south american landforms, climate, and...
TRANSCRIPT
A funny sounding lake… South American Landforms,
Climate, and Vegetation
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Essential Question: How have physical features and
climate affected the population distribution of Latin
America?
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I. Landforms
A. Andes Mountains
1. Created by the Nazca
Plate and South
American Plate
subducting.
2. Form a barrier to
movement into the
interior of the continent.
3. Home to ancient
civilizations like the Inca
in Peru.
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TQ
How do people modify their
environment?
Terraced Farming The ancient Inca dug terraces (steps) into the
mountain side to create flat land for farming.
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TQ
B. Llanos
1. Tropical grassland area
used for livestock grazing
and farming.
2. Found in Colombia and
Venezuela.
C. Pampas
1. Area known for cattle and
wheat production.
2. Found in Uruguay and
northern Argentina.
D. South America has wide
plains that offer rich soil for
growing crops and grasses
for grazing livestock.
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Llanos and pampas are grassland prairies, AKA savannas
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Llanos of
Colombia
Pampas of
Argentina
E. Cerrado “closed”
1. Area between the Brazilian Highlands and Amazon Basin.
2. Savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall.
3. Brazil is encouraging land development for farming.
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G. Tierra del Fuego
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II. Bodies of Water
A. Amazon River
1. Flows 4,000 miles from
west to east.
2. Origin in the Andes and
flows eastward to the
Atlantic Ocean.
3. Fed by over 1,000
tributaries in the Amazon
Basin.
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B. Xingu River 1. A tributary of the
Amazon River, 1,230 miles long.
2. Belo Monte Dam- will be the 3rd largest hydroelectric dam in the world.
• Will open up Amazon to development.
• Animal diversity at risk.
C. Orinoco River 1. Flows northeast
through Venezuela.
2. Home to Native American people like the Yanomamo.
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D. Lake Titicaca
1. Largest lake in South
America.
2. Sits in Andes, on the
border of Peru and
Bolivia.
3. Name origin unknown but
it has been translated to
be “Rock Puma” or “Crag
of Lead”.
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E. Panama Canal
• The U.S. took over the
project in 1904, and
officially opened the canal
in 1914.
– France began work in
1881, but stopped due to
engineering problems and
high mortality rates due to
disease.
• Panama City has become
a center for urbanization,
transportation, and
economic activity.
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TQ
TQ
IV. Climate and Vegetation
A. Climates range from arid to tropical rain forest.
B. The variety in climate and vegetation is due to:
1. Latin America covering a great distance on each
side of the equator.
2. Changes in elevation due to the Andes Mountains
and other highlands.
3. Warm water currents from the Atlantic Ocean and
cold water currents from the Pacific Ocean.
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C. The ITCZ
• Intertropical Convergence
Zone (ITCZ)
– Occurs between 5o N and 5o S.
– Hot air rises and sinks further
away between 20o-30o N and S.
• Hot air rising- convection
• Produces thunderstorms,
hurricanes, tropical wet/dry
climate.
– This area is also called
the doldrums b/c wind
rarely blows in this
area of earth.
• How would sail boats
be affected?
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D. El Nino
• Occurs in the South Pacific Ocean, about every
5 years.
• El Nino is the warming of the Pacific’s water
temperature, which affects the amount of rainfall
to the Americas.
– Pushes rain into Peru and Ecuador.
– Pushes rain from the Amazon Basin into Central
America, making the Amazon hotter and drier.
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El Nino
E. Highland climate zone
• An increase in
elevation causes a
decrease in air
pressure and
temperature.
• Andes Mountains
– Quito, Ecuador
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TQ
TQ
F. Arid climate zone
• Atacama Desert
– Northern Chile
– Known for its mineral
wealth: Gold, silver,
iron, copper, bauxite
(aluminum ore)
• Patagonia
– Southern Argentina
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G. Tropical climate zone
• The Amazon Rainforest
– Dense rain forest made up
of different species of
trees.
• 2,500 varieties of trees
– The Amazon rain forest
forms a unique ecosystem.
– Covers more than 2 million
miles.
– Almost 1/5 of the Amazon
rainforest has been
cleared.
26 Deforestation
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Wrap Up…
• List three ways that people in South America
depend on, adapt to, or modify the environment.
One way people in South America ________ the
environment is by ________. A second way people
________ the environment is by ________. A third way
people ________ the environment is by ________.
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depend on
adapt to
modify depend on
adapt to
modify
depend on
adapt to
modify
Use your
Notes!