The Western World Daily Readings on Geography Chapter 68 Latin America and the Caribbean (LACAR) Physical Geography I

CHAPTER 68 Latin America and the Caribbean ( Physical Geography I Altitudinal Zonation In Latin America lowlands , temperature patterns are relatively simple . Most of the region falls in the tropics and subtropics . The Tropic of Cancer ( cuts across the heart of Mexico , and the Tropic of Capricorn ( runs just south of Rio , in southern Brazil . That means that southern Mexico , Central America , and the northern of South America all fall within the tropics . Temperature varies little from month to month in the tropics , so these locations experience warm temperature ( at least at low elevations ) The lowland areas of Latin America outside the tropics are pretty warm , too . All of Mexico is farther south than Dallas , Texas , meaning that even the of lowland northern Mexico rarely get cold . the southernmost major metropolis in Latin America is at latitude , about the same distance from the equator as Atlanta , Georgia , which is exactly a cold place . The only low elevations in Latin America that truly get cold are the southern sections of Chile and Argentina , where few people live . Cape Horn , the southern tip of South America , is located at latitude , approximately the same distance from the South Pole as Moscow is from the North Pole . It in Latin America highlands where temperature patterns become more complex , and this is a region with plenty of highland areas . Imagine you standing in a mountain valley , at feet above sea level . You look up at the top ofa mountain that is feet above sea level . If it where you are , at the top of the mountain , it will be about . That why some very tall mountains maintain their in the summer those high elevations rarely get above freezing . This is because of something called the environmental lapse temperatures tend to drop about for every feet gained in elevation . The lapse rate is not a daily concern for most Americans . The elevations of many large cities , like New York ( 33 feet ) Los Angeles ( 285 feet ) Chicago ( 597 feet ) Philadelphia ( 39 feet ) and Dallas ( 430 feet ) are unlikely to give anyone altitude sickness . There are , of course , a few major American cities at high elevations . The highest American city is Santa Fe , New Mexico , which is located at feet above sea level . The highest major American city is Denver the famously mile high city is located at feet . Denver elevation is modest by the standards of many Latin American cities . La Paz , the capital city of Bolivia , checks in at a stunning feet . Many other major Latin American cities are located at very high altitudes as well , including , Peru ( feet ) Bogota , Colombia ( feet ) and Mexico City ( feet ) 330

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ( PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY I 331 So , for many Latin Americans , altitude hasjust as much influence on local temperature as latitude . Altitudinal zonation is the examination of how geographic traits change from lower elevations to higher elevations . As temperature drops , other things change as well , such as economic patterns , population patterns , and even ethnic patterns . Traditionally , have divided tropical Latin America up into four zones the tierra caliente , the tierra , the tierra , and the tierra . The tierra caliente , or hot lands , are located from sea level up to feet . Temperatures in this zone tend to be quite hot . Population densities are high near major , Colombia . Photo and Pat like on . Andes Mountains in Venezuela . Photo by Smallest Forest on . seen to the left ) and , or near inland ports like on the Amazon River . Population densities also tend to be high in zones of plantation agriculture , which are typically located along the of major rivers . crops , like bananas and sugar cane , thrive at these tropical elevation locations . Elsewhere , population densities of the tierra caliente tend to be relatively low . The economy often focuses on industries like logging and mining , which do lend themselves to large , permanent populations . Another factor limiting population density is Latin America tropical lowlands is disease disease vectors , like mosquitoes , tend to breed prolifically in flat , hot , wet environments . The primary reason for the low population density in Latin America tropical lowlands , however , is poor soil . Much ofthe tierra caliente is either very wet or very dry , and all of it is hot . Hot , dry environments contain relatively little vegetation , and thus the soils tend to lack organic material , making them infertile . Hot , wet environments also tend to have poor soils . Looking at a tropical rainforest , an ecosystem that features a superabundance of organisms , one might assume that such an environment would lend itself to robust agriculture . That not the case . In hot , wet environments , organic material decays very rapidly . Littering the floor of rainforests is layer of humus rapidly decaying organic material supplied by the forest . The trees the foundation of the rainforest ecosystem rapidly recycle the organic material through their root systems . To farm the land , these trees must be removed so that sunlight can reach the crops . Once the trees are cut and burned , the ash and humus provide extremely fertile farmland for a few years . But the forest that provided the source of that fertility the ash and humus has been removed . The rainfall then leaches the nutrients out of the soil , and the land rapidly becomes unproductive . So , agriculture is possible in areas that have been cleared of rainforests , but that agriculture will not be permanent , leading to low population densities . There is also a distinct ethnic pattern in the tierra caliente . The area features relatively few people of Native American ancestry . When the first Europeans arrived , the densest concentration of Native Americans lived in Latin Americas highlands , so populations were already relatively low in the tierra caliente . Those Native Americans who did live there were quickly subjugated and displaced by the European , and many died in the

332 JOEL QUAM AND SCOTT CAMPBELL process . There are quite a few people of European ancestry in Latin America tropical lowlands , particularly in the major cities , but the most distinctive ethnic trait of tierra caliente is the dense concentration of people of African ancestry . This is the legacy of slave labor on tierra caliente plantations . In Brazil , which accounts for much of South America tierra caliente , about half the population is of at least partial African ancestry . In mountainous Bolivia , which accounts for very little of South America tierra caliente , only about of the population is of African ancestry . The tierra , or temperate lands , are located between and feet . Temperatures in the tierra average about cooler than those at sea level . If it on the coast , a city in the tierra would be a far more comfortable . Because temperatures vary little from month to month in the tropics , this zone enjoys mild temperatures the climate has been described as eternal spring . The natives , and the Europeans who followed , both found this to be a far more salubrious environment than the sweltering tierra caliente , so population densities in this zone have always been quite high . The tierra is an agriculturally productive region , partly because of fertile volcanic soils . At this elevation , the crops associated with tierra caliente do grow well , so much of the agriculture is dedicated to domestic food crops like corn . There are some plantations in the tierra , and most of them are dedicated to the production of coffee , a crop that grows well in the cooler air of this zone . That said , plantations are less common in the tierra , and thus so was slavery . There are fewer people of African ancestry here than in the tierra caliente . Most people of this region are descended from the two groups who heavily settled this zone over the centuries they are largely of European ancestry , Native American ancestry , or a mixture of the two . The tierra , or cool lands , are located between and feet . Temperatures in the tierra will average about cooler than those at sea level . If it on the coast , a city in the tierra would be a much cooler . In the tierra , agriculture mainly revolves around animal grazing and crops that tolerate cool weather , like wheat . Population density is generally lower in this zone than in the tierra , although , as mentioned above , there are some very large cities here , including Mexico City , La Paz , and Bogota . The ethnic pattern is still largely a mix of European and Native American ancestry , but in the highest elevations of this zone , the La Paz , Bolivia . Photo by Guillermo on ethnic mix tilts largely toward Native Americans . As elevations . increase in the tierra , temperatures drop and the air gets thin , so the land becomes less desirable . As discussed previously , Europeans were the beneficiaries of colonization , and Native Americans were the victims . So , Native Americans was often displaced to the least desirable locations during the conquest , including those places at high elevations . The tierra , or frozen lands , are located between and feet . Temperatures in the tierra will average about cooler than those at sea level . If it on the coast , a location in the tierra would be a frigid . That is why , remarkably , glaciers exist right at the equator in the Andes . The economy in this zone is largely limited to mining and occasional grazing or grain cultivation at its lowest elevations , but population densities tend to be very low . The few scattered communities of the tierra tend to be almost exclusively Native American .

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ( PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY I 333 Did You Know ?

The highest mountain on earth is Everest , located on the border between China and Nepal . That is , it is the highest above sea level . But because the planet bulges out near the equator , the peak of , Ecuador highest mountain , is actually the farthest point from the center ofthe earth . CITED AND ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY , Jerry and Pat . 2019 . Colombia . Generic ( Duran , Guillermo A . 2006 . La Paz , Bolivia . Generic ( Smallest Forest . 2015 . The Andes . Generic (