Pacific South America

Pacific South America

By Seth Kocer

​Physical features

• The countries of Pacific South America stretch along the Pacific coast from the equator

• ​These countries are Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile

• These countries all share one similar feature and that is the mountains​

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Mountains

• The Andes mountains​ run through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile

• Some ridges and volcanic peaks in the Andes rise more than 20,000 feet above sea level.

• Because two tectonic plates meet at the regions edge, earthquakes and volcanoes are a constant threat.​

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​Landscapes

• Landscapes ​in the Andes differ from south to north

• In southern Chile, rugged mountain peaks are covered by ice caps and in the north the Andes are more rounded than rugged.

• The range also splits into two ridges​

• A broad high plateau called the altiplano lies between the ridges of the Andes.

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Multiple Choice

What countries make up Pacific South America?

• Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile

• Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile

• Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador

• Ecuador, Uruguay, Peru, and Bolivia

Multiple Choice

What runs through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile?

• The Andes

• Amazon River

• Black Hills

• Appalachian Mountains

Multiple Choice

What are two frequent threats in these countries?

• Hurricanes and Tsunamis

• Earthquakes and Tornadoes

• Earthquakes and Volcanoes

• Heavy rains and high winds

​Water and islands

• Andean glaciers are the source for many tributaries of the Amazon River.

• Other than the Amazon the region has few major rivers

• Rivers on the altiplano have no outlet to the sea, this results in the water collecting into two large lakes.

• Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in the world that large ships can cross​.

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Water and Islands

• At the southern tip of the continent, the Strait of Magellan links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans​.

• A strait is a narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water.

• The large island south of the strait is Tierra del Fuego, is an archipelago at South America’s southernmost tip, shared by Chile and Argentina. It’s known for its dramatic landscape of snowy mountains, glaciers, tundra and wind-sculpted trees.

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Multiple Choice

a narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water is a?

• altiplano

• river

• strait

• bridge

​climate and vegetation

• Climate and vegetation varies widely in Pacific South America.

• Elevation has a big effect on climate and vegetations

• The climates are broken up into 5 different zones​

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​Zones 2 and 3

• ​As elevation increases the air becomes cooler giving us the second elevation zone.

• In this zone there is moist climates with mountain forests, it is good for growing coffee and most major cities are located in this zone.​

• Higher up the mountains is a roller zone of forests and grasslands where farmers grow potatoes and wheat. A lot of people here as well.​

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​Deserts

• ​Northern Chile contains the Atacama Desert. This desert is about 600 miles long. Rain falls here less than 5 times a century but fog and low clouds are common.

• These clouds form when a cold current in the Pacific Ocean chills the warmer air above the ocean's surface. Cloud cover keeps the air near the ground from being warmed by the sun.

• Coastal Chile one of the driest/cloudiest places in the world.​

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Multiple Choice

Which zone are most large cities located in Pacific South America?

• 5

• 1

• 4

• 2

Multiple Choice

What vegetation grows in the 5th climate zone?

• potatoes

• bananas

• sugarcane

• none

​El Nino

• About every two to seven years this dry region experiences El Nino, which is an ocean and weather patterns that affects the Pacific coast.

• ​During El Nino year, the cool Pacific water near the coast warms. This change can cause extreme ocean and weather events that have global effects.

• When this happens fish leave what is usually a rich fishing area, causes heavy rains, and areas along the coast can flood.​

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Natural resources

• Landscapes in Pacific South ​America provide many valuable natural resources.

• For example, forests in southern Chile and eastern Peru and Ecuador provide lumber.

• Coastal waters of​ the Pacific Ocean are rich in fish

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​Oil and Minerals

• ​Ecuador has large oil and gas reserves and oil is the country's main export.

• Bolivia has some deposits of tin, gold, silver, lead and zinc.

• Chile has copper deposits, they export more copper than any other country in the world. Also has the largest open pit mine.

• With all these resources they still lack good farm land. ​

• Many people farm but with the region being mostly cool, arid lands make it difficult to produce large crops for export.​

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Multiple Choice

What is Chile's main export?

• zinc

• iron

• lead

• copper

Multiple Choice

What is an ocean and weather pattern that affects the Pacific coast?

• Surplus of fish

• El nino

• El nina

• Atacama

Multiple Choice

About how big is the Atacama Desety

• 200 miles

• 1,000 miles

• 600 miles

• 450 miles