Central and South Am. Physical Features

Central and South Am. Physical Features

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Map of Central America

Tectonic Activity

The theory of plate tectonics states that the Earth's solid outer crust, the lithosphere, is separated into plates that move over the asthenosphere, the molten upper portion of the mantle. Oceanic and continental plates come together, spread apart, and interact at boundaries all over the planet.

Examples?

Multiple Choice

Tectonic activity has created which type of landform across Central America?

• Deep Lakes

• Mountains

• Rivers

• Grasslands and Plains

Multiple Choice

What type of natural disaster is a direct result of tectonic activity?

• Hurricanes

• Tropical Storms

• Volcanic Eruptions

• Tornadoes

The Positive Side of Volcanoes:

If a volcano erupts, thousands of people may be affected, and death and destruction will be catastrophic, especially if time is not given for an evacuation. Many may be killed or forced to flee, and damage to homes and businesses would be great. So the Santiaguito complex in Guatemala includes a volcano of Santa Maria. And in 1902, a catastrophic eruption occurred here.00:02:35And it killed over 6,000 people. And activity in this region continues today. The town of El Palmar, the nearby town, was destroyed in the 1980s by volcanic mudslides. And mudslides and explosions have been extremely destructive in this complex. The region is heavily populated because the coffee plants thrive in volcanic soil.

Multiple Choice

Coffee plants benefit from...

• hurricane-force winds

• year-round rainfall

• increased water pollution

• volcanic soils

Andes

The Andes, running along South America's western side, is among the world's longest mountain ranges. Its varied terrain encompasses glaciers, volcanoes, grassland, desert, lakes and forest. From Venezuela in the north, the range passes through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about the Andes Mountains is true?

• The Andes stretch from Alaska to the southern tip of Chile.

• The highest mountain in the world is located in the Andes.

• The Andes are the longest mountain chain in the world.

• The Andes run along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.

The UK Owns South American Islands?

The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. Under the 2009 Constitution, the islands have full internal self-government; the UK is responsible for foreign affairs, retaining the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory".

Altiplano

The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the area where the Andes are the widest.

Atacama

The Atacama Desert sits between the Andes and Chilean Coast Range at such a height that prevents moisture reaching it from the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. It receives less than 1mm of rainfall per year and some parts of the desert have no recorded rainfall at all. The desert is also famous for mining copper.

Amazon River

The Amazon River can grow up to 30 miles wide during the rainy season.

More than 1,000 rivers, creeks, and tributaries drain into the Amazon River.

The Amazon River is navigable by freighters more than 1,000 miles inland.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following island groups is claimed by the United Kingdom?

• the Guiana Islands

• the Falkland Islands

• the Galápagos Islands

• Tierra del Fuego

Multiple Choice

The Altiplano is a(n) __________.

• waterfall on the Orinoco River

• mountain range in Central America

• high plain in the Andes

• estuary at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about the Atacama is false?

• It borders the Pacific Ocean.

• It is located in northern Brazil.

• It is the driest desert on Earth.

• Some areas have had no measurable rain since records have been kept.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about the Amazon River is false?

• The Amazon River flows through Argentina and Chile.

• The Amazon River is navigable by freighters more than 1,000 miles inland.

• More than 1,000 rivers, creeks, and tributaries drain into the Amazon River.

• The Amazon River can grow up to 30 miles wide during the rainy season.

Multiple Choice

The flat plateau region in the Andes Mountains that is mostly populated by indigenous people from Peru and Bolivia is called the __________.

• rainforest

• Altiplano

• Pampas

• outback