Homework: Read and then underline any reference to a physical

geographic feature

Geography of South America

South America is the fourth largest continent in land area. Only Asia, Africa,
and North America are larger.
In a general sense, South America bears some similarity to North America. High
rugged mountains are in the west, lower and more rounded mountains lie to the
east, and between them are lowlands and plains. However, the western mountains
the Andesare much higher than those of North America; South America's
plains are less extensive, and its eastern highlands more widespread. Moreover, the
pattern of climates is quite different from that of North America because most of
South America lies in the tropics.

South America's long coastline has relatively few prominent peninsulas or

indentations. The Pacific coast in particular has very few natural harbors, except in
the extreme south. On the Atlantic coast there are more bays and inlets, but these
are often far from large cities, or are isolated from the interior by coastal
mountains. Islands lie primarily near the extreme northern and southern ends of the
continent; notable are Trinidad, the Falkland and Galpagos groups, and the many
islands of the southern Chile-Tierra del Fuego region.
Land
The Andes, a snowcapped range of mountains more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km) in
length, constitute South America's most prominent physical feature. Stretching
along or near the west coast from the Caribbean Sea to Tierra del Fuego, the Andes
form one of the world's longest continuous mountain barriers. The Andes are
geologically young, with jagged peaks and steep, rocky slopes. There are many
volcanoes, both active and dormant, and the entire region is an active earthquake
zone. More than 20 peaks exceed 20,000 feet (6,100 m) above sea level;
Argentina's Aconcagua, which reaches 22,834 feet (6,960 m), is the world's highest
peak outside Asia.
For most of their length, the Andes consist of two and sometimes three cordilleras,
or chains; between them are deep valleys and high intermontane basins and

plateaus. In these lofty mountain-rimmed areas, where the altitude brings relief
from the equatorial climate of the lowlands, live most of the people of Colombia,
Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The ruggedness of the terrain and the lack of easy
passes through the Andes have long isolated various parts of each country and
prevented the building of adequate transportation systems.
Occupying a large part of eastern South America is the Brazilian Highlands, a
rolling, hilly plateau lying generally 1,000 to 3,000 feet (300 to 900 m) above sea
level. Elevations are somewhat higher near the Atlantic coast and in the several
ranges of rounded mountains that cross the plateau. Few peaks exceed 9,000 feet
(2,740 m) in elevation. Scattered across the Brazilian Highlands are tablelands of
lava and other hard, erosion-resistant rock, which often end abruptly at high, steep
escarpments, or cliffs. One such escarpment, the Serra do Mar, parallels portions of
Brazil's coast, making transportation to the interior difficult. Many rivers draining
the highlands drop over escarpments in rapids or waterfalls.
Another elevated region, the Guiana Highlands, lies in north-central South
America. Resembling the Brazilian Highlands, it is a rolling plateau crossed by
low mountain ranges. A few peaks in the west reach 8,000 or 9,000 feet (2,440 or
2,740 m); those in the east barely exceed 4,000 feet (1,220 m).

The lowlands and plains of South America occupy several broad regions and
numerous smaller areas. Most extensive is the vast, nearly flat Amazon Basin. Its
densely forested, river-laced expanse reaches 2,000 miles (3,200 km) eastward
from the base of the Andes to the mouth of the Amazon River. The basin is widest
in the west and narrows considerably in the east, where it is wedged between the
Guiana and Brazilian highlands.
Other large lowland and plains regions adjoin the Amazon Basin. In the northwest
are the Llanos, or grassy plains, of the Orinoco River basin; they extend to the
shores of the Caribbean Sea. South of the Amazon Basin, across a low plateau,
begins the grass- and tree-covered Gran Chaco. This sparsely populated and often
desolate region merges southward with the Argentine Pampas, a flat and highly
fertile plains region. The narrow southern end of the continent, east of the Andes, is
called Patagonia. It is an arid and wind-swept plateau crossed by deep valleys.
Water
All the major rivers of South America flow to the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean
Sea. On the western slopes of the Andes, the streams flowing to the Pacific are
short and carry little water. Nearly one-third of the continent is drained by the huge
Amazon River system. From headwaters high in the Andes, the Amazon flows
across forest-covered lowlands to its mouth at the Equator. Adding to its huge flow,

the largest in the world, are hundreds of tributaries, some of whichsuch as the
Madeira and Tapajsare themselves major rivers.
The Orinoco River and its tributaries drain the land between the Andes and the
Guiana Highlands. Far to the south are the Paran, Paraguay, and Uruguay rivers,
whose combined waters flow into the great estuary known as the Ro de la Plata.
Rapids and waterfalls are common on South American rivers; they often prevent
navigation. In the highlands of Venezuela is Angel Falls, the world's highest
waterfall, formed where a river drops more than 3,000 feet (900 m) from an
escarpment. Impressive Iguassu Falls, on the Brazil-Argentina border, is higher and
much wider than Niagara Falls.
South America is almost as poor in lakes as it is rich in rivers. Aside from
reservoirs, nearly all the lakes are in or near the Andes. Lake Titicaca, in an
Andean basin 12,500 feet (3,810 m) above sea level, is the largest freshwater lake.
Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo has a larger surface area, but its northern half is
brackish. Glacial lakes dot the southern Chile-Argentina border area.
Climate
About two-thirds of South America lies in the tropics and, except for the Andes and
higher parts of the Brazilian Highlands, has warm to hot weather all year. The

narrow, tapering southern part of the continent extends into the middle latitudes
and has subtropical and temperate conditions. Here, definite warm and cool
seasons create climatic variety lacking in the tropics. Nowhere in South America is
the range of temperatures as great as that of North America. Highs of more than
100 F. (38 C.) are relatively rare, as are lows approaching 0 F. (18 C.).
Tropical South America has an almost unvarying daily temperature range between
about 72 and 90 F. (22 and 32 C.). The lowlands of the northincluding the
Amazon Basin; the coasts of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana; and western
Colombiahave a tropical rainy climate. Extreme humidity, constant heat, and
almost daily rainfall are typical.
A tropical wet-and-dry climate prevails on both sides of the Amazon Basin, in the
Orinoco lowlands and the Brazilian Highlands, and south into the Gran Chaco. A
pronounced dry spell, becoming longer as distance from the Equator increases,
occurs when the sun is on the opposite side of the Equator. Temperatures are warm
to hot virtually the whole year, except for occasional cool periods in areas well
away from the Equator. Northeastern Brazil suffers from very irregular rains and
has frequent serious droughts. When rains do arrive, disastrous flooding often
results.

Subtropical and temperate climates reach from southern Brazil into Uruguay and
over most of Argentina. Average summer temperatures in these areas vary from
roughly 70 to 80 F. (21 to 27 C.) except in southern Argentina (Patagonia),
which is substantially cooler. Temperatures in winter average about 20 to 30
Fahrenheit degrees (11 to 17 Celsius degrees) cooler. Precipitation is generally 20
to 50 inches (510 to 1,270 mm) yearly. Desertlike conditions occur from western
Argentina southeastward over Patagonia to the Atlantic coast. Rainfall varies from
scarcely 5 inches (130 mm) near the Andes to about 20 inches (510 mm) in
southern Patagonia. Tierra del Fuego's remote islands are cool, rainy, and windy.
The Andes exert a profound influence on both temperature and rainfall. As
elevation increases in the mountains, temperatures become progressively lower. At
high elevations, constant cold prevails, with snowfields and glaciers on some
peaks. The mountains are also a barrier to moist winds, causing windward slopes to
be quite rainy, while the leeward sides may be dry.
The Pacific coast from central Peru through northern Chile is one of the driest
regions on earth. A cold current offshore and the barrier effect of the Andes
combine to prevent rain. Not even the slightest rainfall has ever been recorded in
some parts of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Southward along the Pacific
coast, the climate gradually becomes more humid. Central Chile has a climate

similar to that of southern California. Southernmost Chile resembles North

America's Pacific Northwest and the southeast Alaskan coast. Here, the weather is
continually cool, windy, and rainy, with many areas receiving 100 inches (2,540
mm) or more yearly.

Bibliography

"Geography of South America" 30 March 2008. HowStuffWorks.com.

<http://geography.howstuffworks.com/south-america/geography-of-southamerica.htm> 08 November 2014.