U13 L4: Physical Features of Central America

Mexico and Central America: Peninsulas and Isthmus

- Baja california (red) - Yucatan (yellow) Isthmus of Panama - connects cetnral america and south america (blue)

Rivers and Lakes

- Rio Grande (blue) - forms the border between Mexico and the US -Lake Nicaragua (yellow)

Mexico and Central America: Mountains and plateaus

- Sierra Mader Occidental - west - Sierra Madrew Oriental - east - Mexican Plateu - middle

Central America: Tectonic Activity

-- central america is almost completely covered by mountains because of tectonic activity - cocos plate is colliding into Caribbean plate -- volcanoes and earthquakes are common

The Pacific Ocean is located at number _____ on the map above, while the Atlantic Ocean is located at number _____.

1 . . . 2

Santa Maria, Guatemala

1902 catastrophic eruption - killed 6000 people activity continues today - mudslides and explosions have been ectremely destrictive region is heavily populated - coffee plants thrive in volcanic soil

The Gulf of Mexico is located at number _____ on the map above, and the Pacific Ocean is located at number _____.

3 . . . 1

The Sierra Madre Oriental is located at number _____ on the map above; this is easy to remember because "oriental" is the Spanish word for "__________."

3 . . . east

isthmus

A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas.

The landform located at number 1 on the map above is __________, and the landform located at number 4 is __________.

Baja California . . . the Yucatan Peninsula

The body of water that lies south of Cuba and east of Central America is the

Caribbean Sea

The body of water that lies south of Cuba and east of Central America is the __________.

Caribbean Sea

Look at the map above. Which of the following statements is true?

Cuba is located at number 1.

Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola are all part of the island chain called the __________.

Greater Antilles

The islands labeled 1, 3, and 4 on the map above are all part of an island chain called the __________.

Greater Antilles

Islands of the Caribbean

Greater Antilles (blue) - cuba - Jamaica - Haiti and Dominican Republic - Puerto Rico Lesser Antilles (red) - Hundreds of small islands in an arc Bahamas (yellow) - hundreds of small coral islands

The body of water found at number 4 on the map above is the __________.

Gulf of California

What two countries are located on Hispaniola, the island labeled with the number 3 on the map above?

Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Which two countries are located on the island of Hispaniola?

Haiti and the Dominican Republic

volcanic

Produced by a volcano.

The river that forms the border between Mexico and the US state of Texas is the __________.

Rio Grande

Look at the map above. Which of the following statements is true?

The Yucatan Peninsula is located at number 4.

coral

a rock-like deposit on the ocean floor that was formed from the remains of dead organisms

Mexico City and San Salvador are both adjacent to

active volcanoes

What natural disaster struck Haiti in 2010 and destroyed its capital city, Port au Prince?

an earthquake

Haiti 2010

earthquake strick near port-au-prince 7.0 magnitude - caused massive destruction of homes, roads, and businesses - killed over 200,000 - injured 300,000 - displaced millions of people

What natural disaster struck Haiti in 2010, and what were the consequences of this event?

earthquake. lots of damage to homes, roads, and businesses.

The Panama Canal

located on on the Isthmus of Panama

Tectonic activity has created which type of landform across Central America?

mountains

Volcanoes

son miguel is still active many active volcanoes are close to large urban areas - mexico city, mexico - san salvador, el salvador - guatemala city, guatemala if a volcano erupts, thousands of people may be affected - many may be killed or forced to flee - damage to homes and businesses

Which island group is located at number 5 on the map above?

the Bahamas

Which landform connects Central America and South America?

the Isthmus of Panama

Look at the map above. Which body of water is located at number 7 on the map?

the Panama Canal

The landform that creates a physical boundary separating Mexico from the US state of Texas is

the Rio Grande

Coral islands are made of __________.

the remains of small marine organisms

What problems arise when a volcano erupts near an urban area, like Guatemala City, Guatemala?

the soot pollutes the air and the lava flow can cause wild fires.

Tectonic activity may result in __________.

volcanic eruptions

Coffee plants benefit from __________.

volcanic soils