World Geography - Chapter 8 - Notes

Front 1

_____ _______ is located in the Western Hemisphere south of the U.S.

Back 1

Latin America

Front 2

Called "Latin America" because European settlers spoke _______ and __________

Back 2

Spanish and Portuguese

Front 3

Latin America is divided into _____ areas, which are:

Back 3

three
middle america
west indies
south america

Front 4

Mexico and the 7 countries of Central America

Back 4

Middle America

Front 5

3 groups of islands, the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and Lesser Antilles

Back 5

West Indies

Front 6

larger land area with 13 countries

Back 6

South America

Front 7

Haiti, Puerto Rico, Dominican republic

Back 7

Greater Antilles

Front 8

virgin island, Aruba, barbarous

Back 8

Lesser Antilles

Front 9

_________ are the most dominant landforms in Latin America

Back 9

Mountains

Front 10

Latin Americans live in some mountains and plateaus because:

Back 10

Cooler mountain climates
Water and volcanic soil
Timber and minerals

Front 11

mountains on western coast of Mexico

Back 11

Sierra Madre Occidental

Front 12

mountains in the eastern side of Mexico

Back 12

Sierra Madre Oriental

Front 13

where the Sierra Madres meet in the south

Back 13

Sierra Madre del Sur

Front 14

highly populated area between the Sierra Madres

Back 14

Mexican Plateau

Front 15

volcanic mountains that rise like a backbone across Central America

Back 15

Central Highlands

Front 16

world's longest mountain chain

Back 16

Andes Mountains

Front 17

parallel chains of mountains

Back 17

Cordilleras

Front 18

"high plain" located among the Andes in Bolivia and Peru

Back 18

Altiplano

Front 19

hills and low flatland form a plateau in southern Argentina

Back 19

Patagonia

Front 20

sparsely populated plateau that covers most of Brazil south of the rainforest

Back 20

Mato Grosso Plateau

Front 21

plateau so large it spans several climate and vegetation zones

Back 21

Brazilian Highlands

Front 22

steep cliff or slope

Back 22

Escarpment

Front 23

major area of settlement and economic activity since the 1500s

Back 23

Brazil’s Coastal Plain

Front 24

fertile plains and grasslands of Colombia and Venezuela

Back 24

Llanos

Front 25

cowhands on large ranches in the llanos

Back 25

Llaneros

Front 26

treeless plains of Argentina and Uruguay; fertile soil

Back 26

Pampas

Front 27

One of the world’s major breadbaskets, producing wheat and corn is ______

Back 27

Pampas

Front 28

cowhands in Pampas

Back 28

Gauchos

Front 29

Most of the region's major rivers are in _____ _______

Back 29

South America

Front 30

longest river in Western Hemisphere; most important river system

Back 30

Amazon River

Front 31

Paraná, Paraguay, Uruguay rivers form the ___ largest river system in Latin America

Back 31

2nd

Front 32

"river of silver"

Back 32

Rio de la Plata

Front 33

is an estuary where the Paraná, Paraguay, Uruguay rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean

Back 33

Rio de la Plata

Front 34

area where the tide meets a river current

Back 34

Estuary

Front 35

only major river in Middle America

Back 35

Rio Grande

Front 36

world's highest large navigable lake

Back 36

Lake Titicaca

Front 37

largest lake in the region

Back 37

Lake Maracaibo

Front 38

world's highest uninterrupted waterfall

Back 38

Angel Falls

Front 39

widest waterfall in the world

Back 39

Iguazu Falls

Front 40

______ and _________ are among the world leaders in oil production

Back 40

Mexico and Venezuela

Front 41

large amounts of gold

Back 41

Venezuela and Brazil

Front 42

some of the world's finest emeralds

Back 42

Colombia

Front 43

world largest exporter of copper

Back 43

Chile

Front 44

Some countries can't take advantages of their resources because:

Back 44

Geographic inaccessibility
Lack of capital for development
Deep social and political divisions keep resources from being developed

Front 45

largest rainforest in the world; covers about 1/3 of South America mainly in Brazil

Back 45

Amazon River Basin (Selvas)

Front 46

southern Mexico, eastern Central America, parts of South America

Back 46

Tropical Rainforest

Front 47

covering of treetops that keep the sun from reaching the rainforest floor

Back 47

Canopy

Front 48

along the coast of SW Central America and most of the Caribbean Islands

Back 48

Tropical Savanna

Front 49

much of SE South America

Back 49

Humid-Subtropical

Front 50

northern Mexico, northwest Argentina

Back 50

Deserts

Front 51

one of the driest places in the world; on the border of Chile and Peru

Back 51

Atacama Desert

Front 52

along the Sierras in Mexico and the Andes Mountains

Back 52

Highland

Front 53

• Highland climates are divided into three vertical zones:

Back 53

Tierra caliente
Tierra templada
Tierra Frits

Front 54

"hot land" sea level to 2,500ft.; crops - bananas, sugar, rice, and cacao

Back 54

Tierra caliente

Front 55

"temperate land"; 2,500 to 6,500ft.; crops - coffee and corn

Back 55

Tierra templada

Front 56

"cold country"; 6,500 to 10,000 feet; crops - potatoes and barley

Back 56

Tierra Frits