© T. M. Whitmore

Today’s Topics•Scope, methods, maps in Geography

•Diversity & Commonality in Latin America

•Latin American Physical GeographyPhysical Regions:

Northern Mexican Drylands

© T. M. Whitmore

What is Geography?

•Characteristics of places and the connections between them - this implies 4 basic questions:

•Where are things? Geography is a study that prioritizes location

•How places and peoples therein are similar and different ?

•Why are they similar or different?

•Why do we care?

© T. M. Whitmore

Methods in Geography•What are the characteristics of places?

Location and situation Spatial organization of phenomena

and patternsHow phenomena are interconnected Human use & cultural landscapes

•Role of maps analyticallygeneral vs thematic or data

•Organization of characteristics into regions for simplicity

Havana

© T. M. Whitmore

© T. M. Whitmore

Latin America Diversity I

•Great size, especially N-S

•Topographic (land forms and elevation)

•In many places diversity is very close spatially - many LA countries are quite diverse

•Biotic - from deserts to tropical rainforests...

© T. M. Whitmore

Latin America Diversity II•Geographic diversity

•Economic diversity

•Pre-Columbian cultural diversity Amerindian cultures from empires to hunting-gathering bands

•Diverse experiences after the end of colonizationDiverse immigration experience and resulting population patterns

© T. M. Whitmore

Commonality: Similar historical and cultural experience - unites

•Roughly similar economic experience of Iberian colonialism

•Broadly similar language, religion, cultural values (but with important exceptions)

•Common physical environmental regions overlap multiple countries

© T. M. Whitmore

Latin American “layer” cake

•Multiple physical environmentsConstraints & opportunities for

human use

•Successive periods of influence Pre-Colombian (before 1492)Colonial (roughly 1492-1820)Post-colonial or Neo-colonial

(roughly 1820s - 1900)Contemporary (20th & 21st C)

© T. M. Whitmore

© T. M. Whitmore

Environment in Latin America•Climate (long term norms of weather) -

temperature, precipitation, seasonality, etc.

•Natural vegetation - tricky due to elevations, human modification, etc.

•Soils - very much variation but with broad patterns

• Land forms and elevation - the latter is very important

•Whitmore’s simplified environmental sub-regions of Latin America are a composite of above

© T. M. Whitmore

Middle America Environmental

Zones

© T. M. Whitmore

Environmental Sub-region I Northern Mexican drylands

• Mexico ~ North of tropic of Cancer• Climate - desert and steppe climate

Koppen “dry” or “B” climates: Bw & BsVery little precipitation (vs Raleigh)Wide seasonal temp swings

• Vegetation: mostly arid adapted (except at elevation)

• Soils - quite variable

© T. M. Whitmore

Northern MexicanDry lands

Sierra Madre O

riental

Sierra Madre O

ccidental

© T. M. Whitmore

© T. M. Whitmore

Climate: Northern Mexican drylands

•Climographs (e.g., compare with Raleigh)

•Very little precipitationDry And drier!

•Wide seasonal temp swings

•Examples

© T. M. Whitmore

Chihuahua

Parker

© T. M. Whitmore

Northern Mexican drylands•Vegetation: mostly arid adapted

Grasslands (Bs)Open ground, brush, cacti, etc. (Bw)

Conifers at elevation•Soils - quite variable• Mountain and plateau land forms

Sierra Madre (Oriental & Occidental)

© T. M. Whitmore

NASA World WindLandsat 7 visible band

© T. M. Whitmore

245 6

1

3

© T. M. Whitmore

1: Sierra Madre Occidental from Chihuahua

© T. M. Whitmore

© T. M. Whitmore

2: Sierra Madre Occidental:Copper Canyon

© T. M. Whitmore

© T. M. Whitmore

3: Nopal (cactus)

© T. M. Whitmore

4: Sierra Madre Occidental (Sonora) © T. M. Whitmore

© T. M. Whitmore

5: Coastal Plain looking E towards Sierra Madre Occidental

© T. M. Whitmore

© T. M. Whitmore

6: Sierra Madre Oriental (Coahuila- Nuevo Leon)

© T. M. Whitmore

© T. M. Whitmore

Environmental Sub-region IIMesoamerican highlands

•Tectonic forces

•Land forms - very complex

•Soils – micro-variability

© T. M. Whitmore

Environmental Sub-regions II

Middle American highlands•Climate - role of the “tropics” and elevation

•Tropical seasonality of rainfall (summer) Example: Mexico City rainfall

Summer (high sun) rainsSeasonal drought

© T. M. Whitmore

Environmental Sub-region II

Middle American highlands•Vegetation types vary with

elevation: grassland, oak forests, pinesAll highly modified by humans

•Landscapes

© T. M. Whitmore

Middle America & Caribbean Middle America & Caribbean Environmental ZonesEnvironmental Zones

Tropic of Cancer

© T. M. Whitmore

NASA World Wind

Orizaba18,405 ft5,610 m

Orizaba18,405 ft5,610 m

Transverse volcanic range

© T. M. Whitmore

Xochicalco, Mexico

© T. M. Whitmore

Highland Chiapas, Mexico

© T. M. Whitmore

Black soils near Xela, Guatemala

© T. M. Whitmore

Hill-side fields near Xela, Guatemala

© T. M. Whitmore

L. Atitlán, Guatemala

© T. M. Whitmore

Volcano near Antigua, Guatemala

Mexico City