Regional Focus: Latin America

Latin America

The name given to the vast region that lies south of the United States.

Latin America begins at the Rio Grande – the river that divides the United States and Mexico.

Latin America extends to the southern tip of South America

The Land Latin America covers

7.9 million square miles – about 16% of the earth’s surface

It includes Mexico, the countries of Central America and South America, and the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea

The Land: Mountains High mountains can be

found in much of Latin America

Three mountain ranges run through Mexico and mountains run south through much of Central America

Most of the islands in the Caribbean were created by volcanoes.

The Land: Mountains In South America,

you will find the Andes Mountains – the longest mountain chain

Volcanic activity and earthquakes are common in these mountainous areas of Latin America

The Land: Plains Vast plains cover other

areas of Latin America Plains are located along the

coasts of Mexico and Central America.

Broad inland plains can be found in parts of South America

The two major plains include: Pampas in Argentina Illanos of Columbia and

Venezuela

The Land: Rivers

South America has five major rivers: Magdalena Orinoco Rio de la Plata Sao Francisco Amazon ▪ The longest river in the

Western hemisphere (4,000 miles)

The Land: Natural Resources Mexico and Venezuela are

among the world’s leading producers of oil and natural gas.

Latin America in general is rich in natural resources such as copper, iron ore, silver, tin, lead, oil and natural gas.

Rivers and waterfalls provide electric power to many countries

Farmers use rich soil to grow grains, fruit and coffee

Climate and Vegetation: Elevation Most of Latin America lies in

the tropics and has some form of tropical climate

Elevation affects climate throughout the region

Low elevations have hot and humid climates with tropical vegetation

Higher elevations are cooler and milder Coffee, corn and wheat grow

here

Climate and Vegetation: Rain Forests Rain forests cover lowland areas

of Latin America Hot, rainy all the time Rain forests have more kinds of

plants and animals than anywhere else on earth

The largest tropical rain forest is located in Brazil around the Amazon basin

Other rain forests grow along the eastern coast of Central America and in some of the Caribbean islands

Economy Latin America’s economies are

based partly on agriculture. Fertile soil and warm, wet climate

allow farmers to grow tropical crops – coffee, bananas and sugarcane – in parts of the region

The also use grassland to raise livestock Argentina, Mexico and Brazil are

among the world’s leaders in cattle raising and meat production

Economy Service industries and manufacturing have

grown rapidly in Latin America Products such as cars, textiles, cement,

chemicals and electrical goods are gaining popularity

Some countries, however, lack the money, skilled labor and transportation systems needed to build industries.

Rugged mountains and thick tropical vegetation provide physical barriers to movement

The People

Latin America has 500 million people – 9% of the world’s population

Most live along the coasts of South America or on a broad strip of land reaching from Mexico into Central America

Many have moved from the country to the city – about 70% of the people are now city dwellers

The People Latin Americans include

Native Americans, Europeans, Africans and Asians.

All of these groups have influenced the culture of the region

Native American peoples, such as the Maya, Aztec and Inca, had advanced civilizations long before Europeans arrived in the Americas

During the 1500s, the Europeans enslaved and destroyed these civilizations

The People

Spain and Portugal ruled most of Latin America from the 1500s to the early 1800s.

They brought Roman Catholicism and their languages to the region The languages are based on Latin, thus

the name “Latin America” Most Latin Americans are Roman

Catholic

The People

Many Latin American countries won their freedom in the early 1800s

Wealthy landowners and military officials, however, controlled governments and often ignored the needs of poor farmers and workers

By the mid-1900s, the rise of cities and industries challenged these leaders. New democratic governments emerged.