

Two Different Worlds…Same Location…

Cuba…

Leadership of Cuba?

Wally Points…

What does Gitmo refer to?What is the current conflict regarding

Gitmo today?

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay

Political Controversy…

Jamaica Mon…

What is the absolute location of Ocho Rios?

What is located at 77.90 W and 18.50 N

Pictures of Jamaica

Leeward Islands

Antigua

Windward Islands

Natural Resources…

Mineral resources: gold, silver, nickel, iron copper etc…

Mining is a major export in Latin American countries—esp. aluminum ore

Energy resources: oil, coal, uranium, hydroelectric and natural gas

Agricultural resources: timber, bananas, sugar etc…

Sec #2: Climate and Vegetation

Wide climate and vegetation ranges: rainforest, savannah, desert, Mediterranean

Tropical Climate Zones

Rainforests & Savannahs Tropical wet/dry—hot climates w/ seasonal

rains Savannahs such as found in Brazil, Colombia and

Argentina Hot and rainy climate year round Amazon

2 million square miles of S.America 2,500 varieties of trees

Ex: Brazilian nut tree Variety of animals

Ex: Anaconda, Jaguar & Piranha

Rainforests of the World

Amazon Rainforest

The Albino Anaconda…

Wally Points…

What other animals are native to the Rainforest?

Amazing Amazon Animals

Dry Climate Zones

Found in Mexico and South AmericaSemiarid climates: dry w/ some rainDesert: little rainfall

Wally Points…

What areas of Latin America do NOT have a dry climate?

Atacama Desert

Mid-Latitude Climate Zones (S. of the Equator)

Humid Subtropical—rainy winters/ hot humid summers Paraguay, Uruguay, S. Brazil, S. Bolivia & N. Argentina

Mediterranean—hot summers/cool winters Chile

Marine West Coast—cool rainy winters/mild rainy summers SW South America, S. Chile, Argentina

Highlands—moderate to cold climates depending on elevations Mountainous regions of Mexico and S. America

Sec #3: Human-Environment Interaction

Agricultural shaping the environmentSlash and burn technique

Shrinking rainforestTerraced farming

Reduces soil erosion

Farming techniques

Wally Points…

(1) What are negative side effects of urbanization? Is this true in Latin American countries as well?

(2) ________, ________ and ________ are the most highly urbanized countries in South America.

Urbanization

Movement from rural areas to urban areas

Push factors—pushing people to leave rural areasPoor medical care, education, jobs, land

ownershipPull factors—pulling people to the cities

Higher-paying jobs, better schools, medical care

Problems associated with Urbanization

High crime rateUnemploymentSlumsAir/water pollutionBroken/non-existent infrastructure

Positive Effects of Tourism

New resortsPeople spending money

SouvenirsFood

Creation of jobsResorts, restaurants, tour guides,

expeditions

Negative Effects of Tourism

Resorts adding to land destructionPollution Gaps between rich and poor

Resentment and crimePublic debt

Infrastructure, airports, road construction etcAbsentee owners

Part I of In Class Assignment…

Look at the first picture and answer the following questions:What features do you see in this image?What patterns do you see on the

landscape?From where do you think this image was

taken?What do you think this is a picture of? What

details support your hypothesis?

Compare and contrast…

The first image was taken in 1975. How might the landscape have changed since then?

Now look at the 2nd image…

Compare the 2 images, what features are the same? What features have changed?

How much time do you think has passed between the two images?

What are possible explanations for the differences between the two images?

What might be some reasons why the Rainforest is being cut down?

News Flash!!!

You and your team members will each play a role to create a news story about the use of the Amazon Rainforest.

Write a script regarding your specific interest group

Prepare a 2-3 minute news report Group member roles:

Reporter Interviewee #1 Interviewee #2

Wrap Up…

Which group has the most legitimate claim to decide what should be done to preserve or use the resources of the Amazon rainforest?

Which group wants to use or preserve the resources of the rainforest in ways that will be most helpful to the country and people of Brazil?

Which group wants to use or preserve the resources of the rainforest in ways that will be most helpful to the people around the world (global community)?

Considering all the factors from the previous questions, which group makes the strongest case for how to use or preserve the resources of the Amazon rainforest?

Read Section 12.9

Each group needs to make 2 recommendations for preservation and use of the Amazon Rainforest.

Read Section 12.10 and answer the following questions…

What interesting details do you see on this map?

What do the various colors of the countries represent?

Which countries are experiencing the greatest loss of forests? Why might this be so?

Which countries are experiencing the greatest amount of reforestation? Why might this be so?

Read Section 12.11 and answer the following questions about the graph…

What does each graph represent?The 8 countries that are labeled in red on

the map are also represented in the graphs. What relationships do you see between the information on the map and the data in the graphs?

What hypotheses might explain the relationships you identified between the graph and the map?