Physical GeographyMexico, Central America, Caribbean, South

America

Honors World Geography

Mexico Landforms

• Mexico is a large country• 3 times the size of Texas

• Most of the country is made up of a rugged central plateau, called the Mexican Plateau• Can be as high as 9,000 feet

• 3 mountain ranges border the Mexican Plateau:– Sierra Madre Oriental in the east (1)– Sierra Madre Occidental in the west (2)– Sierra Madre del Sur in the south (3)

Mexico Landforms continued

• Valley of Mexico• At the southern end of then Mexican Plateau• Mexico City located here• The floor of this broad valley is about 7500 feet above sea

level• can cause a shortness of breath and a lack of energy due to

the thin air• Mexico narrows to the south to form an isthmus– Isthmus: Narrow strip of land connecting two large land

areas w/ water located on both sides– Isthmus of Tehuantepec

Mexico Landforms continued

• The Pacific Ocean & the Gulf of Mexico lie just about 150 miles apart at Mexico’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec

• Yucatan Peninsula• Mexico’s flattest region• Limestone lies beneath the surface• Erosion has created many caves and sinkholes in the area– Sinkhole: Steep-sided depression that forms when the

roof of a cave collapses

Mexico Climate

• 3 Factors that help explain Mexico’s climate:– High pressure weather system creates a dry arid

climate w/ little rainfall in NW Mexico (1)

– Trade winds from the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea bring much rainfall to the SE (2)

– Elevation produces varied climates in mountainous regions (3)

Central America/Caribbean Landforms

• Central America is an isthmus that links North & South America

• Pacific Ocean lies to west, West Indies lie to the east

• West Indies– Include the Greater Antilles/Lesser Antilles– Greater Antilles: Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico

• Hispaniola: Dominican Republic/Haiti

– Lesser Antilles: 20 small island countries

• Narrow coastal plains found in Caribbean/Central America

Central America/Caribbean Landforms continued

• Rugged hills/mountains lie in the interior– Travel/communication can be difficult

• Tectonic forces shape both regions– Central America, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico lie on

Caribbean plate– Cocos Plate dives beneath Caribbean plate– Created mountains

• Some areas of Caribbean have active volcanoes– Martinique formed from volcanoes

Central America/Caribbean Climate/Vegetation

• Sunny & warm tropical climates– Tropical & wet dry climates typical– temperatures seldom vary more than 10° between summer &

winter

• During winter, high pressure brings dry weather

• A summer rainy season happens when low pressure cells begin to move north across the region

• In Central America, the climate zones follow the terrain

Central America/Caribbean Climate/Vegetation continued

• the Caribbean coast gets the full effect of the moist trade winds

• Dense forests are common• Eastern side of mountain gets heavy rain as moist air

rises & cools• Mountain valleys in west usually lie in the rain

shadow• Throughout the Caribbean, elevation greatly affects

climate• Mangrove-type of tree with roots that grow in

saltwater; found in tropical coastal areas of the world

South America Landforms

• Andes Mountains– South America’s great mountain range

– extends along the continent’s Pacific coast

– Tectonic activity causes volcanic eruptions & earthquakes

– Altiplano-lies between the Andes Mts.• Means “High Plateau”

• 12,000 feet above sea level

South America Landforms continued• Plains cover much of South America– The largest plain is the Amazon River Basin

– Llanos-N.E. Colombia/western Venezuela---means plains in Spanish

– Gran Chaco-Between Andes/Brazilian Highlands---chaco means hunting land

– Pampas• wide grasslands• At eastern edge is Argentina’s most densely

populated area

South America/Bodies of Water

• Lake Titicaca– freshwater lake located on the border of Peru & Bolivia– 3,200 square miles

• 3 Major River Systems in S. America– Amazon (1)

• World’s largest river in volume

– Orinoco (2)

– Paraná (3)

South American Climate

• 5 Elevation Zones of the Andes:– Tierra helada-above 16,000 ft.---permanently covered in

snow

– Paramo-10,000 to 16,000 ft.

– Tierra fria-6,000 to 10,000 ft

– Tierra templada-3,000 to 6,000 ft.

– Tierra Caliente- sea level to 3,000 ft.