Latin AmericaPHYSICAL AND POLITICAL FEATURES

Amazon River

The world’s second longest river.

Flows from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean- almost entirely through the country of Brazil. ( Just south of the equator )

Andes Mountains

Run the length of the western side of South America.

( 4500 miles ) Where the

Amazon River begins.

Atacama Desert

Located on the west coast of South America – south of Peru – occupying most of Chile.

The Andes Mountains on the east block winds and rain- making it one of the driest places on Earth.

Atlantic Ocean

North Atlantic Ocean The eastern border of South

America above the equator.

South Atlantic Ocean The eastern border south of the

equator-

Eastern border of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina

Caribbean Sea

Body of water :

east of Mexico and Central America

north of South America

south of Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica.

Gulf of Mexico

Body of Water:

north of the Caribbean Sea

east of Mexico south of the United

States

Pacific Ocean

Western border of: Mexico Central America the entire western

coast of South America ( South Pacific Ocean )

Panama Canal

NOT a physical feature since it is man-made.

It runs 50 miles across the isthmus of Panama.

Allows for ships to travel from the Atlantic to Pacific ( and vice versa ) rather than sail all around South America.

isthmus

a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water that otherwise separates them.

Sierra Madre Mountains-chief mountain range of Mexico

Sierra Madre Oriental

Located in northeastern Mexico

Sierra Madre Occidental

Located in northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona

Sierra Madre del Sur-  a mountain range in southern Mexico

Central Plateau

Flat, arid land located in central Mexico .

Surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Bolivia

Capital- LA PazOne of only two

landlocked

countries in South America.

( Paraguay is the other )

Landlocked

A country completely surrounded by land. No water borders at all.

Brazil Largest country in

South America- all countries except Ecuador and Chile share a border with Brazil.

Atlantic Ocean is the eastern border.

Capital- Brazilia Home of the Amazon

Rain Forest( the world’s largest )

Columbia

• Located in northwestern South America.

• Water borders are Caribbean Sea and the South Pacific Ocean.

• Connected to Panama.• Capital- Bogota.

Cuba

Largest island in the Carribean.

East of the Gulf of Mexico, south of the Atlantic Ocean and north of the Caribbean Sea.

Capital- Havana

Hispaniola- the collective term for Haiti and Dominican Republic

Haiti Capital- Port-au-Prince

Located southeast of Cuba, north of the Caribbean Sea, south west of the Atlantic Ocean.

Western border of Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

Eastern border of Haiti

Capital- Santo Domingo

The larger of the two islands on Hispaniola

Mexico

Located south of the United States.

Pacific Ocean on the west, Gulf of Mexico on the east.

Capital- Mexico City

Panama

“ Tail end “ of the Central American Isthmus. Connects Central America to South America.

Capital- Panama City

Venezuela

Located in northeast South America

Caribbean Sea borders the north. Atlantic Ocean to the east ( Guyana )

Brazil borders the south, Columbia borders the west.

Capital- Caracas