latin america physical geography **our test is on monday 4/29, this is different than what the...
TRANSCRIPT
Latin AmericaPhysical Geography
**Our Test is on Monday 4/29, this is different than what the Geographer says**
The Landscape Defining the realm
Latin America: Includes Middle and South
America. Mexico:
The most substantial landmass.
Central America: Narrowing strip of land to 40
miles wide in Panama. Caribbean islands.
Major geographic qualities of Middle America Fragmented - physically and
politically. Culturally diverse :
Less Latin (European) than South America.
Importance of pre-Columbian and African cultures.
North America
Central AmericaCaribbean
South America
Regions of Middle America
Mexico
Central America
Greater AntillesLesser Antilles
PanamaCosta Rica
Nicaragua
HondurasGuatemala
El Salvador
Belize
CubaHaiti Dominican Republic
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
Caribbean Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Major Physical Features Land bridge
Isthmus of Panama A link (isthmus) between
two major continental masses.
A shortcut between two major oceans.
Archipelago About 7000 islands.
Greater Antilles: The four large islands; Cuba,
Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. Lesser Antilles:
Numerous small islands; Bahamas, Martinique, etc.
Natural hazards Earthquakes. Volcanoes. Hurricanes.
Natural Bad Times Hurricanes
Violent tropical storms. Form during the summer and
early fall. About 96 tropical cyclones are
reported annually. Spiral shape and curved
paths: Formed 5 degrees north and
south of the equator. In the north, storms follow
clockwise paths. In the south, storms follow a
counterclockwise path. Heat is the critical factor in
the formation of tropical storms
World Hurricane Tracks
Volcanoes In Mexico
Paricutin Began in 1943, only volcano
observed at creation Montserrat:
Major volcanic eruption in 1995; ongoing to 2010.
Evacuation of 7,000 out of the 10,500 population.
More than half the island now inhabitable
Parícutin 1943
Tectonic Plates in Middle America
Cocos Plate
Caribbean Plate
North American Plate
Pacific Plate
Regions of Mexico
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Mexico City
Merida
Dallas
Houston
El Paso
Phoenix
Guatemala
Monterrey
Chihuahua
San Diego
Tegucigalpa
Guadalajara
New Orleans
San Antonio
Tepic
Mobile
Oaxaca
JalapaColima
Austin
La Paz
Atlanta
MoreliaPachuca
Tampico
Jackson
Durango
Chetumal
La Ceiba
Campeche
Veracruz
Acapulco
Saltillo
Mazatlan
Culiacan
Mexicali
CholutecaSanta AnaEscuintla
Queretaro
Galveston
Zacatecas
Montgomery
San Miguel
Cuernavaca
Hermosillo
Tallahassee
Baton Rouge
Villahermosa
Quezaltenango
San Pedro Sula
Aguascalientes
Ciudad Victoria
Tuxtla Gutierrez
Chilpancingo De Los Bravo
Mexamerica
New Spain
Metromex
Club Mex
Club Mex
SouthMexico
The Regions of Mexico Mexamerica
Extends north of the Rio Grande into Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
Northern half of Mexico. The most integrated
with the US economically and culturally.
Source of most migration to the US.
Largely a dry land of great ranches.
The Regions of Mexico New Spain
Mexico's breadbasket and its historic colonial hearth.
Region of old cities and tradition. Most conservative and traditionally
Catholic region. Metromex
Mexico City and its surrounding area. One of the world's largest city (25
million). A quarter of the national population. Growing at the estimated rate of
500,000 per year through both natural increase and immigration.
Dominates the national economy, the national political life, and its modern cultural life.
Significant environmental problems.
The Regions of Mexico South Mexico
Major areas of continued habitation by large indigenous populations: The states of Chiapas,
Oaxaca, and of the Yucatán Peninsula.
20% of the Mexican population of Amerindian origin.
Many unassimilated groups, particularly in highland areas.
The poorest region of the country.
Least affected by development.
Chiapas rebellion of 1994: Revolt against landowners.
The Regions of Mexico Club Mex
Capture the essential international flavor of Mexico's areas of concentrated resort tourism development.
Tourism as economic development: Pursued by the government. Mostly in areas of relatively
limited industrial development. Created the necessary
infrastructure (particularly airports).
Allow foreign investors to have access to rather remote regions (note Cancún, Ixtapa, Puerto Escondido).
Construction of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment facilities.
Club Mex is much less Mexican than other parts of the country.
South America Physiography
Dominated by the Andes mountains and the Amazon basin.
Population Concentrated along the
eastern coast. Cultural diversity
Exists in most countries and is expressed regionally.
A mix of pre-Columbian, African and European cultures.
Regional economic interaction Been minimal in the past. Attributed to colonialism.
Amazonian Basin
Andes
Pampas
BrazilianHighlands
Tropical plantationResembles Middle America’s Rimland.Locations, soils, & tropical climates favor plantation crops, especially sugar.Initially relied on African slave labor.European commercialThe most “Latin” part of South America.Population of European descent.Includes the Pampas - temperate grasslands.Economically most advanced.Good transportation networks and quality of life.Amerind subsistenceCorrelates with the former Inca Empire.Feudal socioeconomic structure persists.Includes some of South America’s poorest areas.Subsistence agriculture must contend with difficult environmental challenges (high altitude).Mestizo-transitionalSurrounds the Amerindian-subsistence region.A zone of mixture, culturally & agriculturally.Transitional economic connotations.UndifferentiatedSparsely populated.Isolation and lack of change.Development of Amazonia may prompt significant changes.
Regional Divisions Guyanas
Guyana, Surinam, and French Guiana.
Borders the Caribbean Sea.
Limited population (less than one million each) and development.
Poor agricultural land. French Guyana
Controlled by France serves as a launching
pad for the Ariane rockets
Part of Eurozone
Regional Divisions Andean group
Including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Bolivia.
Andes Highest mountain range in the
Western Hemisphere Many peaks reaching over
20,000 feet in elevation. Mainly native population with
some European and Asian influence.
Vast array of mineral resources. Large oil reserves:
Venezuela (world’s 7th largest), Columbia and Ecuador.
Income used to fund socialist policies.
Regional Divisions Semi-arid coastal plain
Cities located next to rivers.
Fisheries very important due to maritime currents.
Altiplano region aka Andean Plateau Long corridor linking
Peru and Bolivia. Plateaus bordered by
mountain chains. Average 4,000 meters of
altitude. Highest inhabited region
of the world. Several minerals.
Regional Divisions Southern Cone countries
Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Agriculture
Important cattle producers and agricultural exports.
Pampas zone for grazing; fertile plains in southeast
Region of rich soils and produces vast amounts of wheat and other grains, corn, alfalfa, beef, wool, and hides.
One of the major areas of surplus agriculture in the world.
Opposite seasons are a significant advantage to export food to the northern hemisphere.
95% of the population of white background. The most European part of Latin
America (Buenos Aires and Montevideo).
Physical Features
Amazon Basin River system drains
about 40% of S.A. Largest tropical
rainforest, 2 million square miles (half the size of the US)
Vast biodiversity 14,ooo mammals, 15oo
birds, 1000 reptiles, 22oo fish, and 1 square mile of the rainforest has 50,000 species of insects
Extensive deforestation
Other Physical Features Patagonia*
Southern end of Andes mountains and large flat plains rising in terraces to the Andes Hollowed out lakes
Colder climate than rest of South America Especially in higher altitudes Ice fields and glaciers
Llanos Tropical grassland plain in Venezuela and
Colombia Extremes: floods during wet season
Atacama Desert Plateau in Andes (on the bend of SA) Made of salt lakes, lava flows, and sand Driest place on earth
Interesting… The name Patagonia comes
from the word patagón used by Magellan in 1520 to describe the native people that his expedition thought to be giants. It is now believed the Patagons were actually Tehuelches with an average height of 180 cm (~5′11″) compared to the 155 cm (~5′1″) average for Europeans of the time
(This is directly copied from Wikipedia)
Brazil: The South American Giant
Context Sub-continent, the fifth
largest territorial state on Earth.
50% of the South American territory.
Large agricultural producer.
The sixth most populous country (175 million).
physical and cultural diversity
Brazil: Agriculture World's largest exporter of beef, chickens, orange juice, sugar, coffee and tobacco.
Large amounts of cheap land.
Well-drained tropical savanna (cerrado): Traditionally considered
as low fertility. Application of small
quantities of fertilizers increase significantly productivity.
Growing exports to China.
Brazil: Population People
Considered by some to be the most diverse population on Earth.
Relative harmony, though with vast inequalities. Indigenous groups:
Many of whom are still unassimilated. Primarily in Amazonia, many who earlier were
incorporated into various mixed races through intermarriage with other groups.
Africans: Slaves in the mid-16th century to work on the sugar
plantations in the Northeast. Many aspects of African culture have been
preserved: Brazilian music, food, and religion. Europeans:
Mostly from Portugal during the colonial period. Between 1822 and World War II, Italy (34%),
Portugal (30%), Spain (12%), and Germany (3%) were the primary sources.
Japanese: Brazil also counts more than 750,000 Japanese,
most of whom are Brazilian born.
Brazil: Culture Carnival! Football
2014 World Cup Olympics
The stadium’s power will come from a ring of solar PV panels on the roof, which will also have a “photocatalytic membrane.” That membrane is able to capture air pollution, break down the chemicals and remove them them from the atmosphere
Brasilia Capital of Brazil;
population close to 2 million.
Constructed between 1956 and 1960.
A symbol of Brazil’s development.
Located in the interior. Moving
development away from the coast.
Part of a national plan to stimulate the development of the interior.
Brazil: Disparity
Inequalities Brazil is the least equal society on
Earth. The poorest distribution of wealth. Yields a society of extreme contrasts:
fabulous wealth, grinding poverty. Contains the potential for instability. GNP per capita-$7,300; Largest
income gap in the realm Wealthiest 10% of the population:
Own 2/3 of the land. Control over 50% of the country’s
wealth. Poverty has increased by 50% since
1980