south america brief physical geography

7/29/2019 South America Brief Physical Geography

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SOUTH AMERICABY NAFIU ZAKARI 11209393


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SYNOPSIS

INTRODUCTION

PHYSIOGRAPHY

CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

SOIL

CONCLUSION

REFERENCE


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INTRODUCTION

South American continent is found inthe western hemisphere occupying of

about 17,840,000 km between

latitude 12N-55N and longitude35W-82N with 13 countries and 2

islands countries.


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PHYSIOGRAPHY

South America consist of three (3) greatstructural landform zones

1- Eastern Highland upland regions

of ancient Igneous & metamorphicrocks largest found in brazil, second in

south Venezuela and third in Argentina

(600-1200mtrs)


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2- three structural zone consist large river

basins that occupies mainly the central lowlandof SA

a -the northern most the Orinoco river valley

of eastern Colombia and southern Venezuela.

b - the Amazon river basin at the centredominated approximately 20% of the freshwater

discharge of the Earth through an immense work

of tributaries

( 6400km)c - the Parana-Rio-de la plata river basin of

southern most interior which is used by most of

the industries in southern Brazil,Uruaguay and

central Argentina for electricity supply


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3- Andes mountain range-the westernAlpine system starting from in from the

southern Chile and Argentina up to

the edges of Colombia and Venezuelato the north of the continent pass far to

the North America.


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CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

The climate and vegetation pattern ofSA are as varied as its landform.

Because the air temperatures

generally decrease with altitude.ranges from river valleys to mountain

tops coastal areas to interior land

exhibit different climatic as well asvegetation variability to the region.


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SA contains some of the hottest andsome of the coldest inhabited

environment on earth, the summer

temperatures of N/Argentina andParaguay routinely climb above 43c

while day time in some point are

10c-16c with freezing point in thenight temperature around Bolivia

Andes area.


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Almost all types of vegetations

are found in SA Tropical rain forest

Tropical savanna (wet and

dry)

Temperate savanna

Humid subtropical Mediterranean(dry summer

subtropical)

Marine west coast rain

forest

Highland tundra

Steppe (Pampas)

desert


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SOILS

More than 20 distinct soil regions can be

found on the South American continent as

a result of its geologic history, topography,

climate, and vegetation. Three majorgroupings correspond to the continents

three primary land regionsthe lowlands,

the highlands, and the Andes.


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Low natural fertility is a conspicuous

feature of soils in the humid tropic regionsof South America. About half of the

continents soils consist either of

unconsolidated and nutrient-poorsediments (e.g., kaolins [china clays] and

quartz sands) deposited in river

basins, latasols (red soils leached of silicaand containing residual concentrations of

iron and aluminium sesquioxides)


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conclusion

SA is a continent with a diverse physicalsettings that are highly interconnected

which provides the continent with a

opportunities and challenges fordevelopment.


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Reference

Johnson, D.L et al (2012) WorldRegional Geography 10th edition PHI

publishers New Delhi.

www.britannica.com
http://www.britannica.com/http://www.britannica.com/

south america brief physical geography

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