physical map of South America & Difference between Carribbean and West Indies

     PHYSICAL MAP OF SOUTH AMERICA 

About the continent 

* 4th largest continent: roughly one- eighth of the land surface of Earth.

* Located in Western Hemisphere and mostly in Southern Hemisphere.

* Equator passes through the northern part and Tropic of Capricorn runs through the middle 

* Atlantic Ocean border the continent to the east: Pacific Ocean border on the west and Antarctica Ocean in the South Caribbean Sea creats the northern boundary.

About the continent 

Home to worlds :

* Longest mountain ranges Andes

* Largest river Nile 

*Driest place on earth Atacama Desert 

* Highest active volcano Ojos del Salado 

* Highest navigable lake Titicaca

* Highest waterfall Angle fall

Physical Division 

* Western Mountains and Highlands 

* Eastern Highlands 

* Central Lowlands 

Western Mountains and Highlands:

* South America primary mountain system is the Andes.

* World's longest continental mountain range about 7000 k.m (4350miles) long.

* Stretches through the entire continent in North - South direction from Isthmus of Panama to Strait Magallan

* Part of seven countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuator, Peru , Bolivia, Chile, Argentina.

* Hundrad of peaks more than 4,500 meters tall many of which are volcanic ( part of Pacific ring of fire)

North Andes

* Mount Chimborazo and Mount -        cotopaxi are active volcanic peak.

Central Andes ( widest):

* Altiplano/Andean / Bolivian plateau+ the second - highest Plateou in the world.

* Lake Titicaca ( largest in South America) and Lake Poopo 

* Includes Atacama Desert the driest  non- polar desert in the world. Between Chilean Coast Ranges and Andes.

South Andes

* Highest peak in Andes - Mount Aconcagus (6,962m) in Argentina, near chile border - continent highest point also highest peak outside Asia.

* Includes highest active volcano in the world, Ojos del Salado (6893) lies on Argentina and Chile border.

Eastern Highlands: 

* Older than the Ands - made up of very old rocks and from an undulating surface with gentle slopes.

* Consist of 3 main plateau:

- Guiana Highlands/ Shield 

- Brazilian Highlands 

-  Patagonia Highlands 

Guiana Highlands/Shield 

* Craton- 1.7 billion - years old Precambrian

* It lies to north of Amazon and Orinoco Basins.

* It is known for the highest waterfall in the world - Angle falls (979m) high - on river Caroni in Venezuela 

* Acts as the driver between Amazon and Orinoco basins.

Brazilian Highlands 

* Brazilian Highlands covers most of eastern southern and central portions of Brazil.

* Includes -:

- plateau of Mato Grasso

* Plateau of Borborema

* Parana and Paranuay rivers in the Brazilian Highlands.

Patagonian Plateau 

* Semiarid Scrub Plateau that covers nearly all of you southern portion of mainland Argentina 

* Also known as Patagonian Desert/ Patagonian Steppe

* Largest desert in Argentina and is  8th largest desert in the world by area.

* Located primarily in Argentina and is bounded by Andes in west and Atlantic Ocean to its east.

Central Lowlands:

* Lie between Andes Eastern Highlands and covers more than half of continents area.

* Mostly Sparsely populated because of leached soils. But Pampas in Argentina are very fertiles.

Lowlands consists of 3 River Basins

* Llsnos Basin - created by Orinoco River and it's tributaries 

* Selvas Basin- fromed by Amazon and it's tributaries 

* Amazon - world's largest River by volume. This Basin is covered with Equatorial Rain forest ( Lungs of the world)

* La Plata Basin- created by Parana, Paraguay and other rivers. This Basin froms an estuary known as Rio- de- La Plata. Which serves as an excellent harbour.

South America Physical Features 

* Islands Gulfs and Straits rivers,waterfallslakes deserts Grasslands.

* 12 Sovereign States ( countries) -

1) Argentina 

2) Brazil 

3) Colombia 

4) Guyana 

5) Peru 

6) Bolivia 

7)chile 

8) Ecuador 

9) Paraguay 

10) Surname

11) Uruguay 

12) Venezuela 

3 Overseas Territories 

1. French Guiana ( France) 

2. Falkland Islands ( U.K) 

3. South Sandwhich Island ( U.K)

Islands:

* A number of noted island group are usually affiliated with the physical region of South America 

* Galapagos Islands - territory of Ecuador 

* Falkland Islands - ( also known as the Malvianas) overseas territory of UK.

* Eastern Island and Robinson Crusoe Island in the Pacific Ocean - controlled by chile

Galapagos Islands 

* Also known as the Columbus Archipilago

* It comprises 18 major islands, three small islands, and many islets

* It is archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of equator in Pacific Ocean 

* Archipilago sits at the Galapagos Triple Junction, an area where 3 tectonic plates meet - Pacific, Nazca and Cocos plates

* Islands contributed immensely to scientist Charles Darwins evolution theory and natural selection concept 

* Galapagos national park, established in 1959, first in Ecuador, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Gulfs:

* Gulf of Guayaquil - west of Ecuador in Pacific Ocean 

* Gulf of Penas- Southern chile in Pacific Ocean 

* Gulf of  San Jorge - East of Argentina in Atlantic Ocean.

* Gulf of San Matias - North of Valdes Peninsula ( Argentina) in Atlantic Ocean 

Straits and Passages:

Magellans strait

* Navigable Sea route in Southern chile separating mainland south America to the North America Tierra dal Fuego to the south.

* Considering most important natural passage between Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.

* Was discovered and st traversed by Spanish expediteionof Ferdinand Magallan in 1520 after whom it is named.

Darke Passage: Body of water between South America Cape Horn ( Chile) and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.

Rivers

Four drainage system - cover about ⅔ of the continent:

1. Amazon

 2. Paraguay - Parana- Uruguay ( Rio de la Plate)

  3. Orinoco 

4. Sao Francisco 

Amazon river system 

* Largest river in the world by Volume.

* World's second largest river of the world ( 6,400km) after Nile river of Africa.

* Source: Central Peruvian Andes

* Headwaters: Maranon and Ucayali rivers.

* It escapes Andes through narrow canyons(Pongons)

* Flows between Guiana Highlands and Brazilian Highlands 

* Mouth - Atlantic Ocean 

* Amazon rainforest is a tropical rainforest - covers most of the Amazon basin ( Selvas) of South America 

. Paraguay, Parana and Uruguay Drainage System 

* Paraguay River rises in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil and emptied into Parana River 

*  Uruguay River is the shortest of three, it flows east of the Parana

* Parana  and Uruguay empty into Rio de la Plata ( estuary on east coast of South America between Uruguay and Argentina )

* Montevideo ( capital of  Uruguay) and Buenos Aires ( capital of Argentina) are on the shores of this estuary.

Orinoco River Basin

*Source - Guyana Highlands 

*Flows through vast grasslands ( Savana) region of the Lanas plains and drains approximately 4th - 5th of Venezuela 1-4th of Colombia 

* Near to its mouth on Atlantic Ocean, from its delta

Sao Francisco River 

* South America 4th largest drainage system 

* Flows entirely within Brazil 

Waterfalls :

Angel Waterfalls 

* Located in Venezuela 

* World's tallest uninterrupted Waterfall (979m)

* Made on river Chrun, tributary of Caroni River, which is a tributary of Orinoco River 

* The waterfall drops from Auyan- tepui mountain in Canaima National Park, a UNESCO world Heritage site in Bolivia state.

Other Waterfalls -

* Iguazu Falls ( Argentina, near Brazil Border) on Parana River system 

* Guaira Falls ( Brazil and Paraguay) Parana River system 

* Catarata Gocta  ( Peru) Amazon River system 

Topical Grasslands 

Lianos- Tropical Grassland situated to east of Andes in Colombo and Venezuela 

Selvas- Equatorial Rain forest of Amazon basin 

Cerrado- largest savanna region in South America encompasses Central Brazil 

 Caatinga - Thorny scrubland in N.E Brazil.

Pantanal ( Marshes):

* World's largest tropic wetland and world's largest flooded grasslands. IT is located mostly within Brazil, but it extends into Bolivia and Paraguay 

* Roughly 80% of the pantanal floodplains are Submerged during the rainy seasons.

Gran Chaco

Tropical and subtropical semi- aird dry broadleaf forest of the Rio de La Plata basin between Andes and Paraguay Parana river.

Temperate Grasslands 

Pampas 

* Fertiles south America Lowlands - Parana Paraguay plains 

* Generally Temperate,  gradually subtropical in north and semiarid on western fringes.

* Precipitation evenly distributed throughout the year making the soils appropriate for agriculture 

Patagonian  Steepps ( also called Patagonia Desert)

* Chile , Argentina and Falkland Islands 

* Semi aird and cold shrubby grassland

* Threatened by over grazing by sheep ( merino wools)

* Efforts being made to avoid desertification 

Desert 

Patagonia Desert 

* Cold,Semi Aried Shrubby Grassland, majorly in Argentina 

* Largest in South America and 8th largest desert in the world by area 

Atacama Desert 

* Cold Desert Plateau, majorly in Chile 

* Located to the west of Andes mountains 

* It is the driest nonpolar desert in the world 

Major Lakes

* Lakes Titicaca ( freshwater) : 

largest lake in South America (3810m)

* Highest navigable lake in the world 

* Located on the border of Bolivia and Peru 

* Lake Poopo ( Bolivia)

* Lake Maracaibo ( Venezuela)

- it's Tidal Bay 

- one of the major oil 

- producing regions

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN The CARABBIAN AND WEST INDIES 

The Carabian

* Caribbean Sea , it's surrounding coasts

* It's Islands ( within caribbean Sea or on the edge)

* It related to North America 

* Situated largely on the caribbean plate

* The Bahamas - sometimes considered a part of caribbean full member State of the Caribbean community 

* Mainland countries Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname considered part of caribbean - full member states of caribbean community and the Association of caribbean states

* Several coastal region of mainland south and Central America seen as part of Caribbean - political and cultural ties

West Indies 

* The Caribbean Islands ( within caribbean Sea or on the edge)

* Crescent - shaped group of islands more than 3,200km long separating Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.

* Sorted into 3 main island groups - Lucayan Archipelagos( Bahamas) Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles 

* West Indies was coined by Columbus when he mistakenly called aboriginal people of America ' Indians' Columbus thought he had reached Asia ( and the east Indies) . Back in Spain when his mistake was exposed, he renamed them west Indies 

Anglo American and Latin American

* Anglo - U S and Canada 

* Latin- Mexico+ Central America+ South America+ Caribbean Islands 

* The expression Anglo has came to signify a white, English - speaking North American 

* Latin America is generally understood to consist of the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico. Central America and the Islands of the Caribbean.

* The people of Latin America share experience of conquest and colonization by the Spanish and Portuguese from the late