Study Guide for the Geography

of South America

Number 1: On a map of Central America and South America, make sure that you know the location of following physical features: Amazon River, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Panama Canal, Andes Mountains, Sierra Madre Mountains, Atacama Desert, and the Pacific Ocean. You should also be able to label the following countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela.

2. Save the Environment Worksheet: Know the answers

to all the questions.• What is the problem in Mexico City?• Why do they have problems getting

clean water?• Why is the Amazon Rainforest

important?• What is the problem in the

Rainforest?• What problem has been caused by oil

productions in Venezuela?

Why is Mexico City so polluted? • Overcrowding• Industrialization• Vehicle emissions• Location at the base of mountains

that trap emissions which produce a heavy overlay of smog

Problems associated with large populations in Latin

American cities.• Too many people polluting the

air and water• Poor waste management• Low literacy rates

Why do they have problems getting clean water?

• Fertilizers and pesticides from large farms contaminate the streams and rivers

• Lack of effective water treatment centers

Why cut down the rainforest?

• Farming• Cattle ranches• logging

What problem has been caused by oil production in

Venezuela?• The coast along the Caribbean Sea has

been polluted with oil

3. What is it meant by the term “biodiversity”? Why

does biodiversity make the rain forest more valuable?• Biodiversity is the variety of plants and animals.

• The rainforest is valuable because there may be many plants that could one day be used as medicines to cure diseases. 

• The rainforest has more biodiversity than all of the other biomes combined! 

4. What effect does acid rain have on ancient ruins

and statues?• The acid breaks down the stone

material of the statues and causes them to crumble or even break and fall down

5. What is one trade advantage of Venezuela’s

location?• Access to the sea• Oil close to sea ports

6. Do most people living in Mexico and Venezuela live in urban or rural areas? Why?

• Most live in urban areas• Cities allow more opportunities for

jobs, education, and healthcare

7. Compare the land area and location of Brazil and Cuba

• Cuba is significantly smaller than Brazil and has far fewer natural resources

8. Since Cuba has few natural resources, how do Cubans get what

products they need?

• Cuba must import goods from other countries to compensate for not having natural resources

9. Latin America is ethnically diverse because

of a blending of which three groups?• Europeans

• Indigenous Americans• Africans

10. Define the terms “mestizo” and “mulatto”

• Mestizo: child of an indigenous American and a European

• Mulatto: child of a European and an African

11. What is the difference between North America, South America, Middle

America and Latin America?• North America, South America, and,

Middle America are geographic terms. They have nothing to do with groups of people or culture, just geography.

• Latin America is a cultural term. It came from the Latin languages of Spanish and Portuguese which are spoken in that area.

12. What language do Brazilians speak? Why?

• Brazilians speak Portuguese because Brazil was once colonized by Portugal.

13. What languages do citizens from Argentina,

Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Peru

speak? Why?• The citizens in those countries speak Spanish because they were once colonized by Spain.

14. Since Argentina has a high literacy rate (97%), how will

this affect its standard of living?

• high lit. rates = better standard of living

• low lit. rates = poor standard of living

• So, Argentina has a high standard of living

15. Why are most people in Central and South America Roman

Catholics?• The Spanish and Portuguese were Roman

Catholic and their religion spread to the colonies in Latin America