Lesson 62:
Physical Features of South America
Imagine a placewhere you canmeet upwith a 30-foot snake, a rodent as large as aGreat Dane
dog, or a type of fish with razor sharp teeth that can strip an animal’s flesh inminutes. In this place,
you couldparachuteoff a30-storywaterfall, visit aplaceoutdoorswhere it hasnot rained for decades,
or have 200 inches of rain dumped on you in a year’s time. All of these places can be found inSouth
America.Here are themain physical features to help us exploreSouthAmerica.
ACTIVITY 1:
Numbers have been placed next to each
boldface
physical feature of SouthAmerica in the paragraphs
below.Numbers alsohavebeenplacedon themapon thenext page.Use thesenumbers and your
Atlas
Buddy (AB)
to help you find and label themapwith thewords that identify each physical feature.
South America lies between the
(1) Atlantic Ocean
to its east and the
(2) Pacific Ocean
to its
west. SouthAmerica is separated fromNorthAmerica by the
(3) CaribbeanSea
to its north. The two
continents are connected by the
(4) Isthmus of Panama
.
Three words can used to describe the land in South America – mountains, highlands, and low-
lands! Those are three distinct regions that make up the entire continent. Of course, SouthAmerica
hasmany other terms that describe it, such as forests, rivers, and port cities.
The highest point in SouthAmerica is
(5) Aconcagua
, Argentina (22,835 feet).The lowest point
is the
(6) ValdesPeninsula
, Argentina (131 feet below sea level).
The
(7) AndesMountains
are like a spine in a human.This steep and ruggedmountain chain runs
for nearly 5,000miles fromnorthernVenezuela south throughChile.TheAndes are locatedon thewestern
side of SouthAmerica.You have learned about the San Andreas fault. Thewestern region of theUnited
States is an active place for volcanoes and earthquakes. The same is true for theAndesMountains.
The
(8) Guiana Highlands
are located in the northeast part of SouthAmerica.They cover parts of
Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, FrenchGuiana, andnorthernBrazil.Another highland region is located in
southernArgentina. It is called
(9) Patagonia
and is used to raise sheep.The largest highland is the
(10)
BrazilianHighlands
. It stretches from the east coast of Brazil close to theAndesMountains in thewest.
The largest lowland region is the
(11) AmazonRiver Basin
. It is a hot, steamy region with hun-
dreds of tributaries.Another lowland region is called the
(12) OrinocoLlanos
inVenezuela.This area
is a treeless plain.Neither region supportsmuch farming or industry.
However, the third lowland region, the
(13) Pampas
of Argentina, does. This region ismuch like
theMidwestRegionof theUnitedStates.Thesoil is richand fertile.Wheat andbeef are themainprod-
ucts exported tomany countries. The
(14) Parana River
, the second-largest river of SouthAmerica,
flows through this region. It flows south into the
(15) Riode laPlata
. Buenos Aires, an important port
city, is located here.
ACTIVITY 2:
On themap of SouthAmerica on the next page, use the letters below to label the followingwater-
forms and landforms.Use your
AtlasBuddy (AB)
to help you locate these places.
Waterforms
Landforms
LT = LakeTiticaca
IF = Iguacu Falls
CP = coastal plains
IR = IguacuRiver
PGR =ParaguayRiver
GC =GranChaco
AR =AmazonRiver
AF =Angel Falls
AP =Altiplano
SM =Strait of Magellan
LM = LakeMaracaibo
CH=CapeHorn
RN =RioNegro
UR =Uraguay River
AD =AtacamaDesert
TDF =Tierra del Fuego
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PENNSVALLEY
South America
