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...

You and your family fish for herring in the cold waters off the coast
Main Ideas
1. The Andes are the main
of Peru. Last year, however, an event called El Niño changed both
physical feature of Pacific the weather and the water. El Niño made the nearby ocean warmer.
South America.
2. The region’s climate and
Without cold water, all the herring disappeared. You caught almost
vegetation change with no fish at all. El Niño also caused terrible weather on the mainland.
elevation.
3. Key natural resources in the How might another El Niño affect you?
region include lumber, oil,
and minerals.

The Big Idea

Building Background Although most of the countries of
The Andes dominate ­Pacific Pacific South America lie along the coast, their landscapes are
South America’s physical
dominated by the rugged mountain range called the Andes. These
­geography and influence the
region’s climate and resources. mountains influence climates in the region. Ocean winds and
currents also affect coastal areas here.
Key Terms and Places
altiplano, p. 279
strait, p. 279 Physical Features
Atacama Desert, p. 281
The countries of Pacific South America stretch along the Pacific
El Niño, p. 281
coast from the equator, for which the country of Ecuador is
named, south almost to the Arctic Circle. One narrow country,
Chile (chee-lay), is so long that it covers about half the Pacific
coast by itself. Not all of the countries in Pacific South America
Use the graphic organizer online have coastlines, however. Bolivia is landlocked. But all of the
to take notes on the ­physical countries in this region do share one major physical feature—
­geography of Pacific South the high Andes mountains.
America.
Mountains
The Andes run through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. Some
ridges and volcanic peaks in the Andes rise more than 20,000
feet (6,800 m) above sea level. Because two tectonic plates meet
at the region’s edge, earthquakes and volcanoes are a constant
threat. Sometimes these earthquakes disturb Andean glaciers,
sending ice and mud rushing down mountain slopes.

278 Chapter 12
 Landscapes in the Andes differ from
Pacific South America:
south to north. In southern Chile, rugged
mountain peaks are covered by ice caps. In
Physical
the north, the Andes are more rounded
than rugged, and there the range splits COLOMBIA

into two ridges. In southern Peru and 0° Equato

r
MG7FVS_psamap003baECUADOR n R i ve
r
Galápagos Amazo
Bolivia these ridges are quite far apart. A HRW-MS (ECUADOR)
Geography Maps
Islands

broad, high plateau called the altiplano lies Pacific South America: Physical
PERU

90°W
100°W
Locator BRAZIL

A
between the ridges of the Andes.
Final pass--6/22/05

N
10°S

D
E
Water and Islands PACIFIC BOLIVIA

S
OCEAN
Andean glaciers are the source for many N Lake
Titicaca Lake Poopó

Al
tip
tributaries of the Amazon River. Other

Atacama Desert
W E

lan
20°S

o
than the Amazon tributaries, the region S
PARAGUAY
aprico rn
has few major rivers. Rivers on the altiplano Tro pic of C

have no outlet to the sea. Water collects in CHILE

30°S
two large lakes. One of these, Lake Titicaca, ELEVATION
URUGUAY
Feet Meters
is the highest lake in the world that large 13,120 4,000
ships can cross. 6,560 2,000
ARGENTINA
1,640 500
At the southern tip of the continent, 656 200
40°S
(Sea level) 0 0 (Sea level)
the Strait of Magellan links the Atlantic and Below Below
Pacific oceans. A strait is a narrow body of sea level sea level
ATLANTIC
0 400 800 Miles
water connecting two larger bodies of water. OCEAN
0 400 800 Kilometers
The large island south of the strait is Tierra Projection:
50°S Strait of Magellan
Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area
del Fuego, or “land of fire.”

50°W
80°W
Tierra del Fuego
Chile and Ecuador both control large Cape Horn

islands in the Pacific Ocean. Ecuador’s

volcanic Galápagos Islands have wildlife
not found anywhere else in the world. MG7FVS psamap003ca
HRW-MS
Regions TheGeography Maps
Andes stretch all through the countries of Pacific
Pacific South
South America. America: Physical
Reading Check Contrasting How do the
legend
1. Identify To what country do the Galápagos Islands belong?
Andes differ from north to south? Final pass--6/22/05
2. Interpret How do you think the Andes affect life in the region?

ps
hysical
Llamas graze on the
high, dry altiplano. The
­climate on the altiplano is
too dry for trees to grow.

279
 Close-up

Climate Zones in the Andes

Five climate zones exist in the
Andes. The different elevations
support different types of plant
and animal life. no vegetation
Snow
line shrubs, sheep,
llamas
15,000 ft potatoes, wheat,
(4550 m) corn, sheep, llamas

evergreens, coffee,
wheat, cattle
12,000 ft
(3650 m)
bananas,
sugarcane

6,000 ft
(1850 m)

3,000 ft
(900 m)

ANALYSIS
skill Analyzing Visuals Sea Level

Between what elevations do potatoes grow best?

Climate and Vegetation well there. This first zone is often found
F OCUS ON Climate, vegetation, and landscapes all along the coast, but it is also found inland
R EADING vary widely in Pacific South America. in eastern Ecuador and Peru and northern
What can you Bolivia. These regions are part of the
We usually think of latitude as the major
infer about the
location of factormg7fvspsa000005aa
that affects climate. However, in Amazon basin. They have a humid tropical
mountains in 4th pass America, elevation has the
Pacific South climate with thick, tropical rain forests.
Ecuador? 7/26/05
biggest
tjh effect on climate and vegetation. As elevation increases, the air becomes
cooler. The second elevation zone has
Elevation moist climates with mountain forests.
Mountain environments change with This zone is good for growing coffee. In
elevation. For this reason, we can identify addition, many of Pacific South America’s
five different climate zones in the Andes. large cities are located in this zone.
You can see these different climate zones Higher up the mountains is a third,
on the diagram above. cooler zone of forests and grasslands.
The lowest zone includes the hot and Farmers grow potatoes and wheat there.
humid lower elevations near sea level. Many people in Pacific South America live
Crops such as sugarcane and bananas grow and farm in this climate zone.

280 Chapter 12
 At a certain elevation, the climate As El Niño warms ocean waters, fish
becomes too cool for trees to grow. This leave what is usually a rich fishing area.
fourth climate zone above the tree line This change affects fishers. Also, El Niño A CADEMIC
contains alpine meadows with grasslands causes heavy rains, and areas along the V OCABULARY
and hardy shrubs. The altiplano region coast sometimes experience flooding. cause to make
something
between the two ridges of the Andes lies Some scientists think that air pollutants happen
mostly in this climate zone. have made El Niño last longer and have
The fifth climate zone, in the highest more damaging effects.
elevations, is very cold. No vegetation
grows in this zone because the ground is Reading Check Finding Main Ideas How
almost always covered with snow and ice. does elevation affect climate and vegetation?

Deserts
Pacific South America also has some Natural Resources
climates that are not typical of any of The landscapes of Pacific South America
the five climate zones. Instead of hot and provide many valuable natural resources.
humid climates, some coastal regions have For example, forests in southern Chile
desert climates. and in eastern Peru and Ecuador provide
Northern Chile contains the Atacama lumber. Also, as you have read, the coastal
Desert. This desert is about 600 miles (965 waters of the Pacific Ocean are rich in fish.
km) long. Rain falls there less than five
times a century, but fog and low clouds
are common. They form when a cold
current in the Pacific Ocean chills the
warmer air above the ocean’s surface.
Cloud cover keeps the air near the ground
from being warmed by the sun. As a result, Salt
coastal Chile is one of the cloudiest—and
driest—places on Earth.
In Peru, some rivers cut through the
dry coastal region. They bring snowmelt
down from the Andes. Because they rely
Snow
on melting snow, some of these rivers only
appear at certain times of the year. The
rivers have made some small settlements
possible in these dry areas. Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert lies between the Pacific coast and the
El Niño Andes in northern Chile. In this image you can see two snow-
About every two to seven years, this dry capped volcanoes. The salt in the top right part of the image
region experiences El Niño, an ocean and is formed from minerals carried there by rivers that only ap-
pear during certain months of the year. These seasonal rivers
weather pattern that affects the Pacific
also support some limited vegetation.
coast. During an El Niño year, cool Pacific
water near the coast warms. This change Drawing Conclusions Why do you think there is snow on the
may cause extreme ocean and weather volcanoes even though the desert gets hardly any precipitation?
events that can have global effects.

Pacific South America 281

 In addition, the region has valuable
Bolivia: Resources
oil and minerals. Ecuador in particular has
Gold Tin
large oil and gas reserves, and oil is the
R. G T

country’s main export. Bolivia has some

ra
Lead Zinc

ei
L Z

ad
HRW World History G BRAZIL Silver deposits of tin, gold, silver, lead, and zinc.
S

M
wg7fvs_psamap007ba
ios
Pacific South America Bolivia: Resources
de
D
G
Locator
G
ua
0 100 200 Miles Chile has copper deposits. In fact, Chile
Final Proof 6/22/05 pore
dr exports more copper than any other coun-
e

a Ri v 0 100 200 Kilometers

ver

G M er
G
Projection: Lambert
i Ri

G
Azimuthal Equal-Area
G try in the world. Chile is also the site of the
Ben

T G
world’s largest open pit mine.
BOLIVIA
T Gmg7fvs_psamap007ca Although the countries of Pacific South
M
Z
S
G
a HRW-MS Geography Maps
T
America have many valuable resources,
Lake G
m

Bolivia: Resources
one resource they do not have much of
or

Titicaca
éR

G
Z
T
Legend
is good farmland. Many people farm, but
iver

S
Final pass--6/22/05
Lake
Poopó
T the region’s mostly cool, arid lands make it
L Z

S
N difficult to produce large crops for export.
Z
20°S L
Pi
lco W E
m
ay
S
Reading Check Categorizing What types
o

of resources do the countries of Pacific South

Ri
ve

PA RAG UAY
r

CHILE A RG EN TI N A America have?

  
SUmmary and PReview The Andes
Place Bolivia has many valuable mineral resources. are the main physical feature of Pacific
1. Locate Where are most of Bolivia’s gold resources found? South America. Next, you will learn how
2. Interpret What do you notice about the location of the mineral the Andes have affected the region’s
resources and the rivers?
history and how they continue to affect
life there today.

Section 1 Assessment mg7fvs_psamap007aa

ONLINE QUIZ
HRW-MS Geography Maps
Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places Bolivia: Resources
Critical Thinking
1. a. Identify What is the main physical featureFinal 4. Categorizing Review your
of pass--6/22/05
Pacific South America? notes on climate. Then use
b. Analyze How is Bolivia’s location unique in the a diagram like this one to
region? describe the climate and
2. a. Define What is El Niño, and what are some of its vegetation in each of the
effects? five climate zones.
b. Draw Conclusions Why are parts of Ecuador, in
the tropics, cooler than parts of southern Chile? Focus on Speaking
3. a. Identify What country in this region has large oil
reserves? 5. Describing Physical Geography Note information
b. Make Inferences Why do you think much of the about the physical features, climate and ­vegetation,
region is not good for farming? and resources of Pacific South America. Write
c. Geographic Questions Look at the map on this two questions and answers you can use in your
page. Pose and answer a question about the distri- ­interview.
bution of mineral resources in Bolivia.

282 Chapter 12