LEAVY'S SOUTH AMERICA

Estuary

A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.

Tierra del Fuego

The large island, maybe archipelago whose name means "Land of Fire". it is located near the southern tip of Chile, but administered by Argentina and Chile.

Amazon River

The largest river by discharge volume in the world, and second in length to the Nile River. It flows through Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil almost 4,000 miles.

Gran Chaco

Very flat plains between the Andes and Brazilian Highlands of South America. It has some of the highest temperatures recorded on the continent. One of South America's last agricultural frontiers.

Altiplano

a broad, high plateau that lies between the ridges of the Andes where the Andes are the widest. It is the world's largest plateau on Earth outside of Tibet.

Soil exhaustion

a condition in which soil has lost nutrients and becomes nearly useless for farming

The Atacama

a desert located in northern Chile near the border with Peru. It is the driest nonpolar desert in the world. It covers a 600 mile strip of land

Floodplain

an area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks; usually very ferile

. Cordillera

an extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges. The Andes mountains are part of the American Cordillera which form the western backbone of North, Central and South America

Tropical Savanna

biome characterized by grasses and scattered trees, and herd animals such as zebras and antelopes

Pampas

flat, grassy, treeless, fertile plains of southern South America. that covers an area of 300,000 sq. miles

Lake Titicaca

highest navigable lake in the world, located on the border of Peru and Bolivia

Tepuis

is a table-top mountain or mesa found in the Guiana Highlands of South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana.

Amazon Rainforest

the largest tropical rain forest in the world, located in South America; crisscrossed by thousands of rivers.Between 15 and 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been lost. It is one of the most critical ecosystems in the world

The Andes

the longest above water mountain range in the world; home of the Chavin and Inca civilizations. approximately 4300 miles long

Angel Falls

the world's highest waterfall, found in Venezuela

Llanos

treeless, grassy, fertile grasslands found in inland areas of Colombia and Venezuela

Strait

A narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water

El Nino

A warm ocean current that flows along the coast of Peru every seven to fourteen years around Christmas. El Nino means "boy child" referring to the birth of Jesus.

Gauchos

Cowboys of the pampas of Argentina

Deforestation

Destruction of forests usually caused by slash and burn or clear-cutting forests

Patagonia

Dry plateau region found in southern Argentina.The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains, lakes, fjords, and glaciers in the west and deserts, tablelands and steppes to the east..It is famous for its prime hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering and horseback riding experience

Rio de la Plata

Estuary found where the Parana and Uruguay rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean.