Physical Features of Latin America PPT 1

Geography of
Latin America
Geography
• Latin America is located in the Western
Hemisphere.
• It is a large land area that that includes most of

the countries in the three regions of South
America, Central America, and the Caribbean
Islands.
• Latin America is bordered by the Pacific Ocean

to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
© Brain Wrinkles
Culture
• Latin America is not a continent, but rather a
cultural region.
• Latin American countries share a similar

culture and history.
• The cultural element that unites the countries

is language (Spanish and Portuguese).
• The region is called Latin America because

these languages developed from the Latin
language.
Regions
Latin America is divided into three
regions:
1. Mexico and Central America
2. The Caribbean Islands
3. South America
Mexico &
Central
America
Mexico &
Central America
• 2,500 miles (about as wide as the US)
• Mountains dominate the region.

• They are part of a huge system that extends
from Canada, through the US, and all the
way to the tip of South America.
• There is a central plateau in Mexico.

• It lies between the Sierra Madre mountains
and makes up more than half of the
country’s area.
© Brain Wrinkles
Mexico &
Central America
• Central America is an isthmus.
• An isthmus is a narrow strip of land
that has water on both sides and joins
2 larger bodies of water.
• There are many volcanoes in Central

America, as a result, their soil is arable
(fertile) and many people farm lands
Gulf of Mexico
• The Gulf of Mexico is a body of water that
lies between Mexico and Florida.
• It is an “arm” of the Atlantic Ocean.
• The Gulf of Mexico is bordered by the United

States to the north, Mexico to the south, and
Cuba to the east.
• The Mississippi River and Rio Grande are

two major rivers that flow into the Gulf of
Sierra Madre
Mountains
• The Sierra Madre Mountains are the main
mountain system in Mexico.
• The range contains 3major chains: the Sierra

Madre Occidental in the west, the Sierra Madre
Oriental in the east, and the Sierra Madre del
Sur, which extends along the southern coast.
• The Sierra Madre range contains some of the

highest mountains and volcanoes in Latin
America.
Panama Canal
• The Panama Canal is a man-made
feature across the isthmus of Panama in
Central America.
• It is a major “shortcut” that allows ships

to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic
oceans.
• The Panama Canal is nearly 50 miles

long.
Panama Canal
• It handles a large volume of world
shipping and enables ships to avoid
traveling around South America,
reducing their voyages by thousands of
miles and many days.
• It consists of artificially created lakes,

channels, and a series of locks, or water-
filled chambers, that raise and lower
ships through the mountainous terrain of
central Panama.
Caribbean
Islands
Caribbean Islands
• The smaller islands are made of coral
(skeletons of tiny sea animals, a rock-like
substance).
• The larger islands are actually tops of

underwater mountains.
• Examples: Cuba, Jamaica
Caribbean
Sea
• The Caribbean Sea is another arm of the
Atlantic ocean.
• It is located between Cuba and South

America and surrounds the Caribbean
islands.
Caribbean
Sea
• The Caribbean Sea is a major trade
route for Latin American countries.
• It is also a popular tourist area that is

noted for its mild tropical climate and
beautiful beaches.
South
America
Andes Mountains
• The Andes Mountains run 4,500 miles
along the west coast of South America.
• The Andes are the longest continuous

mountain range in the world.
• They rise at some points to 20,000 feet

—the same height as twenty 100 story
buildings stacked on top of each other!
Atacama Desert
• The Atacama Desert is located in Chile
at a high elevation in the Andes
Mountains.
• The desert’s average temperature is

pretty chilly.
• Also, it’s one of the driest places on

earth with very little recorded rainfall
annually.
Amazon Rainforest
• The Amazon Rainforest spreads across
much of northern South America and
covers 1/3rd of the continent.
• It is the largest tropical rainforest in the

world.
• The Amazon Rainforest is home to over

40,000 plants, 1,000 different species of
birds, and 2.5 million different kinds of
insects.
Amazon Rainforest
• The Amazon Rainforest’s plants
produce more than 20% of the world’s
oxygen supply.
• It is often called the “lungs of the Earth”.

Amazon River
• The Amazon River is the 2nd longest river
in the world (the 1st is the Nile River).
• It carries the greatest volume of water of

any river in the world.
• The Amazon River stretches 4,000 miles
(primarily across Brazil) to the Atlantic
Ocean.
Amazon River
• The Amazon River contains 20% of all
fresh water in the world!
• It serves as a natural highway where it’s

hard to build roads.
• The Amazon also provides food and

hydroelectric power.
Pacific Ocean
• The Pacific Ocean is the world’s
largest ocean.
• It touches the western coast of

South America.
Atlantic Ocean
• The Atlantic Ocean is the world’s
second-largest ocean.
• It is located east of South America.

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Physical Features of Latin America PPT 1

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Geography of

• It is a large land area that that includes most of

• Latin America is bordered by the Pacific Ocean

• Latin American countries share a similar

• The cultural element that unites the countries

• The region is called Latin America because

1. Mexico and Central America

2. The Caribbean Islands

• Mountains dominate the region.

• There is a central plateau in Mexico.

• There are many volcanoes in Central

• It is an “arm” of the Atlantic Ocean.

• The Gulf of Mexico is bordered by the United

• The Mississippi River and Rio Grande are

• The range contains 3major chains: the Sierra

• The Sierra Madre range contains some of the

• It is a major “shortcut” that allows ships

• The Panama Canal is nearly 50 miles

• It consists of artificially created lakes,

• The larger islands are actually tops of

• It is located between Cuba and South

• It is also a popular tourist area that is

• The Andes are the longest continuous

• They rise at some points to 20,000 feet

• The desert’s average temperature is

• Also, it’s one of the driest places on

• It is the largest tropical rainforest in the

• The Amazon Rainforest is home to over

• It is often called the “lungs of the Earth”.

• It carries the greatest volume of water of

• It serves as a natural highway where it’s

• The Amazon also provides food and

• It touches the western coast of

• It is located east of South America.

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