Geography+of+Central+and+South+America

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The fourth largest continent with only the fifth largest population: this is South America, made up of 12 countries all once colonies of Europe, mainly Spain and Portugal, have now obtained their Latin influences. Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile are all independent countries; however South America does include two territories, French Guinea of France and the Falkland Islands of the UK.

media type="custom" key="4450643" align="right" From the lush tropical rainforests to the driest desert on Earth, South America is a very diverse region. The Andes Mountains run along the entire Western side of the continent, containing the highest commercially navigable lake, Lake Titicaca, as well as volcanic peaks and the highest point in the Western Hemisphere, Mt. Aconcagua of Argentina at 22,835 feet above sea level. More towards northern South America, occupying most of Brazil, is the Amazon Basin. This is where the Amazon Rainforest is, covering about 1.4 billion acres. It is the biggest rainforest on earth, giving us about 15% of our new oxygen. Also, the biodiversity here is extraordinary. There are so many different species that live here. Many plants used for medicines can only be found in rainforests, so these forests are an important part of the world. To the southeast lie the Brazilian Highlands and more towards the south are the Pampas, which is an area of flat, fertile plains in Argentina. ("South America." //Millennium Family Encyclopedia//. Vol. 4. 787-92. Print.) (sideshow images from www.flags.net )  [|The Atacama Desert]---[|The Amazon Rainforest]- [|The Pampas]

Because of South America’s size, climate varies from region to region, but primarily it is wet and hot. In the Amazon Basin it is usually between 70° and 90°F and an annual rainfall of over 80 inches. However the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth, in northern Chile, receives barely any. In fact, some parts of this desert have not seen rain for hundreds of years. The only other desert in South America would be the cold Patagonian Desert in Argentina, stretching along the southern most part of South America, never reaching temperatures of over 54°F.

About every 3 to 8 years a periodic change in the atmosphere occurs. This creates an El Niño, the southern oscillation, in which the water warms for a short time. Usually happening around Christmas in South America, it causes changes in the weather. Thunderstorms erupt in El Niño’s warm pools, increasing rainfall over the ocean, and when it is severe, it can cause extreme flooding along the western coast. Also, it prevents the cold current of water from the south in early spring. Along with the cold water usually comes an abundance of fish, however when the water is warm, the local fishing industries suffer. ([]) ([])



Central America is made up of seven small countries between North and South America. These countries include the following; Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. All of which have very diverse topography and climates. Rugged volcanic peaks run down center of the region accompanied by various crater lakes. The Pacific coast’s land is flat and fertile. On the other hand, the Caribbean side, to the east, is made up of vast swamps and rainforests. media type="custom" key="4502858" align="right" The remainder of the Sierra Madre, continuing from Mexico, makes up the highland area of Guatemala and El Salvador. This mountain range contains Tajumulco, the highest point in Central America, as well. Actually, this peak is a dormant volcano. In El Salvador, the smallest country, there are over 20 volcanoes. The volcanic ash provides the ideal conditions for growing coffee; however this country has more cons than pros. The people are very poor and the country is heavily populated. Due to deforestation to make room for farms and their expanding population, forests only make up 5% of the country. However Costa Rica is the exact opposite. It is know to be a stable and peaceful country with a well established government. Over 20% of the land has been set aside for national parks. This is not only preserving the land but attracts a lot of tourists to the country to view the volcanic peaks and resident wildlife, such as jaguars, giant sea turtles, crocodiles and armadillos. Again, the countries main export is coffee, due to the rich volcanic soil.

Known as the land of lakes and volcanoes, Nicaragua contains Lake Nicaragua, and you probably wouldn’t guess why it’s so famous. It is the only freshwater lake to contain saltwater fish. Even sharks will swim up the San Juan River make home in the freshwater lake that contains 310 islands. Belize is mostly made up of dense rainforest, and off the coast is the world’s second largest barrier reef. Another feature of Central America may not be technically considered geography, and wouldn’t have appeared on a map before 1914, is the Panama Canal. Cutting through the middle of the country, the Panama Canal connects the Caribbean with the Pacific and has been saving sailors a great amount of time. Before the canal, people would have to sail above North America or below South America to get to the Pacific Ocean. But now they can go right between the two countries, which was a great time saver.

[|Lake Nicaragua] -- [|Panama Canal]- [|Belize's Barrier Reef]

The general climate of this region is tropical and hot, never getting below 70° There is also a distinct rainy season from May to November. The highlands are much cooler, so in most cases you will see more people living in that area. The Caribbean coast receives much more rain than the west, sometimes almost 260 inches a year. ("Central America." //Millennium Family Encyclopedia//. Vol. 1. 193-195. Print.) 

The Caribbean is made up of hundreds of islands that lie in the Caribbean Sea, south of the United States and east of Mexico and Central America. They take their name from the people who first lived their, the Caribs, and the islands are also sometimes called the West Indies. The main islands are as follows; Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda. media type="custom" key="4503092" align="right" The Caribbean made up of long sandy beaches and crystal blue waters. The islands come from varieties of origin. Some we formed by volcanoes or were founded from coral reefs. Some are mountains and contain great forests. The warm tropical waters are the ideal condition for coral. The 700 islands and 2,300 islets of the Bahamas are entirely built up of coral, and reefs that encompass the islands protect them from thrashing waves. Other islands are made of volcanic rock, in which ancient volcanoes erupt and build up lava until it reaches the surface. The climate of the area is warm and tropical, around the mid seventies in the summer and the temperature is around 80°F in the winter. All the lush beaches and warm weather brings in a lot of tourism, however many of citizens here are poor.

The Caribbean has a very wet hurricane season, from about June to November. The storms sweep up the coast from the Atlantic Ocean, and gain strength in the warm waters. Some hit the Caribbean with great force. The strong winds of the storm can pull trees out of the ground and even tare apart houses, devastating those who live there. ("Caribbean." //Millennium Family Encyclopedia//. Vol. 1. 172-75. Print.) (all slide show photos from http://www.flags.net/ the World Flag Database)



-- MAPS --- 

This is known as a political map. It shows all of the countries in Latin America. Not including Mexico, all these counties are either part of South America, Central America (the land between Mexico and South America) and the Caribbean (the islands in the Caribbean Sea).

Political map from http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/laas/ (click link Map of Latin America)

This map shows the physical geography of the region.In which, you can see how large the Amazon Basin is, which contains the Amazon Rainforest and the Amazon River. It also shows the Andes Mountains, which run up the West coast of South America.

 Physical map from http://kirkliv.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/latin-america-physical-map/

This map shows the different types of climates in South America. Most of the Amazon Basin is tropical and wet while the Pampas have humid subtropical weather, making it better for farming. Also, if you look near Argentina you can see two larger deserts. These deserts are very cold in dry unlike the Atacama, the driest desert in the world.

Climate map from http://www.worldbook.com/wb/images/content_spotlight/climates/south_america_climate.gif

The first map shows the different amounts of rainfall in South America. Here, the Amazon Basin receives over 80 inches of rain however most of the western coast receives under 10 inches a year! The second map shows the natural vegetation of the continent. On this map, the dark green area is tropical rainforest, so you can tell how big it actually is. The gray area is where the Andes are located while the light green is for grasslands. This is where the Pampas are. As again, most of Argentina is taken up by desert.

[| http://faculty.smu.edu/bakewell/BAKEWELL/period.html]

Now that you know all about the geography of Central and South America, click [|here] to test your knowledge.

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