ELEVATION AND CLIMATES OF LATIN AMERICA

CLIMATE

HOT TO MIDCLIMATES

• Latin America lies mostly in the tropics
• Tropics- area between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capicorn.
• Direct rays of the the sun cause warm temps most if the year
• Mountain ranges and wind pattern cause a variety of climates in the region.

TROPICAL CLIMATE

• Tropical wet climate is found in some Caribbean islands and much of Central and South America
• Tropical Climates have year round hot temps and heavy rainfall. A lot of the area is rain forest.
• Warm temps and heavy rain make rain forests thrive.
• Amazon Basin is home of the worlds largest rain forest.

TEMPERATE CLIMATES

• Temperate climates are found in parts of South America that lie south of the tropic of Capicorn
• Humid subtropic climate is in southeastern South America
• Winters are short and mild, summers are Lind hot and humid.
• Temperate climates are also found in southwestern South America.

MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE

• Central Chile has a Mediterranean climate, dry summers rainy winters.
• Large amounts of fruit is exported to North America.
• Marine costal climate zone is farther south, heavy rainfall through out the year.

DRY CLIMATES

• Along pacific coast of northern Chile lies the Atacama Desert.
• Atacama Desert is the driest place on earth.
• Only dry air hits the coast of Chile

EL NIÑO

• Weather is strongly influenced by El Niño
• Waters of Peru's coast is usually warm during El Niño
• El Niño can cause a long dry season to Northeast Brazil causing crop failures

ELEVATION

MOUNTAINS

• Mountains cover much of Latin America
• Higher the altitude the colder the temperatures

TIERRA CLIMATE

• Tierra climate is hot and humid
• Tropical crops are grown in the tierra climate
• Tierra templada has mid temperatures
• Tierra templada is the most densely populated of the climate zones

TIERRA CLIMATE CONTINUED

• Tierra fria is considered cold land of frosted and grassy areas
• Tierra helada is considered frozen land and very harsh conditions
• Very few people live in this area