1. Physical
Features of Latin
America
Mrs. Sample
6th Grade Social Studies

2. Latin America is divided into three
regions:
• Mexico and Central
America
• Caribbean
• South America

3. Mexico and Central
America
• 2,500 miles (about as wide as the US)
• Central Plateau in Mexico
o lies between Sierra Madre mountains and makes up
more than half the country’s area
• Central America is an Isthmus.
o isthmus = a narrow strip of land that has water on
both sides and joins two larger bodies of land
o Many Volcanoes in Central America- as a result,
their soil is fertile and many people farm.

4. Mexican Plateau

5. Gulf of Mexico
• bordered by the US
to the north, five
Mexican states to
the south, and Cuba
to the east
• Arm of the Atlantic
Ocean
• Mississippi River &
Rio Grande empty
into the Gulf of
Mexico

6. Sierra Madre Mountains

7. Sierra Madre Mountains
• mountain system in Mexico
• three major chains: the Sierra Madre
Occidental in the west, the Sierra
Madre Oriental in the east, and the
Sierra Madre del Sur, which extends
along the southern coast
o The Sierra Madre range contains
some of the highest mountains and
volcanoes in Mexico.

8. Sierra Madre Mountains

9. Mexico and Central
America

10. Panama Canal

11. Panama Canal
• canal across the isthmus of Panama in Central
America
o allows vessels to travel between the Pacific
and Atlantic oceans
• handles a large volume of world shipping and
enables vessels to avoid traveling around South
America, reducing their voyages by thousands
of miles and many days.
o consists of artificially created lakes, channels,
and a series of locks, or water-filled chambers,
that raise and lower ships through the
mountainous terrain of central Panama

12. Panama Canal

13. Caribbean Sea

14. Caribbean
• small islands are made of coral
o skeletons of tiny sea animals, rock-
like substance
• larger islands are tops of underwater
mountains
o examples: Cuba, Jamaica

15. Caribbean Sea
• partially enclosed on the north and
east by the islands of the West Indies,
and bounded on the south by South
America and Panama, and on the
west by Central America
• a major trade route for Latin American
countries
• a popular resort area—noted for its
mild tropical climate and beautiful
waters

16. Caribbean Sea

17. Andes Mountains

18. Andes Mountains
• Andes Mountains—4,500 miles along west
coast
o They rise at some points to 20,000 feet—
same height as twenty 100 story buildings
stacked on top of each other
o 2nd largest mountains; Himalayas are the
1st
• highlands east of the Andes
• Amazon River Basin—contains the largest
tropical rain forest (Amazon Rain Forest) in
the world; covers 1/3 of the continent

19. Andes

20. Atacama Desert

21. Atacama Desert
• Atacama Desert (Chile)—one of the
driest places on earth; very little rainfall
o between the Pacific Ocean and the
Andes Mountains

22. Atacama Desert

23. Amazon River

24. Amazon River &
•
Rainforestthe largest
Amazon River Basin—contains
tropical rain forest (Amazon Rain Forest) in
the world; covers 1/3 of the continent
• Rivers serve as natural highways where it’s
hard to build roads
o provide food and hydroelectric power
• Amazon River—2nd largest river in the world
(1st--Nile River)
o 4,000 miles from Peru across to Atlantic
Ocean
o contains 20% of all fresh water in the world

25. Amazon from Space

27. Amazon Rain Forest