Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands

** Latin America is divided into 3 areas: Central or Middle America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands

Central/Middle America -- includes the large country of Mexico and the seven smaller countries of Guatemala, Els Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize

Caribbean Islands (West Indies) -- divided up into 3 categories: The Bahamas, The Greater Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles. They include the large Islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica as well as several much smaller islands.

South America -- the largest area of Latin America, South America contains the large countries of Brazil and Argentina, as well as smaller countries of Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guyana, and Suriname MOUNTAIN RANGES & HIGHLANDS - Many of the Caribbean Islands are actually the peaks of underwater mountain ranges - 2 major mountain ranges include the Sierra Madre's in Mexico and Central America, and the Andes in South America - Andes are the world’s longest mountain chain in the world at over 4,500 miles. - Andes is the world’s 2nd tallest mountain chain rising to 20,000 feet above sea level -They are located in South America and join the Rocky Mountains in United States and Sierra Madre in Mexico and have many active volcanoes - the Eastern coast of South America contains the Brazilian Highlands and the Guiana Highlands, that drop sharply into the Atlantic Ocean forming an escarpment

- Escarpment -- slope or long cliff between a higher and lower surface

PLATEAUS & PLAINS Altiplano Plateau- is a Spanish word meaning high plain, spreading over much of Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. - Motto Grosso Plateau -- sparsely populated plateau in south eastern Brazil covered by forests and grasslands - Llanos - fertile plains that run along the Caribbean coast of South America - Pampas - treeless grasslands that cover Uruguay and Argentina - Gran Cacao - lowlands between the 2 plateaus that is covered by heavy, dense forest

RIVERS, LAKES, WATERFALLS - Lake Nicaragua-- largest lake in Central America in Nicaragua - Lake Maracaibo-- largest lake in South America in Venezuela -Amazon River—flows about 4000 miles from west to east and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It carries more water to the ocean than any other river in the world. Parana’ River- located in Brazil and the last part of the river where it turns into an estuary is called the Rio de la Plata - Due to the vast span of plateaus, South America is covered by many of the world's largest waterfalls - Angel Falls -- the world’s highest waterfalls located in Venezuela, drop over 3,212 feet; (compare to the Niagara Falls drop of 176 feet)

Resources of Latin America There are 3 types of resources they are  Mineral resources which include; gold, silver, lead, copper, iron, etc.  Energy resources which include; oil, coal, natural gas, hydroelectric power, etc.  Agricultural and forest resources which include timber

CLIMATE REGIONS OF LATIN AMERICA - Almost all of Latin America lies between the Tropic of Capricorn or the Tropic of Cancer, thus most of the region has some form of TROPICAL CLIMATE There are 3 climate zones which include;  TROPICAL CLIMATE ZONE: From southern Mexico thru Central America to the middle of South America has a Tropical Rainforest climate. These areas contain hot temperatures and abundant rainfall year round.  Dry Climate Zone: found in Mexico in North America and various countries of South America. Central America and the Caribbean doesn’t have dry climate zones  Mid-Latitude Climate Zone: the moderate climate zones in the region are located south of the equator, from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil southward.  HUMID SUBTROPICAL: south eastern South America from the southern tip of Brazil, throughout Argentina, has a humid sub tropical climate with short mild winters, long hot/humid summers, and ample rainfall.  MEDITERRANEAN: hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters.  MARINE WEST COAST: cool, rainy winters and mild, rainy summers.  HIGHLANDS: vary from moderate to cold, depending on elevation. These climates are found in the mountains of Mexico and South America

DESERT: northern Mexico, eastern Peru, and the Pacific coast of Chile, and south eastern Argentina have a desert climate. - The Atacama Desert located in Chile and Peru is one of the dryest places in the entire world; - in some parts of this desert NO RAINFALL HAS EVER BEEN RECORDED!

STEPPE: north eastern Mexico and scattered areas around the South American highlands contain hot summers, cold winters, and very light rainfall. These areas have colder winters and slightly less rainfall than deserts

TROPICAL SAVANNA: a huge portion of Central America, Southern Mexico, and central South America have flat grasslands with few trees that contain warm/ humid climates and ample rainfall year round Highlands Climates by Altitude Tierra caliente -- means "hot country", land from 0 to 3000 feet above sea level Tierra templada -- means "temperate country" land from 3001 to 6000 ft above sea level Tierra fria -- means "cold country" land from 6001 to 10,000 ft above sea level. However, remember "cold" in this sense is not below 45 degrees, which is much colder than most of the area due to the tropical climates.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A RAIN FOREST  - Rainforests contain broad-leafed, evergreen trees that grow tall and thick.  The South American Countries of Brazil, Peru, French Guiana, and Suriname contain rainforest.  The Largest rain forest is in Brazil in the Amazon River basin, it covers 1/3 of South America.  Canopy -- dense covering formed by the tops of the trees in the rain forests that keep the sun from reaching the forest floor. Due to this very few plants grow on the forest floor.  there are more species of plants, trees, and animals living in the rain forests than in any other area of the world  Deforestation- cutting down and clearing away of trees-in the rain forest. This is destroying many of our rainforest in the world today. VEGETATION OF LATIN AMERICA  - Most of Latin America is made up of tropical rain forests and grasslands.  - a number of rain forests are scattered across Latin America, in Central America, in South America, and in the Caribbean Islands  - The countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama in Central America contain rain forests.  - Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Islands contains a rain forest  - The South American Countries of Brazil, Peru, French Guiana, and Suriname contain rain forests.  - The largest rain forest is in Brazil in the Amazon River basin, it covers 1/3 of South America

Human characteristic  Over 500 million people live in Latin America (Central America, South America, and Caribbean Islands) Roughly 9% of the total world population.  Compared to 300 million and 5% in North America  Today Spanish is the official language of most Latin American Countries, but dialects differ from Country to country.  Millions of Latin Americans speak Native American languages or a combination of both Native Language and Spanish.  Mestizito—people of mixed European and Native decent  Mulattoe---people of mixed African and European decent.  Over 66% of Latin Americans, over 300 million, live in South America  Around 100 million people live in Mexico, more than 3 times as the rest of the Central American countries put together.

Largest Cities (all among the top 10 largest urban areas in the world)  Mexico City, Mexico  Sao Paula, Brazil  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Buenos Aires, Argentina

Carnival is a huge festival held in Rio de Janeiro just prior to the Catholic Holiday of Lent. This festival has huge parades that celebrate the holidays though song, dance, elaborate costumes and theatre like performances. This celebration is similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.