Unit 1.- Worldwide tourist geography: The OMT region of America. Index: 1. Geographical features of America. 2. Hydrography of America. Rivers and lakes. 3. The American coast. 4. Vegetation. 5. American cultures: languages, religions and living expressions. 1
1. Geographical features of America.- The OMT region of America coincides with the American continent, the second biggest continent in the World. America borders: The Arctic Ocean to the north. The Pacific Ocean to the west. The Atlantic Ocean to the east. The confluence of the Atlantic and the Pacific. The OMT region of America is divided into four OMT sub-regions: North America. Central America. The Caribbean. South America. ACTIVITY 1.- Demarcate the American OMT sub-regions on the political map issued. After that, label the most visited tourist countries. Finally, locate on the map the following cities: Antigua, Buenos Aires, Campeche, Cartagena, Chicago, Cusco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Lima, México D.F., Miami, Montreal, Nueva York, Oaxaca, Orlando, Ottawa, Puebla, Québec, Nueva Orleans, Río de Janeiro, Francisco, Sao Luís, Salvador de Bahía, Toronto, Valparaiso and Washington D.C. The most significant geographical features of America are: Its large mountain ranges that extend down the Pacific coast. Its wide eastern plains. Its many islands and archipelagos scattered throughout the Arctic, the Caribbean Sea and the Southern Pacific. Its most significant geographical elements by OMT sub-regions are: North America. Great Plain. Rocky Mountains. Appalachian Mountains. Sierra Oriental. Madre. Occidental. Mexican altiplano, between Sierra Madre Oriental and Occidental. Eje Neovolcánico, with the Popocatépetl mountain, which is 5.452 meters above sea level. Central America. The Caribbean. None remarkable. South America. Andes Mountain Range, with the highest mountain in America, the Aconcagua, which is 6950 meters above sea level. Amazon Basin. Pampas. Guiana Massif (Macizo de Guayana) Mato Grosso Plateau. Espinazo Mountains. ACTIVITY 2.- Click on the following links and do the activities: http://www.xtec.net/~ealonso/flash/amnororog2e.html http://www.xtec.net/~ealonso/flash/amsurorog2e.html 2. Hydrography of America: rivers and lakes.- Regarding the rivers of America, their most relevant features are: The main rivers originate in the large western mountain ranges. 2
The longest and largest rivers flow into the Atlantic. The Amazon River in South America is the longest and largest river in the world. Central America has a lack of important rivers and lakes. The main rivers of America are classified into one of the following slopes: - Arctic slope.- Mackenzie river, in North America. Atlantic slope.- North America: Bravo, Mississippi, Misouri and Lorenzo (the sewer of the Great Lakes). South America: Amazonas, the environment of the Amazon rainforest; Orinoco, Paraná, Uruguay and La Plata. Pacific slope.- Colorado and Yukon, in North America. With regard to the lakes of America, the most important ones are: Name. Origin. Type of water. Country of location. OMT subregion. Gran Lago del Oso. Gran Lago del Esclavo. Winnipeg. Glacial. Canada. Superior. North America. Michigan. Fresh water. United States and Canada. Grandes Ontario. Tectónico. Lagos. Erie. Hurón. Maracaibo. Natural. Venezuela. Titicaca. Tectónico. Salt water. Peru y Bolivia. South America. ACTIVITY 3.- Click on the following links and do the requested activities: http://www.xtec.net/~ealonso/flash/amerinorios2e.html http://www.xtec.net/~ealonso/flash/amerisurios2e.html 3. The American coast. America borders, what three oceans? a) The Arctic. It borders the northern coast of America, including the arctic islands. It contains several masses of water, among which we can mention: The Beaufort Sea- borders the northern coast of Alaska and the northwestern coast of Canada. Baffin Bay- it borders the island of Greenland to the east and the Canadian islands of Baffin to the west and Ellesmere to the north. b) The Atlantic. It borders the Eastern coast of America. It contains several masses of water, among which we can point out: The Labrador Sea- connected to the Baffin Bay through the Strait of Davis, and it s located between the Greenland island to the east and the Labrador peninsula to the west. The Caribbean Sea contains the Caribbean islands. It s located inside the Mexican Golf. c) The Pacific. It borders the western coast of the American continent. It contains the Bering Sea, located between Alaska and Siberia. The most relevant geographical features of the American coast are: 3
Peninsula. Straits, channels and canals. Islands Country of belonging Capes Gulfs Alaska. Bering. Bahamas. Bahamas. Frío. Hudson. Florida. Davis. Caimán. United Kingdom. Gallinas. Alaska. California. Florida. Yucatán. Grandes Antillas. Cuba. Jamaica. La Española. Cuba. Jamaica. Haití y República Dominicana. Gracias a Dios. California. Puerto Rico. Yucatán. Panamá. Pequeñas Antillas. Guadalupe. Martinica. Margarita France. Venezuela. Hornos. Guayaquil. Trinidad. Trinidad and Tobago. Labrador. Magallanes. Gran Isla de Tierra de Fuego. Argentina and Chile. Sable. México. Paso Drake. Baffin. Terranova. Canada. Antonio. Lucas. Lorenzo. Groenlandia. Denmark. Roque. Galápagos. Ecuador. Tres Puntas. ACTIVITY 4.- Click on the following links and do the requested activities: http://www.xtec.net/~ealonso/flash/amnorcostes2e.html http://www.xtec.net/~ealonso/flash/amsurcostes2e.html 4
4. Vegetation. Regarding the vegetation, we can mention a number of protected natural environments declared as Natural World Heritage and/or Biosphere Reserve. See them below. ACTIVITY 5.- Match the following American protected natural environments of outstanding beauty, with the countries where they are located. NATIONAL PARKS COUNTRIES. Great Smoky Mountains. Sierra Nevada ta Marta. Huascarán. Canaima. Iguazú. Yellowstone. Los Glaciares. Yosmite. Cordillera Volcánica Central. Argentine. Brazil. Colombia. Costa Rica. Guatemala. Peru. Venezuela. Grand Canyon. Tikal. Match the protected natural environment (seen above) with its corresponding features: a) It s located in the Orinoco river Basin. It offers different climate, terrain, flora and fauna environments, ranging from beaches to snowy mountain peaks. b) It s located on the Cordillera Blanca. It s the world s highest tropical mountain range because of Mount Huascarán that rises 6768 meters above sea-level. It s home to fauna species like bears and the Andean Condor. c) It s the most visited national park in the world. It contains as many trees as all of Europe, as well as the greatest variety of salamanders in the world. d) It contains one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. A semicircular waterfall that s 80 meters high. e) At the furthest end of Lake Argentino, three glaciers meet launching igloo icebergs into the lake with thunderous splashes. f) It contains the most spectacular gorge in the world. Colorado River flows through it. g) It holds the former Mayan city of Tikal. h) It has the world s largest concentration of geysers (more than 300 of them). It s also famous for its geothermal features as well as for being the home to bison, grizzly bears and wapitis. i) It contains a huge number of rocky plateaus called tepuyes as well as the Angel Falls, the world s highest waterfall with a height of 979 meters. j) It has hanging valleys, waterfalls, cirque lakes and U-shaped valleys. It s known for all kinds of granite relief fashioned by glaciations. k) It contains the Volcán Poás home to the world s largest crater-geyser, that s 300 meters deep and 1,7 meters wide. 5
5. American cultures: languages, religions and living expressions. We can divide the American Continent into two regions based on the main languages spoken in those regions: Anglo-Saxon America.- it contains the British ex-colonial countries where English is the official language. Latin America.- it contains: Spanish and Portuguese ex-colonial countries where Spanish or Portuguese are the official languages; French ex-colonial countries, and overseas French territories, where French is the official language. Anglo-Saxon American countries. Latin American countries. COUNTRIES. Canada, except for the Eastern provinces of: Quebec, where French is the official langue; and New Brunswicka, where French and English are the coofficial languages. Barbados. Jamaica. Bahamas. Trinidad and Tobago. Puerto Rico. Mexico. Costa Rica. Guatemala. Cuba. Puerto Rico. Dominican Republic. Argentina. Peru. Chile. Colombia. Brazil. OFFICIAL LANGUAGES. English. Spanish. Portuguese. ACTIVITY 6.- Represent on a blank political map of America the languages that are spoken in the American countries listed above. With regard to religion, the principal religion that is professed in the American Continent is Christianity. More specifically, two of its branches: Catholicism, that s mostly professed in Latin America. Protestantism, that s professed in most of Anglo-Saxon America. 6
Moreover, we have to mention the tribal religions that are professed in: North Canada; Some South American countries such as Surinam o Guyana; The Amazon River basin, especially in northern Bolivia and Brazil. Finally, the many and varied living expressions that are developed in the American continent, are influenced by two historical events: the three-century colonial period, between the XVI and XVIII centuries, during which a group of European powers forced the indigenous population of America to submit to their authority; the slaves from Black Africa that were taken to the American continent by the European colonizers between the XVI and XIX centuries; what results in a continent that s a melting-pot of different cultures. ACTIVITY 7.- Match the following living expressions of America with their corresponding countries. Living expressions. Samba de Roda. Tango. Blues. Countries. Peru. Mexico. Fiestas indígenas dedicadas a los muertos. Danza ritual de las tijeras. Brazil. Ceremonia ritual de los voladores. Expresiones orales y gráficas de la población indígena de los Wajapi. Arte textil de Taquile. Argentina and Uruguay. 7