Latin America has many important bodies of water. The rivers are natural highways which impact the lives of the people. The Amazon is the second largest river in the world. Large rivers like the Amazon provide electrical power. These rivers enable the people to fish for food and wash their clothing at the river banks. The rivers also provide a means for transportation. Latin America is also home to many mountains. The largest mountains in the region are the Andes. Even though the Andes are steep and hard to climb they attract farmers because of its rich soil. The rich soil is the result of volcanic activity.
The Latin American climate varies tremendously. Parts of the Andes have temperatures below zero. Yet as you get to the Amazon Basin the temperature could be 80 degrees. The rainforest receives more then 80 inches of rain each year. The climate affects people in two ways.
Latin America and the Caribbean
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JP, Amazon, JBIf you live high in the mountains you would have to dress warm and find good shelter because of the constantly falling temperatures. If you live in the carribean you would have to worry about hurricaines. The climate affects the vegetation. For example in a warm climate you would find palm trees and fruit trees but they would not survive in the higher elevations.
Latin America has many natural resources. Mexico has deposits of silver, gold, copper, coal, iron ore, it also has oil, natural gas, and wood. Central America grows coffee, cotton, sugar cane , and bananas, they also plant cacao trees whose seeds are made into chocolate and cocoa. Jamaica is one of the world's main producers of bauxite which is a mineral used to make aluminum. All of these resources provide the people with a means to support their way of life.