Geography

Question 1

What official languages from Europe are spoken in Latin America?

Answer 1

English, Spanish, Portuguese

Question 2

What are some advantages to dams?

Answer 2

1. Generates cheap power
2. Renewable resource
3. Jobs
4. Drinking water
5. Does Not Cause Pollution
6. Steady Water Supply and Irrigation
7. Recreation
8. Flood control

Question 3

What are some disadvantages to dams?

Answer 3

1. fish cannot swim upstream
2. loss of habitat for plants and animals
3. loss of homes and displacement of people
4. loss of cultural artifacts
5. changes in the river’s ecosystem
   a. It reduces the amount of water in the river
   b. Water discharges is often colder than normal
6. River is no longer able to deposit fertile soil
7. limits transportation
8. cost a lot of money
9. Some rivers no longer flow to its mouth
10. Could disrupt other countries water supply

Question 4

What are the three main geographic areas of Latin America?

Answer 4

1. Mexico and Central America: tropical, hot and humid
2. Caribbean: also tropical, but wet and dry
3. South America: wet, humid, and warm

Question 5

What are the main geographic features of Latin America:

Answer 5

1. Mountain ranges
2. Plateaus
3. Deserts
4. Rainforests
5. Beaches

Question 6

What are the 9 major climate zones of Latin America?

Answer 6

1. Tropical wet:
   (Hot, humid, and rainy all year [usually every day])
2. Tropical wet and dry:
   (Hot, but rainy season doesn’t last all year, the largest area of land)
3. Semi-arid:
   (light amount of rainfall [10-20’’])
4. Arid:
   (Has insufficient rainfall to support agriculture)
5. Mediterranean
   (Temperate, covers least area of Latin America)
6. Humid subtropical
   (Hot, wet summers and cool winters)
7. Marine West Coast
   (warm summers and cool winters [more rain in winter])
8. Highlands
   (Temperature and precipitation depend on elevation)
9. Tundra:
   (Cold all year with little vegetation)

Question 7

What are the natural resources of the three regions of Africa?

Answer 7

MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
1. Oil and natural gas
2. Minerals: gold, silver, etc.
3. Wood products: forests cover 25% of Mexico
CARIBBEAN
1. Same as Central America
2. Citrus fruits
3. Tobacco
4. Tourism
SOUTH AMERICA
1. Oil and minerals
2. Forest products
3. coffee, wheat, and beef
4. hydroelectric power
5. cocaine
6. fish