33 countries 4 parts Mexico Central America Caribbean Islands South America.
Transcript of 33 countries 4 parts Mexico Central America Caribbean Islands South America.
THE GEOGRAPHY &
HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA
THE BASICS 33 countries
4 parts Mexico Central America Caribbean Islands South America
PHYSICAL FEATURES Mountains throughout the region
Andes Mountains in South America Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico
Volcanoes on the Caribbean Islands Amazon Rainforest in South America
Largest tropical rainforest in the world Amazon River in South America
2nd longest in the world Lake Titicaca in South America
Highest lake (in elevation) in the world Atacama Desert in Chile
Driest place on earth Angel Falls in South America
World’s tallest waterfall
CLIMATE 3 main types of climates in Latin
America—look at the climate maps on pages 58 and 74 to find them
Tropical climate in much of Central America, Caribbean Islands, and Amazon Basin
Cool highlands climate in western South America (Andes) & southern Mexico (Sierra Madre)
Arid (dry) climate in northern Mexico and southern South America
CULTURAL FEATURES Languages:
2 main languages spoken: Spanish & Portuguese Where did Latin America get its name?
Spanish & Portuguese come from the Latin language (which is now considered a “dead” language.)
Main religion practiced in Latin America? Look at p. 40 in your atlas Roman Catholic Christianity
Largest country in population AND land area? Brazil (4th largest in the world for both stats.)
Countries in Central America (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 57
Countries in Caribbean Islands (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 57
Countries in South America (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 73
CULTURAL FEATURES Countries in Central America (list at least 1 on your
notes sheet) look on p. 57 Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador,
Costa Rica
Countries in Caribbean Islands (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 57 Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, St. Kitts &
Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago
Countries in South America (list at least 1 on your notes sheet) look on p. 73 Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay,
Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriname
OTHER UNIQUE CULTURAL FEATURES!
LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY ACTIVITY: DUE TOMORROW Find at least 5 interesting cultural facts about a Latin
American country
Consider these parts of culture when finding your facts: food, music, religion, festivals/holidays, customs, recreational activities, art, government, education, currencies, history, gestures, family customs
You MUST use Culture Grams as one of your sources of information. Do NOT use Wikipedia
Go to www.culturegrams.com Username: 5250pvjh Password: mbaea9
HISTORY 3 civilizations that impacted history of Latin
America:MayansAztecsIncas
Who were the first Europeans to conquer Latin America?Spanish & Portuguese
In what decade did the Spanish and Portuguese come to Latin America to establish colonies?1500s
HISTORY What was the name of the man who led
the Spanish in conquering the Aztecs?Hernan Cortes
2 reasons why the Europeans were successful in conquering the native Latin Americans:
1. They had more advanced weapons.2. They brought over diseases that killed
off large portions of natives.
HISTORY 5 changes Europeans made to Latin American
culture:1. Religion from native religions to Roman Catholic
2. Replaced native languages with Spanish/Portuguese
3. Changed farming practices to use modern technology
4. The food they grew & ate Examples: Olives, wheat, carrots, bananas, broccoli,
rice, and coffee
5. They introduced new animals Examples: Horses, cats, cows, chickens
HISTORY
Almost every country is now independent of Spain & Portugal todayBUT, there is still a great deal of
Spanish/Portuguese influence on the culture of Latin America.