Exploring Latin America: Geography and Ecosystems

Latin America: A Geographic Overview

Location and Size

Latin America encompasses three of the four natural units of the Americas, representing 50% of the continent. It covers an area of 42,083,206 km², spanning latitudes from 83°N to 56°S and longitudes from 173°W to 35°W.

Key Landforms

• Isthmus: A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas across the sea.
• Sierra: Part of a mountain range, often composed of a main range and lower foothills.
• Plain: A relatively flat, low-lying area, typically below 200m in altitude (e.g., Orinoco and Amazon basins).
• Shield: Ancient, stable rock formations (e.g., Guiana and Brazilian Shields).
• Basin: A depression on the Earth's surface, a valley surrounded by higher ground.
• Altiplano: A high intermountain plateau, usually between mountain ranges.
• Puna: A high plateau ecosystem in the Andes Mountains.
• Pampa: A flat, grassy plain.
• Gulf: A long portion of ocean or sea enclosed by land.
• Cape: A piece of land projecting into the sea.
• Archipelago: A group or chain of islands.
• Strait: A narrow waterway connecting two larger bodies of water.

Climate and Ecosystems

Trade Winds: Prevailing winds blowing towards the equator in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Ecosystem: A natural system comprising living organisms and their physical environment.

Geosystem: Planet Earth as a whole, including the biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and human society.

Human Impact

Forestry: The cultivation and exploitation of forests.

Landscape: Natural landscapes are those largely unmodified by humans.

Region: A specific geographic area smaller than the total area of interest.