Overview of Latin America Latin America is divided into three regions Mexico and central America Caribbean South America Latin America at Night Isthmus Central America is an isthmus (1)- or a narrow strip of land that has water on both sides and joins two larger bodies of land. Central America Most of Central America is tropical (2) Mexico has areas of desert scrub (3) Central America has rainforests (3) Desert Scrub Mexico and Central America Mountains (4) dominate this area Mountains make traveling difficult. There are many volcanoes (4). The ash makes good farm land. Mexico and Central America Central Plateau (5) makes up more than half of the countrys area Most of Mexico's people live there. Caribbean Islands. Smaller islands are made by coral (1)or skeletons of sea animals The larger islands are tops of mountains (2) Caribbean Climate Since the Caribbean islands are located in the tropics, most of the climate is tropical (3). Each year the islands are threatened by hurricanes (3). Caribbean- Economy Jamaica- worlds largest producer of bauxite (4) Trinidad- oil (4) Bauxite mining Caribbean Islands Most people in the Caribbean make a living from tourists (5)! West Indies?? Columbus discovered(6) these islands while trying to reach India from the west. Columbus first came to the Caribbean Islands in In 1493, he brought builders, farmers, and missionaries to "convert" the natives. South America The Amazon River Basin contains the rain forest. It covers more than a third of the area. Rivers of Latin America Rivers are used for transportation corridors, food and hydroelectricity The Amazon River (1) is the second largest river in the world and contains about 20% of all the fresh river waters on earth. It also has over 1,000 tributaries (1) South America The Andes Mts. (2) run on the west coast and have rich soil. South America Climate Coastal areas are affected by the wind/water Areas of the Andes Mts. are cold Areas where Vegetation CANNOT be found Vegetation does BEST in a warm, wet climate not like those found in the Atacama Desert (3) Andes Mountains Atacama Desert Yellow Line- Rain Shadow effect Rain drops on the east but not in the west. South America In the east are the Highlands. These are not high enough to be classified as mountains. South America In the south are the Pampas (large plains) (4) South America Climate Patagonia / Tierra del Fuego (5) area that has a cold, dry climate and is to the far south. South Americas Resources Venezuela-oil(6) Forests (6) cover about Water used for tuna, anchovies, and other fish Brazil and Colombia-coffee (6) South American economies rely on sugar cane, cocoa (6).