SS - Chapter 7 - Section 1 - Physical Features Flashcards
How many tectonic plates meet in Middle America?
4
What is Latin America’s largest lake?
Lake Titicaca
What are the tropical grasslands that stretch through eastern Colombia and Venezuela?
Llanos
When did Hurricane Mitch strike Central America?
1998
One result of the Columbian Exchange was ______
the spread of diseases
Where is the Amazon Basin located?
east of the Andes
The Andes
the worlds longest mountain system
The Columbian Exchange got its name from _____________.
Christopher Columbus
___________________ is an isthmus because it links ___________ and _____________
Central America is an isthmus because it links North America and South America.
Which animals spend most of their lives in the treetops of the Amazon rain forest?
sloths
What makes the soil fertile in Middle America?
deposits of ash and lava
The rain forests of South America provide ______________.
rubber
Which islands are part of the Greater Antilles?
the largest islands:
Cuba
Hispaniola
Puerto Rico
Jamaica
The initial exchange of ____________ between Western Europe and the Americas led ot exchanges of other items.
farm products
What is grown in the tierra caliente?
bananas
tributary
small river that flows into a larger river
Pampas
treeless grassland in Argentina and Uruguay
Vast rain forests are found in which climate zone?
tropical wet
Most of Latin America’s rivers and lakes are in ___________________
South America
El Nino takes place when the temperature of the Pacific waters off Peru’s coast are ___________________
unusually warm
Name the 3 sub-regions of Latin America.
Middle America, the Caribbean, and South America
The islands of the Caribbean Sea are also known as _______________
the West Indies
How many different species of trees are found in a few acres of Brazil’s rain forest?
450
What caused the destruction of villages during Hurricane Mitch?
mudslides
What are the Pampas used for?
cattle herding and grain farming
the Amazon
Latin America’s longest river
The Andes have 4 altitude zones of climate. Which zone begins at 6,000 feet?
tierra templada
archipelago
group of islands
What are the major landforms of South America?
the Andes mountains and
the Amazon Basin
In which body of water are the Galapagos Islands located?
Pacific Ocean
Why has the Amazon rain forest been called the lungs of our planet?
The rain forest recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen.
estuary
an area where river currents and ocean tide meet
Name the 3 groups that the West Indies can be divided into.
the Greater Antilles
the Lesser Antilles
the Bahamas
What are the grasslands of Argentina called?
Middle America is made up of ___________ and ______________.
Mexico and Central America
Why is Lake Maracaibo important to Venezuela?
it contains some of Venezuela’s oil fields
To produce gasohol, Brazil uses gasoline mixed with alcohol produced from _____________
sugarcane
Which country is the world’s largest exporter of copper?
Chile
In which altitude zone can the temperature be as low as 20 degrees F?
tierra helada
Ships use the Panama Canal to shorten travel time between the __________________
Atlantic and Pacific oceans
What is the Parana?
a river that flows into an estuary
isthmus
narrow piece of land that links 2 larger areas of land
subregion
smaller area of a region
The Andes form __________
a cordillera
What will be lost if the rain forests of Brazil are continually destroyed?
new plant-based medicines
The Amazon River is approximately how long?
about 4,000 miles
Why are there active volcanos and frequent earthquakes in Middle America?
it is located where 4 tectonic plates meet
What does Galapagos mean?
tortoise
Approximately how much of Earth’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon rain forest?
20 percent
How did Hurricane Mitch affect Honduras?
It destroyed entire villages.
It destroyed 70 percent of the country’s crops.
It killed thousands of people.
Powerful hurricanes often strike the Caribbean islands during which months?
June to November
escarpment
steep cliff at the edge of a plateau with a lowland area below
The Columbian Exchange grew out of the Age of ________________________
Exploration
