Physical Geography of Cen- America and the Caribbean Lie in the Tropics
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DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A SECTION 1 Physical Gulf of Mexico a ATLANTIC OCEAN id r lo TEKS 3A, 3B, 3C, 4D, 4E, 5A, 5B, F Geography Tropic of of B Cancer raits 5C, 6A, 6B, 21B, 21C, 22D St A H A 90°W M A What You Will Learn… CUBA S If YOU lived there... 20°N Yucatán Peninsula Main Ideas You live in San José, the capital of Costa Rica. But now you are HAITI DOMINICAN JAMAICA REPUBLIC 1. Physical features of the visiting a tropical forest in one of the country’s national parks. You ANTIGUA G AND BARBUDA r Hispaniola region include volcanic high- e a make your way carefully along a swinging rope bridge in the forest BELIZE t e r lands and coastal plains. A n ST. KITTS AND NEVIS GUATEMALA t i l l e L N s e DOMINICA 2. The climate and vegetation canopy—40 feet above the forest floor! You see a huge green s HONDURAS s e of the region include forested W E r ST. LUCIA 70°W 80°W iguana making its way along a branch. A brilliantly colored parrot Caribbean Sea highlands, tropical forests, S EL SALVADOR ST. VINCENT AND NICARAGUA THE GRENADINES A BARBADOS n and humid lowlands. flies past you. t GRENADA il le 3. Key natural resources in the Lake s 10°N Nicaragua Panama TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO region include rich soils for What other creatures might you see in the forest? Canal agriculture, a few minerals, PACIFIC OCEAN COSTA RICA and beautiful beaches. PANAMA Gulf of Panama The Big Idea BUILDING BACKGROUND Nearly all the countries of Central The physical geography of Cen- America and the Caribbean lie in the tropics. That means they gener- tral America and the Caribbean ally have warm climates and tropical vegetation. Many people like to islands includes warm coastal lowlands, cooler highlands, and visit these countries because of their physical beauty. tropical forests. Key Terms and Places Physical Features isthmus, p. 212 Sandy beaches, volcanic mountains, rain forests, clear blue Caribbean Sea, p. 212 water—these are images many people have of Central America archipelago, p. 213 Greater Antilles, p. 213 and the Caribbean islands. This region’s physical geography is Lesser Antilles, p. 213 beautiful. This beauty is one of the region’s greatest resources. cloud forest, p. 214 Central America The region called Central America is actually the southern part of North America. Seven countries make up this region: Belize, Use the graphic organizer online Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and to take notes on the physical Panama. As you can see on the map, Central America is an HRW-MS Geography Maps geography of Central America and isthmus , or a narrow strip of land that connects two larger land mg7fvs_islmap003aa the Caribbean. Caribbean and Central America Physical Map areas. No place on this isthmus is more than about 125 miles Replacement Final pass--7/19/05 (200 km) from either the Pacific Ocean or theCaribbean Sea. A chain of mountains and volcanoes separates the Pacific and Caribbean coastal plains, and only a few short rivers flow through Central America. The ruggedness of the land and the lack of good water routes make travel in the region difficult. 212 CHAPTER 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A Central America and the Caribbean: Physical ELEVATION Feet Meters 13,120 4,000 6,560 2,000 Gulf of Mexico 1,640 500 a ATLANTIC OCEAN id r 656 200 lo F (Sea level) 0 0 (Sea level) Tropic of of Cancer aits B Str A Below Below H sea level sea level A 90°W M A 0 200 400 Miles CUBA S 20°N Yucatán 0 200 400 Kilometers Peninsula Projection: Azimuthal Equal-Area HAITI DOMINICAN JAMAICA REPUBLIC ANTIGUA G AND BARBUDA HRW-MS Geography Maps r Hispaniola e a mg7fvs_islmap003baBELIZE t e r A n ST. KITTS AND NEVIS GUATEMALA t i l l e L Caribbean and CentralN America Locator s e DOMINICA s HONDURAS s Final pass – 6/20/05 e W E r ST. LUCIA 70°W 80°W Caribbean Sea HRW-MS Geography Maps S EL SALVADOR ST. VINCENT AND NICARAGUA THE GRENADINES A BARBADOS nmg7fvs_islmap003ca t GRENADA il Caribbean and Centralle America Physical Lake s 10°N Nicaragua Panama TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Legend Canal Replacement final pass--7/20/05 PACIFIC OCEAN COSTA RICA PANAMA Gulf of Panama Location The countries of Cen- tral America and the Caribbean have easy access to the sea. 1. Locate On which island is Haiti located? 2. Contrast How do you think life in Honduras differs from Coastal plains, like this life in the Bahamas? one in Cuba, are found in Central America and the Caribbean islands. The Caribbean Islands There are two main island groups in the FOCUS ON Across the Caribbean Sea from Central Caribbean. The four large islands of Cuba, READING America lie hundreds of islands known as Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico make How are the HRW-MS Geography Maps Greater and mg7fvs_islmap003aa the Caribbean islands. They make up an up the Greater Antilles (an-TI-leez). Many CaribbeanLesser and Antilles Central America Physical Map different? archipelago (ahr-kuh-PE-luh-goh), or large smaller islands form the Lesser Antilles. Replacement Final pass--7/19/05 group of islands. Arranged in a long curve, They stretch from the Virgin Islands to the Caribbean islands stretch from the Trinidad and Tobago. A third island group, southern tip of Florida to northern South the Bahamas, lies in the Atlantic Ocean America. They divide the Caribbean Sea southeast of Florida. It includes nearly 700 from the Atlantic Ocean. islands and thousands of reefs. CENTRAL AMERica AND THE CARIBBEAN 213 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A Volcanic Activity in Central America and the Caribbean Plate boundary ATLANTIC Active volcano Gulf of Mexico OCEAN Direction of plate movement Tropic of Cancer 70°W 0 200 400 Miles 90°W HRW Middle School Geography 0 200 400 Kilometers mg7fvs_islmap005ba20°N Projection: Azimuthal Equal-Area Caribbean & Central America: Volcano Locator Final pass--6/24/05 Caribbean Sea CARIBBEANHRW-MS PLATE Geography Maps The Santa Ana vol- mg7fvs_islmap005ca60°W cano in El Salvador was formed by tectonic Caribbean and Central America: Volcano Map 10°N movements. Legend COCOS PLATE Final pass--6/20/05 N PACIFIC OCEAN W E 80°W S Regions Movement of tectonic plates has 1. Use the Map Active volcanoes in Central America caused volcanic activity at their boundar- mostly occur at the boundary of which two plates? ies, forming both the highlands of Central 2. Explain Why are there no volcanoes in the middle America and many Caribbean islands. of the Caribbean Sea? Many Caribbean islands are actually Climate and Vegetation the tops of underwater mountains and Central America and the Caribbean islands volcanoes. Others began as coral reefs that are generally sunny and warm. Humid were gradually pushed up to become flat tropical and tropical savanna climates are limestone islands. Colliding tectonic plates common in the islands and on Central have pushed this region’s land up out of America’s coastal plains. On the Pacific the sea over several million years. You HRW-MS Geography Maps coast, much of the area’s original savanna can see these tectonic plates on the map mg7fvs_islmap005aa vegetation has been cleared. It has been above. Notice how the land followsCaribbean the and Central America: Volcanic Activity replacedReplacement by plantations final and pass--7/19/05 ranches. The boundaries of the plates. Earthquakes and opposite coast, along the Caribbean, has volcanic eruptions occur frequently as areas of tropical rain forest. these plates shift. When such events do Inland mountain areas contain cool, occur, they can cause great damage to the humid climates. Some mountainous parts region and its people. of Central America are covered with dense cloud forest. A cloud forest is a moist, high- READING CHECK Comparing What physical elevation tropical forest where low clouds features do Central America and the Caribbean are common. These forests are home to islands have in common? numerous plant and animal species. 214 CHAPTER 9 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A Temperatures in most of Central America and the Caribbean do not change much from day to night or from summer to winter. Instead, the change in seasons is marked by a change in rainfall. Winters in the region are generally dry, while it rains Strong hurricane winds spin around nearly every day during the summers. a calm center point From summer to fall, hurricanes are a called the eye. threat in the region. These tropical storms bring violent winds, heavy rain, and high seas. Most hurricanes occur between June and November. Their winds and flooding can cause destruction and loss of life. Hurricane Isabel READING CHECK Generalizing Where would Hurricanes are rotating storms that bring heavy rain and one find the coolest temperatures in the region? winds that can reach speeds higher than 155 miles per hour (249 kph). This image shows Hurricane Isabel sweeping through the Caribbean Sea in 2003. Strong hurricanes like this one can shatter houses and hurl cars through the air. Resources The region’s best resources are its land and Analyzing How can you tell the storm is rotating? climate. These factors make tourism an important industry. They also influence agriculture. Agriculture in the region can be Section 1 Assessment profitable where volcanic ash has enriched ONLINE QUIZ the soil.