1. Geography of latinamerica

2. Mountains • The Andes Mountains are part of a chain of mountains that includes the Rockies and the Sierra Madre in Mexico • They contain many active volcanoes • As a result, many people live east of them • They were home to some of the most important civilizations, including the Inca

3. Andes

4. Plains • Cerrado – savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall in Brazil • Pampas – plains made of rich soil, gaucho (cowboy) culture grew up here • Llanos – grassy, treeless plains much like Great Plains in U.S.

5. Water • Amazon River flows west to east and empties into the Atlantic , it carries more water into the ocean than any other river in the world • Angel Falls is the world’s tallest waterfall located in eastern Venezuela

8. Major Islands • Caribbean Islands consist of three major groups: Bahamas, Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles • Greater Antilles (larger) – Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico • Lesser Antilles (smaller) – southeast of Puerto Rico

9. Islands

10. Resources • South America is among the world’s leaders in mining of raw materials • Jamaica began as a plantation economy dependent on bananas and sugar (and tourism) • It is now an exporter of bauxite (aluminum ore) • Mexico and Venezuela contain important oil resources • Rain Forests contain valuable products used to make medicine, many are undiscovered

11. HEI • Native people used slash-and-burn farming to clear the land for agriculture • This method is still used today but has over exhausted the land, which is one reason for the shrinking rain forests • The Inca used terrace farming (grown on hillsides) which reduced soil erosion

12. Urbanization • People move to cities hoping to improve their lives • Push factors: poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs, ownership of land by a few rich • Pull factors: higher paying jobs, better schools and medical care • Most populous city is Mexico City • Governments find it difficult to deal with population increases

13. Tourism • Is a mixed blessing • Brings money and creates jobs • Can reduce income gap between rich and poor • Has produced resentment between rich tourists and less well-off local residents • Governments have run up large debts building tourist facilities