SECTION

1 Physical
Geography
TEKS 3A, 3B, 3C, 4D, 4E, 5A, 5B,
5C, 6A, 6B, 21B, 21C, 22D

What You Will Learn… If YOU lived there...

Main Ideas You live on the coast of Brazil, near the mouth of the Amazon River.
1. Physical features of Atlantic Now you are taking your first trip up the river deep into the rain
South America include large
rivers, plateaus, and plains.
forest. The river is amazingly wide and calm. Trees on the river-
2. Climate and vegetation in the banks seem to soar to the sky. Your boat slows as you pass a small
region range from cool, dry
plains to warm, humid forests.
­village. You notice that all the houses rest on poles that lift them
3. The rain forest is a major 8 to 10 feet out of the water.
source of natural resources.
What would it be like to live in the rain forest?
The Big Idea
The physical geography of
Atlantic South America includes
large river systems, plains and
Building Background While rugged mountains and highlands
plateaus, and the Amazon rain dominate the landscape of Caribbean South America, much of the
forest. Atlantic region is made up of broad interior plains. Landscapes in this
region range from tropical rain forest to temperate, grassy plains.
Key Terms and Places
Amazon River, p. 256
Río de la Plata, p. 257 Physical Features
estuary, p. 257
Pampas, p. 257 The region of Atlantic South America includes four countries:
deforestation, p. 259 Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. This large region
soil exhaustion, p. 259 covers about two-thirds of South America. Brazil alone occupies
nearly half of the continent. Most of the physical features found
in South America are found in these four countries.

Use the graphic organizer online to Major River Systems

take notes on the physical geogra-
The world’s largest river system, the Amazon, flows eastward
phy of Atlantic South America.
across northern Brazil. The Amazon River is about 4,000 miles
(6,440 km) long. It extends from the Andes Mountains in Peru to
the Atlantic Ocean. Hundreds of tributaries flow into it, draining
an area that includes parts of most South American countries.
Because of its huge drainage area, the Amazon carries more
water than any other river in the world. About 20 percent of
the water that runs off Earth’s surface flows down the Amazon.
Where it meets the Atlantic, this freshwater lowers the salt level
of the Atlantic for more than 100 miles (160 km) from shore.

256 Chapter 11
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Atlantic South America: Physical
legend
Place Atlantic South America has several large river systems and plains.
Final pass--6/27/05
1. Name What river flows through eastern Brazil?
2. Analyze Why do you think the Pampas are good for raising cattle? The wide, grassy plains of the Pampas in
Argentina are good for raising cattle.

The Paraná (pah-rah-nah) River drains Highlands, a rugged region of old, erod-
much of the central part of South America. ed mountains, and another area of high
Water from the Paraná River eventually plains called the Mato Grosso Plateau.
flows into the Río de la Plata (ree-oh day lah Farther south, a low plains region F OCUS ON
plah-tah) and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. known as the Gran Chaco (grahn chah- R EADING
The Río de la Plata is an estuary. An estuary koh) stretches across parts of Paraguay and Where can you
find the definition
is a partially enclosed body of water where northern Argentina. In central Argentina of Pampas?
freshwater mixes with salty seawater. are the wide, grassy plains of the Pampas.
South of the Pampas is Patagonia—a
Plains and Plateaus region of dry plains and plateaus. All of
As you can see on the map, this region’s these southern plains rise in the west to
landforms mainly consist of plains and form the high Andes Mountains.
plateaus. The Amazon Basin in northern
Brazil is a giant, flat floodplain. South Reading Check Summarizing What are the
of the Amazon Basin are the Brazilian region’s major landforms and rivers?

Atlantic South America 257

 Close-up

The Amazon Rain Forest

The Amazon rain forest covers more than one- Animals such as mon-
third of South America. Seen from the air, it keys and sloths can
looks like a big, green carpet. The top level of spend their entire lives
tree branches is called the canopy. Most action in the canopy.
in the forest takes place in the canopy, but
plenty of life also exists below.

People have cleared

parts of the rain forest
for farming, ranching,
and logging.

Parts of the forest are

flooded for half the year, ANALYSIS
and trees stand in water skill Analyzing Visuals
up to 40 feet
(12 m) deep. What kinds of animals could not survive
living in the canopy?

258 Chapter 11
Climate and Vegetation Atlantic South America also has good
mineral and energy resources such as gold,
Atlantic South America has many climates.
silver, copper, iron, and oil. Dams on some
Generally, cool climates in southern and
of the region’s large rivers also provide
highland areas give way to tropical, moist
hydroelectric power.
climates in northern and coastal areas.
In southern Argentina Patagonia has a Reading Check Summarizing What
cool, desert climate. North of Patagonia, resources does the rain forest provide?
rich soils and a humid subtropical climate
make parts of the Pampas good for
farming. Farther north in Argentina, the
  
SUmmary and PReview Physical fea-
Gran Chaco has a humid tropical climate.
tures of Atlantic South America include
There, summer rains can turn some parts
great river systems and plains. The Ama-
of the plains into marshlands.
zon rain forest makes up a huge part of
North of Argentina, in Brazil, a large
the region. Next you will learn about
part of the central region has a tropical
Brazil, the country of the Amazon.
savanna climate with warm grasslands.
The northeastern part of the country has
a hot, dry climate, while the southeast is
cooler and more humid. Section 1 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ
In northern Brazil the Amazon Basin’s
humid tropical climate supports the world’s Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places
largest tropical rain forest. Rain falls almost 1. a. Define What is an estuary?
every day in this region. The Amazon rain b. Explain How does the Amazon River affect the Atlantic
forest contains the world’s greatest variety Ocean at the river’s mouth?
of plant and animal life. c. Elaborate What benefits do you think the rivers might
bring to Atlantic South America?
2. a. Recall What kind of climate does Patagonia have?
Reading Check Finding Main Ideas What
b. Make Inferences Why are temperatures in the south
is the climate like in the rain forest? generally cooler than temperatures in the north?
3. a. Identify What resources does the rain forest provide?
b. Analyze What is one benefit and one drawback of prac-
Natural Resources ticing commercial agriculture in the rain forest?
c. Elaborate Soil exhaustion might lead to what kinds of
The Amazon rain forest is one of the
additional problems?
region’s greatest natural resources. It
provides food, wood, rubber, plants for Critical Thinking
medicines, and other products. In recent 4. Categorizing Look back over Geography
years deforestation, or the clearing of trees, your notes. Then use a table Brazil
like this one to organize the
has become an issue in the forest. Argentina
physical geography of Atlantic
The region’s land is also a resource for South America by country.
commercial farming, which is found near
coastal areas of Atlantic South America. In
Focus on Writing
some areas, however, planting the same
crop every year has caused soil exhaustion, 5. Describing Physical Geography Jot down notes about the
which means the soil is infertile because it physical features, climate and vegetation, landscapes, and
resources of this area. Identify one or two images you could
has lost nutrients needed by plants.
use for your Web site.

Atlantic South America 259