THE GEOGRAPHY &

HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA

THE BASICS 33 countries

4 parts Mexico Central America Caribbean Islands South America

PHYSICAL FEATURES Mountains throughout the region

Andes Mountains in South America Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico

Volcanoes on the Caribbean Islands Amazon Rainforest in South America

Largest tropical rainforest in the world Amazon River in South America

2nd longest in the world Lake Titicaca in South America

Highest lake (in elevation) in the world Atacama Desert in Chile

Driest place on earth Angel Falls in South America

World’s tallest waterfall

CLIMATE 3 main types of climates in Latin

America—look at the climate maps on pages 58 and 74 to find them

Tropical climate in much of Central America, Caribbean Islands, and Amazon Basin

Cool highlands climate in western South America (Andes) & southern Mexico (Sierra Madre)

Arid (dry) climate in northern Mexico and southern South America

CULTURAL FEATURES Languages:

2 main languages spoken: Spanish & Portuguese Where did Latin America get its name?

Spanish & Portuguese come from the Latin language (which is now considered a “dead” language.)

Main religion practiced in Latin America? Look at p. 40 in your atlas Roman Catholic Christianity

Largest country in population AND land area? Brazil (4th largest in the world for both stats.)

Countries in Central America (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 57

Countries in Caribbean Islands (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 57

Countries in South America (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 73

CULTURAL FEATURES Countries in Central America (list at least 1 on your

notes sheet) look on p. 57 Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador,

Costa Rica

Countries in Caribbean Islands (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 57 Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, St. Kitts &

Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago

Countries in South America (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 73 Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay,

Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriname

OTHER UNIQUE CULTURAL FEATURES!

LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY ACTIVITY: DUE TOMORROW Find at least 5 interesting cultural facts about a Latin

American country

Consider these parts of culture when finding your facts: food, music, religion, festivals/holidays, customs, recreational activities, art, government, education, currencies, history, gestures, family customs

You MUST use Culture Grams as one of your sources of information. Do NOT use Wikipedia

Go to www.culturegrams.com Username: 5250pvjh Password: mbaea9

HISTORY 3 civilizations that impacted history of Latin

America:MayansAztecsIncas

Who were the first Europeans to conquer Latin America?Spanish & Portuguese

In what decade did the Spanish and Portuguese come to Latin America to establish colonies?1500s

HISTORY What was the name of the man who led

the Spanish in conquering the Aztecs?Hernan Cortes

2 reasons why the Europeans were successful in conquering the native Latin Americans:

1. They had more advanced weapons.2. They brought over diseases that killed

off large portions of natives.

HISTORY 5 changes Europeans made to Latin American

culture:1. Religion from native religions to Roman Catholic

2. Replaced native languages with Spanish/Portuguese

3. Changed farming practices to use modern technology

4. The food they grew & ate Examples: Olives, wheat, carrots, bananas, broccoli,

rice, and coffee

5. They introduced new animals Examples: Horses, cats, cows, chickens

HISTORY

Almost every country is now independent of Spain & Portugal todayBUT, there is still a great deal of

Spanish/Portuguese influence on the culture of Latin America.