Geography

The geography of Latin America ranges from many extremes,
which include large mountain ranges and valleys to tropical rain forests and to beaches that are paradise to many tourists and citizens.

Beginning with the continent of South America, one notices all the geographic differences immediately. In Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, and Chile,there are many different elevations, which cause places to be extremely hot and extremely cold at the same time even though they are right next to each other on the map. One of these land formations that cause these climate extremes is the Andes mountain range that stretches from Colombia to the southern most part of Chile. In Perú, the Andes makes up only one part of the geography; the coast and part of the Amazon make up the other two. The Andes region in Perú is the home of the lost city of the Incas called Machu Picchu, which is located 7,875 feet above sea level. The coastal region of Perú has a sub-tropic desert climate that has a large amount of rain throughout the year. The climate in the amazon part of the country has a tropical climate and it rains on average about 200 days out of the year. In Ecuador, the three main geographic structures are the the coast, la sierra, and el Oriente. On the coast, there are many fertile plains and also the country's main city of Guayaquil is there; the capital is Quito. La Sierra portion contains various volcanic peaks with one of the major ones being Tungurahua, which had its last eruption in 1999. The Amazon portion of el Oriente has a very humid climate with very high temperatures throughout the year. Chile has a wide variety of climates due to the length of the country. These climates range from the Andes region that flows southward through the country to coastal climates to even climas mediterráneos. The Andes region of the country has a lot of winds that flow from the plains and pampas of Argentina that gives that part of the country a cold and wintry feel. the north of Chile has a desert-type climate that maintains the temperatures there at around 20 degrees Centigrade throughout the year. The clima mediterraneo has temperatures and weather that change strictly according to seasons. The summers tend to be dry and hot, the winters tend to be humid depending on which part of the country one is in. The southernmost part of the country has very frigid and antarctic type weather. Summers and spring tend to have comfortable temperatures while the autumn weather maintains a cool feel. In Argentina, the northern portion has a subtropical climate and the southern part has a more frigid climate since it is closer to Antarctica. The capital city of Buenos Aires has a rather pleasant, but humid climate with winters being colder. In Uruguay, the four seasons are easily distinguished by the temperature changes of that season. The summers tend to be long and hot and winters tend to be cold. It is said that Uruguay can have all four seasons in the same day because there are rapid weather changes. One of the main things that occur is surges of violent winds that blow across the country from Argentina. The winds are very strong because there is no barrier that separates the pampas of Argentina from Uruguay.

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The geography of the islands of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba have a mix of mountains, beaches and sandy coasts, and also fertile plains where much agriculture takes place. Puerto Rico is made up of mountains, coastlines, and a number of national parks that make up the rain forest portion of the island. These mountain ranges are la Cordillera Central, la Sierra de Luquillo, and la Sierra de Cayey. The northern coast humid and green where a wide variety of crops grow. The southern coast on the Caribbean sea is dry with a large abundance of cactus and yuca. In the rain forest portion of the island, there is one of Puerto Rico's national parks, El Yunque. There, one can find various kinds of plant and animal species along with beautiful sights of nature. The Dominican Republic has a mixture of mountain ranges and coastlines with a large range of temperatures as well. The mountain ranges are la Cordillera Central that has the highest mountain peak in the Antilles region called Pico Duarte, la Cordillera Septentrional, and la Cordillera Oriental. One can also experience the enjoyment of the beaches and coastlines of the island as well. The island and especially the coastlines tend to have a tropical climate that attracts severe weather at times. The island of Cuba is mainly flat with plains. There are some mountain ranges in the southeast and central parts of the island. The climate is tropical and like other islands in the Caribbean, it is very prone to hurricanes and other forms of severe weather.

The weather of Mexico and Central America have the same kind of mixture in a way. There are a number beaches, various mountain ranges, and a number of rain forest portions. Mexico's geography has that exact combination of mountains, coasts, beaches, deserts,and rain forests. There are two main mountain ranges that flow through the country. The nation's capital of Mexico D.F lays right in the middle of these two mountain ranges called la Sierra Madre Occidental and la Sierra Madre Oriental putting it 7,349 feet above sea level. This high altitud is one of the factors that gives it cooler temperatures than other parts of the country during most of the year. The south and coastal areas have a tropical climate and are large tourist attractions. Some of the popular places are Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlán. The Pacific coast is a mixture of mountains and shoreline where people can enjoy the warm waters. The rain forest region takes up most of the southern part of the country extending into Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. The land and climate of Central America also have a mixture of rain forest, coastlines, plains, and mountains. Honduras is made up of 65% of mountain terrain that provides valleys and plains for crops such as coffee, tobacco, grains, fruits, and vegetables to grow. The climate of Costa Rica has a dry season and a rainy season, which provides a balance that the many plant and animal species of the country's rain forests rely on. The temperatures are normally warm and some places are cooler depending on the elevation.