The Geography of Climate

The Geography of Climate

Objective for Today: Today we will examine ways that latitude and landforms influence climate The focus of our study will be the South American Continent in the Formal Region known as Latin America Latin America is a great place to examine because it is a region with a wide diversity of climates and landforms You will need A large map of South America A desk atlas A dry erase marker

What are we doing? You will work with one partner to answer geographic questions and locate important physical and human features on your map You will analyze pictures and climagraphs to better understand the climate of Latin America By the end of this lesson, you will understand how Latin America s climate is influenced by a variety of latitude and landforms I will be grading your participation and progress toward the learning objective during today s lesson

Location #1 (0,, 65 W) (mark this absolute location on your map)

Climagraph #1 Precipitation (in.) Temperature ( F) 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Location #1 The Equatorial Amazon What climate is found in Location #1 (p. 115)? write it on your desk Talk with your partner for 10 seconds about the vegetation you saw in the last picture Locate the equator on you map use your dry erase marker to trace over the equator What is the name of the large basin located along the Equator? What is the broad river located in this basin? write them on your desk Is this an area of high or low elevation (p. 114)? Write high elevation or low elevation on your desk Look at the political map on page 112. What country can be found in this absolute location? Write it on your desk

Location #2 (3 S, 78 W) (Mark this absolute location on your map)

Climagraph #2 Precipitation (in.) Temperature ( F) 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Location #2 Mt. Chimborazo What is the climate in this location? (p. 115) Write it on your desk Talk with your partner for 10 seconds about the differences in temperature, vegetation, and precipitation compared to location 1 Locate Mt. Chimborazo on your map Mark Mt. Chimborzo with your dry erase marker What is the elevation of Mt. Chimborazo? Write it on your desk In which country is this mountain the highest point of elevation? (p. 112) Write it on your desk

Location #3 (23 1/2 S, 70 W) (Mark this absolute location on your map)

Climagraph #3 Precipitation (in.) Temperature ( F) 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Location # 3 The Atacama Desert What is the climate in this location? (p. 115) write it on your desk Talk with your partner for 10 seconds about the differences in temperature, vegetation, and precipitation you noticed compared to locations 1 and 2 What large physical feature is located directly to the east of the Atacama desert? Write it on you desk Circle the Atacama desert on your map What important line of latitude passes through the Atacama desert? How might this influence the climate? Write it on your desk Is this an area of high or low elevation (p. 114)? Write high or low elevation on your desk What country is the Atacama desert located in? (p. 112) Write it on your desk

Location #4 (36 S, 62 W) (Mark this absolute location on your map)

Climagraph #4 Precipitation (in.) Temperature ( F) 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Location #4 The Pampas What is the climate in this location? (p. 115) write it on your desk Talk with your partner for 10 seconds about the differences in vegetation, temperature, and precipitation compared to 1, 2, & 3 Locate the Pampas region on your map Circle the pampas on your map Is this an area of high or low elevation? (p. 114) Write high or low elevation on your desk Which South American country is the relative location of the Pampas? (p. 112) Write it on your desk Does this region have more or less cities than location #3? How do the climates of these two places explain this population trend? Write your answer on your desk

Location #5 (52 S, 69 W) (Mark this absolute location on your map)

Climagraph #5 Precipitation (in.) Temperature ( F) 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Location #5 Tierra Del Fuego What is the climate in this location? (p. 115) write it on your desk Talk with your partner for 10 seconds about the differences in vegetation, temperature, and precipitation compared to 1, 2, 3, & 4 Locate Tierra Del Fuego on your map Circle Tierra Del Fuego on your map Is this an area of high or low elevation? (p. 114) Write high or low elevation on your desk What continent is located approximately 500 miles south of Tierra Del Fuego? Write it on your desk What TWO countries share the island of Tierra Del Fuego (p. 112)? Write it on your desk

Processing Answer the following questions on your own sheet of paper IN COMPLETE SENTENCES! 1) What two factors are most important in determining climate around the world? 2) What generalization can you make about the relationship between climate and elevation in Latin America? 3) What generalization can you make about the relationship between climate and latitude in Latin America? 4) Is Latin America wider from North to South or East to West? How might that influence the wide variety of climates we observed in Latin America? 5) How does climate affect human settlement in Latin America?