Download presentation General characteristics of Latin America. Presentation - latin america natural resources and population. Economy of Latin America

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Teaching and educational tasks:

– To form the concept and idea of ​​Latin America as a historical-cultural and historical-geographical region.
– To form students' understanding of the countries Latin America, their features of economic and geographical position.

Developing:

- Develop the ability to draw up an answer in the form of a diagram.
– Continue to develop geographical skills: analyze cartographic and statistical materials, give a brief description of the countries.
– Work on general educational skills: compare and generalize, listen.

Equipment:

  • Wall political map of the world, atlas, multimedia projector.
  • Handout for students: TVET (note Materials of the Festival 2009-2010) technological map, test.
  • Form Methods learning activities: partially-poskovy, heuristic conversation.
  1. Presentation “Peculiarities of the countries of Latin America”.
  2. Territory study plan.
  3. Myself. work with TPO (notebook with a printed basis).
  4. A student of new material The composition of the region.
  5. Work on the map at the blackboard “Features of the geographical position of the mainland South America”.
  6. The history of the discovery of the region. Formation of the political map.
  7. Diversity of Latin American countries (s.r., scheme).
  8. Puzzle tasks.
  9. Test.

During the classes

1. Introductory speech of the teacher:

– Today, we will start our lesson not quite normally, first we will take a virtual tour of some countries. You are faced with the task: after watching the presentation, answer the question: Which region will we study today?

2. Show Presentations.(1-14 slide)

3.

After watching, the children are asked a question.

- Guys, have you determined which region we will get acquainted with today? (Latin America)-( slide 15).

- Show it on the map. ( slide 16)

– Let's remember the plan according to which we characterize the region.

textbook p.330: territory, borders, position; natural conditions and resources; population; economy, territorial structure; characteristics of the largest countries (Brazil); security environment and environmental issues.

- So, name the topic of our lesson. “Territory, borders, position of the region on the political map” - write in a notebook .(slide 17)

- The purpose of our lesson: To study the composition of the region, to consolidate the ability to determine the geographical position of countries and their features.

To move on to the study of new material, let's recall what we already know about the countries of this region.

To do this, open the TVET (Topic 5, block 1, work on options).

4.

 Independent work of students with TVET (10 min.). Attachment 1

5. Learning new material.

Introduction by the teacher.

What is included in Latin America?

Latin America is the region of the Western Hemisphere between the United States and Antarctica. It includes: Mexico, countries of Central America, West Indies and South America. Moreover, Mexico, the West Indies and Central America are often combined into a sub-region of the Caribbean countries. In total, the region includes 33 sovereign states, as well as 14 countries that are the possessions of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States. (These are small islands in the Caribbean).

The territory of Latin America stretches from north to south for 13 thousand km, and from west to east up to 5 thousand km.

In what part of the world is the region located? (America) what does it include? (two continents).

What traveler is America named after? (Amerigo Vespucci).

- Guys, who discovered the mainland of South America? (Christopher Columbus). H. Columbus lived in Portugal. He decided to open the way to India by the western route. He first discovered the Bahamas, one of which he called San Salvador. Since he was looking for a way to India, the natives began to be called Indians. Tobacco and potatoes discovered by him on the island of Cuba, then conquered the whole world. With the discovery of new lands (15-17 centuries), the era of their colonization by the Spaniards and the Portuguese began.

How do you understand the word colonization? (capture, development of new lands).

6. History of settlement, development of the region. Formation of a political map : The name “Latin America” comes from the historically prevailing influence of the language, culture and customs of the Romanesque (Latin) peoples of the Iberian Peninsula – the Spaniards, the Portuguese in this part of the world. Which in the 15-18 centuries conquered this part of America and colonized it.

Before the Europeans came here, there were developed states on the mainland: the Aztecs ( slide 18) with the capital Tenochtitlan, the territory of modern Mexico and the Maya ( slides 19,20) on the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), as well as the Inca Empire ( slides 21,22) on the western coast of South America (Peru, Ecuador) with its capital in Cusco.

All these civilizations were destroyed with the advent of European colonialists.

Most of the modern states of Latin America are former colonies Spain, and Brazil is a former Portuguese colony.

Find confirmation of this in the atlas with .... (that's right, only in Brazil - the population speaks Portuguese, the rest of the territory is dominated by Spanish).

Are there developed countries in this region? (No).

All 33 sovereign states are among the developing ones.

6.

Pay attention to the diagram, which needs to be filled in briefly using conventional signs. As we fill in the diagram in the notebook, we will fill in the diagram on the board.

– What was the basis for the selection of the Latin America region? (p. 331 account)

- Features of drawing borders between countries.

– Make a diagram “Diversity of countries in Latin America”.

(slide 23)

7

. Work on the map: Puzzle tasks.

A) The state is washed by two oceans, forming two bays near the territory. FROM

to the north, it borders on one more economically developed country.

Name the country, bays, border state. (Mexico slides 24-27).

B) On the territory of this country is the driest desert in the world - Atacama. She owns an island in the Pacific Ocean - Easter Island ( slides 28-32).

C) Part of the country has a harsh climate. The territory is called Patagonia. (Argenina slide 33).

D) On the territory of this country is the highest waterfall in the world - Angel.

(Venezuela slide 34).

E) A country where cane, cocoa beans and raw materials for the chemical industry are grown. (Brazil slide 35-36).

E) Guess the picture. (Cuba slide 37-40).

8.

 Fixing material: TEST. Annex 3

9.

 Summing up the lesson.

Guys, today we studied the features of the geographical location of the countries of Latin America. Tell me, what are the characteristics of the territory? (On the diversity of natural conditions and the availability of natural resources that determine the specialization of the economy). So the topic of our next lesson is “Natural Resources”.

D/Z

.

- Repeat the types of natural resources, do practical work on the c / c “Country Features”. Find “geographical names” on the map, write them down and put them on the c/c.

Description of the presentation on individual slides:

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Latin America is a region located between the United States and Antarctica. It includes: Mexico countries of Central America West Indies South America Area - 21 million sq. km Population - 520 million people

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Countries of South America Argentina Brazil Bolivia Venezuela Guyana Guyana (French) Colombia Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Chile Ecuador

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Mexico and Central America Mexico Belize Guatemala Honduras Costa Rica Nicaragua Panama El Salvador

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West Indies (Caribbean) 1) Bahamas 2) Haiti 3) Dominican Republic 4) Cuba 5) Jamaica

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Latin America is dominated by unitary states, but the most major countries- federations Argentina Mexico Venezuela Brazil Saint Kitts and Nevis

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General characteristics of the countries of Latin America The countries of Latin America are former colonies of Portugal and Spain The countries of Latin America became independent at the beginning of the 19th century. Ethnic composition: Indians, European settlers (Creoles), Africans High population growth rates, large proportion of youth Economic dependency from the USA Religious composition - mostly Catholics

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Natural resources of Latin America Rich natural resources Oil Venezuela, Mexico, Ecuador Iron ore Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Mexico Copper ore Chile, Peru, Mexico Bauxite Jamaica, Suriname, Brazil Drag. metals Colombia, Brazil, Peru Significant water resources Rainforests Recreational resources

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Latin America area. Compound. Political map of the region. S = 21 million km2 There are several subregions in Latin America: 1 – Mexico; 2 - Countries of Central America; 3 - West Indies countries; 4 - Andean countries; 5 - Countries of the La Plata basin; 6 - Brazil. The composition of the subregions of Latin America. Mexico Central America West Indies Andean countries La Plata basin countries Brazil Mexico Guatemala El Salvador Honduras Belize Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Suriname, etc. Venezuela Colombia Ecuador Peru Bolivia Chile Paraguay Uruguay Argentina Brazil

11 slide

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46 states 33 sovereign states Currently, 46 states and possessions of some European countries and the USA are located within the region. Independent states in the region 33. In terms of the form of government, the countries of Latin America are very homogeneous. All of them are republics. Cuba occupies a special place - the only country in the region that belongs to the socialist states. According to the form of the administrative-territorial structure in Latin America, unitary states predominate. Four of its largest countries and one state of the West Indies have a federal structure. Republics UNITARY FEDERAL Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Saint Kitts and Nevis.

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Schedule. Population growth dynamics in Latin America. EXERCISE. Analyze the graph of population growth in Latin America and answer the following questions: 1. What is the population of Latin America? 2. How many times has the population of the region increased since the beginning of the 20th century? 3. Compare the dynamics of population growth in Latin America with other regions.

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Natural population growth in Latin America. population reproduction and natural growth. Atlas maps pp. 10-11. After analyzing the maps and the diagram, we can conclude that for Lat. America is characterized by type II reproduction. This affects the size and age structure of the region's population. 1. Consider the thematic map "Birth rate". As you can see, the predominant color on the map is yellow, therefore, the number of births per year per 1000 inhabitants of Lat. America is an average of 25 people. (Having examined the map, click the mouse 2 times). 2. Consider the thematic map "Mortality". As you can see, the map is dominated by a light green color, therefore, the number of deaths per year per 1000 inhabitants of Lat. America is an average of 7 people. "Birth rate" "Death rate" Now let's analyze the data obtained from the maps and consider the diagram "Natural increase". The green bar shows the number of births per year per 1000 inhabitants (25), the blue bar shows the number of deaths per year per 1000 inhabitants (7). And the purple column shows the difference between the number of births and deaths (25 - 7 = 18). So the population of Lat. America is growing at a rate of 18 people. per 1000 inhabitants per year. (“If you are not too lazy?” Calculate, knowing the population of Latin America in 2000, how many inhabitants became in this region in 2001, etc.). Click the mouse 2 times.

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The ethnic racial composition of the population of Latin America is characterized by great complexity, which is associated with the peculiarity of its historical development. Many representatives of large ethnic groups formed in this region already in modern times. Three main elements participated in their formation: the indigenous Indian population, emigrants from European countries and slaves exported from Africa. Machu Picchu is the ancient city of the Incas. Ancient Aztec temple. The surviving monuments of the pre-Columbian period testify to the high level of development of the culture of the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas. This culture was completely destroyed by the Spanish-Portuguese conquerors. Hernandez Cortes in 1521 destroyed the Aztec state with incredible cruelty. Francisco Pissarro destroyed the Inca state with the same cruelty. In 1532, he fraudulently captured the Supreme Inca Ataulpa, who, in exchange for his freedom, offered an unprecedented ransom: to fill the room in which he was imprisoned with gold. The Supreme Inca kept his word, but the Spaniards, having received the gold, executed him. Before the arrival of Columbus, the indigenous population was 20 million people, and in 1521 - 7.3 million people.

15 slide

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The almost complete extermination of the Indians posed to the colonialists the question of labor force, which was resolved by the importation of Negro slaves from Africa. Total population Negroes brought to America amounted to 10 million people. So there were three main racial-ethnic elements. INDIGENOUS POPULATION EUROPEAN MIGRANTS AFRICAN ITZTEC MAYA SPANISH, PORTUGUESE (CREOLES) METIS MULATO SAMBO

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More homogeneous. Spanish and Portuguese prevail. Spanish is the official language in 18 countries (250 million people). Portuguese language in one country of Brazil - 170 million people. In Mexico, Bolivia, Paraguay, along with Spanish, the official languages ​​are Aztec, Quechua.

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CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF ACCOMMODATION: - the least populated region of the world with an average density of 25 people. per km. sq.; the non-uniformity of placement is strongly expressed; high proportion of high-mountain population.

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URBANIZATION False urbanization is characteristic. The formation of slum areas, "belts of poverty", in which up to 50% of the population of many cities lives. The largest cities with a population of more than 10 million people.

19 slide

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INDUSTRY. For a long time, the industry of the region was characterized primarily by the development of mining industries. However, recently the leading role has been shifted to the manufacturing industry (especially ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, oil refining, as well as electronics and mechanical engineering). In Brazil, electronics, automobile, shipbuilding, and aircraft building have been developed; in Mexico, Argentina - the production of cars, machine tools. AGRICULTURE. Represented by two completely different sectors. The first sector is a high-commodity, plantation economy. The world's largest banana producers are Costa Rica, Colombia, Ekvador, Honduras, Panama. On refrigerated ships, the entire collection of bananas is exported to Europe, the USA, and they ripen on the way. In Cuba, 1/2 of all cultivated land is occupied by sugar cane plantations. Sugar factories produce more than 5 million tons of sugar per year. The sugar industry is Cuba's specialty. The second sector is the consumer small-scale economy, not affected by the "green revolution". The peasants employed in it grow corn, cassava, beans, vegetables, and potatoes.

23 slide

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Features of the economies of Latin America countries In terms of development, they are ahead of the developing countries of Asia and Africa The share of agriculture is declining, the share of manufacturing is growing In the mining industry, 80% is fuel extraction, 20% is ore raw materials Brazil, Mexico, Argentina account for 2/3 industrial production In agriculture, high-commodity farming is combined with small-scale commodity farming. The leading branch of agriculture is crop production, monoculture Agriculture has a relatively high share in GDP, especially in Central America. Specialization in agriculture: Coffee - Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala Sugar - Guyana, Cuba , Belize Bananas - Ecuador, Honduras, Panama Wheat - Argentina

"Latin America countries" - 8. Tomsk Regional Center for Internet Education. 11. 13. Natural conditions. The purpose of the lesson: From the west it is washed by the Pacific Ocean, from the east by the Atlantic.

"America Africa" ​​- Justify your point of view ("yes" why? Or "no" why?). The guest is a Maya Indian. Mayan temples still exist today. A k s m s o n g a i a liberto m buk t u s u d a n a f r i k a n t s y k u p tsy. Priests are the custodians of knowledge. What are the oceans and seas that wash the shores of North and South America?

"History of Latin America" ​​- The Conquest of Freedom in 1804. Latin America in the 19th and early 20th centuries: a time of change. At the head of the Toussaint-Louverture uprising. 1492 - discovery of America by Columbus. LATE XVIII-BEGINNING. The fundamental question How did the formation of independent states in Latin America? The main periods for independence.

"Latin America" ​​- The process of increasing the role of cities and the spread of urban lifestyle. Lesson plan: Objectives: The highest level of ethnic community. State of Latin America, the population of which is dominated by the Indian population. Problem. Business assignment. Country of Latin America, the largest exporter of bauxites.

"American Culture" - Benjamin Franklin - head of the American Enlightenment. Mass poetry of the revolutionary period. Hemingway's participation in the struggle of the Spanish people against fascism. Humanistic pathos of the story "The Old Man and the Sea". About 10% of the country's population consider themselves atheists. Francophone Literature Literature in English language Literature in French.

"Mesoamerica" ​​- The legend says that once, for some unknown reason, the wise men - the color of the people - boarded their ships again and sailed east, promising to return on the eve of the end of the world, and the remaining people settled the surrounding lands and began to call themselves by their name the great leader, sorcerer and high priest Olmec Wimtoni.

There are 18 presentations in total in the topic



Brazil is a country in Latin America

Completed:

10th grade student

KhSSh №119

Manzheley Dmitry

Latin America


PLAN:

1 . Territory, composition and political map of Latin America.

2. Brazil:

  • geographical position;

  • state structure;

  • population, climate;

  • Natural resources;

  • economy;

  • transport communications.

  • Attraction.


Latin America area.

.

Countries of the La Plata Basin Political map of the region


The composition of the subregions of Latin America.


Brazil


Geographical position

State in South America. In the west it borders on Argentina (the length of the border is 1,224 km), Bolivia (3,400 km), Paraguay (1,290 km) and Peru (1,560 km), in the north - on Venezuela (2,200 km), Guyana (1,119 km). ), French Guiana (673 km) and Suriname (597 km), in the northwest with Colombia (1,643 km), in the south with Uruguay (985 km). In the east and north, Brazil is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The total length of the border is 14,691 km, the length of the coastline is 7,491 km. The total area of ​​the country is 8,511,965 km (land area - 8,456,510 km2). Brazil is the largest country in South America and occupies almost half of the continent.


State structure

The full name is the Federative Republic of Brazil. The political system is a federal presidential republic. The country is made up of 26 states and 1 federal district, in which the capital is located - Brasilia. Brazil gained independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822. The last constitution was adopted on October 5, 1988. National holiday– September 7 - Independence Day

The head of government is the president, who appoints the government. Legislative power is vested in a bicameral parliament (National Congress), consisting of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The most influential political parties are: Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PBSD), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PBDD), Liberal Front Party (PLF), Social Democratic Party (SDP).


Population

The population is 160,737,489 people, the average population density is almost 19 people/km2. Most residents live in the Atlantic Coast region. The largest ethnic group is represented by Europeans (Portuguese, Spaniards, Germans, Italians) - 54.7%, black Africans make up 5.89% of the country's population, mulattos - 38.45%. In addition to the citizens of Brazil, there are more than 3 million immigrants in the country - these are mainly Indians, Arabs, Japanese, Italians, Germans, French. The official language is Portuguese, but Spanish, English, German, and Italian are also widely spoken. Birth rate - 21 people per 1,000 (1995). Mortality - 9 people. per 1,000 (child mortality rate - 57 children per 1,000 newborns). Average life expectancy: men - 57 years, women - 67 years (1995). Of the entire working-age population (57,000,000 people according to 1989 data), 42% are employed in the service sector, 31% in agriculture, and 27% in industry.


Climate

The climate varies from northwest to southeast from humid equatorial to seasonally humid subtropical. Average temperatures in January are from 23 to 29°С, in July - from 16 to 24°С. Precipitation: from 500 mm per year in the northeast of the Brazilian plateau to 1,200 mm in the southern regions of the country, the average annual rainfall in the west of the Amazonian lowland is 3,000 mm.


Natural resources

The main potential for the development of the Brazilian economy is its huge natural resources.

Monetary unit - real (1 (R$) real is equal to 100 centavos).

Economy

Brazil can be classified as an industrialized country, although it is customary to classify it as a developing country.

Brazil is one of the top three economic leaders in industrial production.



The most developed industries:



Transport communications

Transport facilities are poor. Despite the great length of railways, their carrying capacity is very low; air and road transport are better developed.

The sea plays a huge role

sea ​​transport and maritime

ports, all roads in the region

lead to the seaport.

30,612 km laid in Brazil
Natural resource potential of Latin America

Coursework of a student of the III year of the faculty of MEOSkorobogataya Daria Borisovna

Moscow State Open University

Faculty of International Economic Relations, Department of World Economy and Marketing

Moscow - 2002

INTRODUCTION

The ascent of man to the heights of socio-economic progress is closely connected with the use of various natural resources. The modern industry of the world consumes a huge amount of raw materials. Its value in the total cost of industrial production is 75%. This circumstance poses very acute problems for many countries in providing the main types of raw materials.

Latin America is 33 politically independent states located south of the United States of America (including the islands of the West Indies). Even one glance at the map gives an idea of ​​their diversity: large and small, densely and sparsely populated, lowland and mountainous, continental and insular countries noticeably differ in terms of socio-economic development, which in turn is closely related to a wide variety of natural historical, political and, in particular, natural conditions. The aim of my work is to consider natural resource potential Latin America, understand the distribution of natural resources on its territory, understand what are the reserves certain types natural resources.

OVERVIEW OF LATIN AMERICA

Latin America is the region of the Western Hemisphere located between the United States and Antarctica. It includes Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and South America. Mexico, Central America and the West Indies are often combined into the Mesoamerica (Middle America) subregion. In South America, there are two subregions: the Andean (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile) and the Laplata countries, or the Atlantic (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil). In the latter subregion, the first three countries, together with Chile, are often grouped into the Southern Cone subregion.

The name "Latin America" ​​comes from the historically prevailing influence of the language, culture and customs of the Romanesque (Latin) peoples of the Iberian Peninsula - the Spaniards and the Portuguese, who in the XV - XVII centuries. conquered this part of America, colonized it, and then formed an essential component of the nations that formed there. The colonial conquests of other European countries - Great Britain, France, the Netherlands - in this region began later and were relatively small, respectively, and the ethnic influence of their peoples is also insignificant. Currently, out of the 33 politically independent states of Latin America, 18 (about 63% of the population) have the official and predominant language - Spanish, in one - Brazil (34%) - Portuguese, and 14 small countries (about 3%) have French as official languages. (Haiti), English (Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Bahamas, Grenada, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize) and Dutch (Suriname) (Table 19). In recent years, in connection with gaining independence, all the small "non-Latin" countries of the West Indies, as well as Belize, Guyana, Suriname, are united in the geographical subregion "Caribbean countries", and the entire region in the UN nomenclature is now called "Latin America and the Caribbean countries". However, outside of official documents and publications, the entire region continues to be called Latin America for a long time, which we will do for brevity.

The countries of Latin America are united by a common historical destinies and much in modern socio-economic development. All of them are former colonies of European countries that have achieved national sovereignty from their mother countries. Most of the Spanish colonies won their independence in the liberation war of 1810-1825. Already in the period of their emergence, these economically weak states became financially dependent, first on Great Britain and France, then on the United States.

The collapse of the colonial system, which began after the Second World War, also affected Latin America. The people of Cuba, having risen in an armed struggle for genuine national independence, won a decisive victory in January 1959; many British colonies gained sovereignty. Of great importance for the strengthening of the democratic movement in Latin America was the overthrow of the despotic regime of the Somoza clan by the Nicaraguan people in 1979.

The United States of America continues to control the territories they seized earlier: Puerto Rico (which is declared a "state freely joined by the United States"), the Panama Canal Zone, the Virgin Islands. They also hold in their hands the system of military bases, including Guantanamo on the territory of Cuba.

MINERALS

With the increase in industrial production in the world, the bowels of the earth and the minerals they contain are becoming increasingly important among natural resources for the development of productive forces.

Latin America is provided with almost all known types of mineral raw materials; in many of them it stands out from other regions of the world. Here you can find the most unusual combinations of minerals in relatively small areas.

From fuel and energy resources highest value have oil and natural gas. Their reserves are confined to sedimentary rocks in the troughs of the Patagonian platform, as well as to the intermountain troughs of the Precordillera and the Andes (provinces of Neuquen, Mendoza, Salta). The main oil fields are located on the outskirts of the geosynclinal region of the Andes, in its marginal or intermountain troughs. Almost the entire length from Trinidad and Venezuela to northwestern Argentina, along the eastern forward trough of the Andes, oil fields are widespread. Far from all promising areas have been explored, let alone developed; the areas of the foredeep in Ecuador and Peru have been little explored. The western foredeep of the Andean geosynclinal region is expressed on land in the form of limited segments of the coastal plain in the west of Ecuador and northern Peru, north and south of the Gulf of Guayaquil. Productive sandstones and sands are contained in highly deformed tertiary shaly clays and are located at a relatively shallow depth. The accessibility of these territories helped to identify oil riches here and begin their development as early as the 70s of the 19th century. The largest oil deposits in Latin America are associated not with advanced, but with intermountain troughs. These are the famous deposits of the Maracaibo basin and the Magdalena trough. Oil fields in the Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstones of the Precordillera of western Argentina belong to the same type. With the opening in the 70s of the XX century. the largest oil fields in the states of Chiapas and Tabasco, offshore in the Gulf of Campeche, Mexico has taken one of the leading places in the world in terms of oil reserves and production. Its reliable and probable reserves are estimated at 14 billion tons (1990); Mexico concedes in Latin America only to Venezuela (17 billion tons). Small reserves of bituminous and subbituminous coal are found in Patagonia.

Considerable reserves of radioactive minerals (uranium, thorium) have been discovered in Latin America, which have become the basis for the development nuclear energy. Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico have the largest resources.

Latin America is very rich in high quality iron ores - more than 1/4 of the world's reserves. The most important deposits confined to the metamorphosed rocks of the Precambrian continental shield of South America. In the uncompetitive first place is Brazil, where reserves amount to 80 billion tons, including explored with an iron content of more than 54% - 42 billion tons. One of the world's largest iron ore deposits (18 billion tons) is Carajas in the state of Para , which, according to preliminary estimates, is twice the entire ore potential of the state of Minas Gerais, where almost all other exploited deposits are currently located. Another large iron ore region is located in the state of Mato Grosso, 2000 km from the sea coast. The total reserves of one of the world's largest Mutun deposits in Bolivia (not yet exploited) are estimated at 40 billion tons.

The most significant deposits of ores of nickel, cobalt, chromium, titanium are also confined to the Brazilian-Venezuela shield and the islands of the West Indies. The Andes contain the largest ores of tungsten (Bolivia, Peru), molybdenum (Chile), bismuth (Peru, Bolivia) explored in the region. Deposits of metal ores are confined to the Andean folded belt, as well as to the crystalline cores of the Precordillera and Pampina Sierras, of which Argentina is sufficiently provided with lead-zinc, copper, manganese ores and rare metals - tungsten and beryllium; there are iron ores (Sierra Grande in Patagonia), but of low quality.

In some peripheral intermountain depressions of the Andes there are small deposits of stone and brown coal and lignites, of which the coal basins of middle Chile are the largest. But all other Latin American countries have an acute shortage of coal and are forced to import it.

A unique "tin belt" stretched across the Andes of Bolivia, Peru and the surrounding regions of Brazil. According to recent estimates, up to 1/3 of the world's tin reserves are concentrated here. Tin deposits are adjacent to antimony deposits, 1/2 of the reserves (and about 70% of production) of this mineral belongs to Bolivia. Peru and Mexico have the largest resources of lead-zinc ores. In these so-called mesothermal depths were deposited mainly ores of copper and polymetals. These deposits are characterized by very rich accumulations of ore. A striking example of this type is the well-known Serre de Pasco deposit in Peru, which lies in the crater of an ancient volcano with a diameter of 25 km, at an altitude of 4.5 thousand meters. gold and antimony. 95% of the mercury reserves of Latin America are concentrated in Mexico (approximately 5.5% of all in the capitalist world). The region has more than 1/4 of the world's bauxite reserves, including almost 1/2 of them - in sedimentary rocks Brazilian plateau, the rest - on the eastern outskirts of the Guiana Highlands, as well as in Jamaica and other islands of the West Indies.

Despite brutal exploitation for five centuries, gold reserves are still not exhausted. In recent years, large deposits have been discovered in the Amazon Basin in Brazil and the Orinoco Basin in Venezuela, as well as in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina. In recent years, Brazil has been experiencing a new "gold rush": the discovery of new gold deposits in the Amazon moved more than 300 thousand miners ("garimpeiros") there, and then the giants of the world gold industry from Canada, the USA, and South Africa. For 1990-1995 officially registered gold production increased from 40 to 80 tons. Mexico firmly holds the first place in the world in silver mining, the abundance of which at one time so amazed and attracted the Spanish conquistadors; the main deposits are Las Torres (Guanajuato state) and Lampasos (Sonora state), the third is Peru. There are placers of platinum in Colombia.

Of non-metallic minerals, it should be noted large deposits of sulfur, arsenic and graphite in Mexico, diamonds - in Brazil are now mined in limited quantity and mainly for industrial purposes), Venezuela and Guyana, quartz, mica, asbestos, barite, magnesite - in Brazil, saltpeter - in Chile. In many countries there are phosphorites, dolomites, gypsum, fluorspar, kaolins, etc.

The desert climate of the Central and Western Andes turned out to be very favorable factor in the formation of non-metallic mineral raw materials of the Andes. The well-known Chilean saltpeter and significant reserves of iodine and boron owe their origin to him. Saltpeter and iodine deposits are associated with biochemical processes in dried-up relict reservoirs in Atacama, and borates accumulated in endorheic lakes as a result of the activity of volcanoes, fumaroles and geysers and are confined to salares near active volcanic foci of northern Chile. Argentina stands out as one of the world's largest deposits of natural borates.

A large number of emeralds are mined in the pegmatite veins of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. Insignificant, but numerous deposits of various metals are found almost everywhere.

HYDRORESOURCES

Rivers are one of the most important and still little involved in economic activity wealth of Latin America. About 60% of the area of ​​the region belongs to the basins of the largest rivers in the world, and their integrated use requires joint or coordinated actions of various states. The Amazon basin (more than 7 million km2) covers the territory of seven countries; more than 2/3 of it is in Brazil. The La Plata basin (more than 4 million km2) stretches within the borders of five states. The rivers of this basin largely flow through areas in need of irrigation. The Orinoco basin (about 1 million km2) is located within Venezuela and Colombia. In terms of water resources, Latin America, having about 1/4 of the world runoff, ranks first among the five continents in terms of runoff per 1 km2 of territory and per capita. One of the most significant features of the economic geography of Mexico, which affects many aspects of the country's economic life, is the separation of water resources from the main areas of their consumption. Over 80% of water resources are concentrated in the lowland part, which suffers from excessive moisture. The hinterland, where the bulk of the population lives, experiences chronic water shortages. The hydropower potential of Mexican rivers is estimated at 10 million kW. The rivers of the tropical coastal areas have the greatest potential. The river systems of the Atlantic Ocean are of the greatest transport importance. Brazil has a large supply of fresh water. Their largest source is the Amazon River. Hydropower reserves are estimated at 255 million kW (1993). The most intensively used for hydro construction are the rivers of the Parana basin, which provide almost 2/3 of the capacity of all hydroelectric power stations in the country. The San Francisco River is of great importance both for the energy and water supply of the Northeast. The economic hydro potential of the Argentinean rivers is estimated at 30 million kW, most of it falls on the Paraná basin - Uruguay and the Patagonia rivers. Parana is the second river in South America in terms of length and basin area; plays an important role in the economic life of Argentina, both as a shipping artery and as a source of electricity and water supply.

There are few large lakes in Latin America. Only terminal glacial lakes in the Southern Andes are numerous. In the Central Andes at an altitude of 4000 m lies the largest of the high mountain lakes in the world - the tectonic lake Titicaca. In Central America, the largest lakes are Nicaragua and Managua, both of which occupy most of the Nicaraguan depression. Huge salt marshes are abundant in desert and semi-desert regions, and extensive swamps are found in humid lowlands.

The main features of the relief and climate determine the nature of the runoff and the hydro network and the availability of water resources in Latin America. Being located mainly in low latitudes and open to moist winds from the Atlantic, in general, they receive almost 2 times more precipitation than the average of the entire land of the Earth. River runoff is also almost 2 times higher than the global average. But the distribution of the river network of the source over their territories is extremely uneven and often very unfavorable for economic use. The runoff is greatest from the steep windward mountain slopes (the west of the Colombian and Patagonian Andes, the eastern slopes of the ridges of Central America and the Guiana Plateau), as well as from the flat, but constantly and abundantly rained Amazonia. These regions also have the densest and evenly full-flowing river network with the largest (over 7 million sq. km) river basin and the most abundant river in the world - the Amazon. Huge still not exactly established and reserves of hydropower. For example, in Brazil's energy balance (1992), about 1/3 is hydropower (and its share is growing). If the mountain rivers have almost no transport value, then the Amazon itself and many of its upper tributaries are navigable up to the Andes. The runoff is somewhat less in the seasonally humid subequatorial and eastern tropical regions, which are still well provided with a dense river network. But the predominance of mountainous or flat-mountain relief and dense rocks in them determines the steep fall of the rivers or rapids, which, on the one hand, generate a large energy potential, and on the other hand, make navigation very difficult. Even such large rivers of this type as the Parana, San Francisco, Magdalena, the largest tributaries of the middle and lower Amazon and the upper Orinoco with its right tributaries, are navigable only in separate sections. Only upon reaching the plains do they become accessible to ships up to the mouths. In addition, the regime of these rivers is very unfavorable for transport, and for irrigation, and for hydropower, with fluctuations in water flow during the year by 15-20 times. "Amendments" to nature have to be made through the construction of large reservoirs and irrigation canals. Smaller watercourses during the winter drought sharply become shallow or dry up completely, rapidly, overflowing with devastating floods during the rainy season.

The porous, often loess-like or sandy soils of tropical and subtropical plains sharply reduce runoff and limit the development of rivers. This is observed even with a large amount of precipitation. The runoff from the internal desert plateaus of northern Mexico, the Central Andes, the Pacific coastal deserts, and the continental regions of northwestern Argentina is negligibly small. All these areas are almost devoid of ocean runoff, surface watercourses, and even drinking water. At the same time, the demand for water Agriculture and mining industry in these areas is huge. Therefore, for example, in Peru, water is transferred to the west from the Amazon basin.

PAGE_BREAK-- SOIL AND VEGETATION

Since territories with an equatorial uniformly humid climate occupy a significant area in Latin America, it is natural that permanently humid evergreen equatorial forests are widely distributed in its vegetation. Evergreen forests cover almost the entire Amazonian lowland, most of the Guiana Highlands and northern Brazil. However, solid massifs of a typical hylaea are common only in the Western, low-lying and constantly wet Amazon. In the east and on the adjacent slopes of the Guiana and Brazilian highlands, as a result of the presence of a dry period, as well as the peculiarities of the soil and relief, quite extensive areas of light forests, herbaceous-shrub formations, savannahs appear among the hyla, and in the forests a significant admixture of deciduous tree species.

Typical guiles are characterized by density, multi-layered and shady, rich and diverse species composition. First of all, the families of legumes predominate in them, then myrtle, rue, palm, laurel, etc. The genus of ficus, and the families of mimosa and cactus, etc. are also represented by creepers.

Evergreen equatorial forests develop on lateritic, often podzolized soils. In the Amazon Valley itself, a low floodplain is under water for several months. Waterlogged alluvial soils and flooded, composition-depleted hileian forests, igapo, are formed on it. The most lush and diverse vegetation of non-flooded upland areas - "solid lands".

The humid eastern slopes of the Andes in the equatorial and subequatorial belts and the western slopes and lowlands of the Andes of Colombia and northern Ecuador are covered with mountain moist forests on lateritic and red earth soils. Up to a height of 1000-1500 m, palm trees predominate, in the second belt (up to 2500-2800 m) palm trees give way to the leading role of bamboo. In the "cold" zone (3200-3500 m) high-mountain hylaea develops - evergreen small trees and shrubs from the families of myrtle, heather, small bamboos and interspersed with tree-like ferns.

Similar to the vegetation and soils of the Andean mountain hylaea are the tropical forests that cover the wettest eastern slopes of the coastal serres of the Brazilian Highlands and the north of the Guiana. The main difference is the admixture of deciduous types of vegetation. The eastern plains and plateaus of the tropical and subequatorial latitudes of Latin America are characterized by various types of savannas, light forests, and shrub formations on lateritic red, red-brown, and red-brown soils.

Large tracts of typical savannahs are common in South America only in the southwestern, flat and low-lying part of the Orinoco plains, where they are called llanos. The most characteristic representative of woody in them is the Mauritius palm. The red soils of the llanos in the Orinoco take on an almost black color in the upper part, associated with a high content of organic matter as a result of the decomposition of a dense grassy cover. Severe aridity and a long dry period in the northeast of the Brazilian Highlands have given rise to a special type of tropical desert woodland, with an abundance of cactus, baobab, euphorbia, and thorny and stinging shrubs. Grasses and Compositae are almost absent in this area, and the ephemeral ground cover appears only for a few days after heavy rains. The red-brown and especially red-brown lateritic soils of this region are very thin, skeletal and gravelly. Often, as a result of erosion and deflation of small particles, dense cemented shells of nodules are completely exposed, forming a ferruginous lateritic crust.

South of 20˚S sh. on the high massifs of the Brazilian Highlands, in a cooler and temperate-humid climate, evergreen, mostly hard-leaved forests are common on mountain red and yellow earth soils. South of the tropic they give way to very light and sparse subtropical mixed forests. The sloping plateaus of the Paraná in the subtropical zone are occupied by a treeless grassy formation.

Diverse vegetation formations and soil types, adapted to a long period of drought or flooding, also characterize the tropical plains of the Chaco. In the dry and elevated west, on red-brown soils, thorny acacias, mimosas, cacti, euphorbia, sometimes intertwined with lianas, are common. Interfluve spaces with various types of lateritic red-colored and gray-brown soils are characterized by dry woodlands, areas of steppes, or gnarled quebracho forests. Wax palm grows on damp depressions; vast swamps occupy low-lying territories in the north, in the foothills of the Andes, in the east of the region along Paraguay and Parana, and in the north of Mesopotamia. South of 28-29˚ S in the subtropical zone, the patchy vegetation of the Chaco thins out, acquires an even more xeromorphic character, and gradually passes into the semi-deserts of western Argentina. On scarce, often saline desert gray soils, only low-growing deciduous shrubs develop, which do not always fix dunes and cacti. To the east, where precipitation increases, the semi-desert gives way to dry subtropical steppe on grey-brown soils.

The eastern, low and humid Pampa, with fertile chernozem-like and meadow soils, was once covered with a dense cover of perennial grasses and dicotyledonous forbs. But at present, this natural vegetation of the subtropical steppes in the northeastern part has been destroyed by grazing, and in the western part by plowing. Even further south, in Patagonia, gray soils are replaced by brown soils. Herbal "background" also consists of cereals and herbs, but their leaves are very hard and prickly. Shrubs, mostly evergreen, take on a pillow-like, bristly appearance and are much more similar to heaths than to steppes.

The Central Andean Highlands is characterized by the greatest continentality, severity and dryness of the climate in the Andes. Plants, adapting to adverse environmental conditions, in their desire to retain heat and moisture and resist strong gusts of wind, acquire a cushion-like, creeping appearance, nestle against the ground. Against the spotted sparse background of low-growing herbaceous, developing on thin gray soils, gnarled shrubs stand out in some places.

The most desert type of soils and vegetation is confined to the Pacific coast and slopes between 5 and 28˚S. Among the almost bare sands, where only single xerophytes survive, near-channel ribbons of evergreen thorny shrubs, willows and reeds stand out. The northern outskirts of the deserts are marked by patches of dry light forests, which form the transition to the savannahs of western Ecuador. Due to the rapid increase in precipitation south of 38˚S. forests become more powerful and dense, intertwined with vines. The main component in them are evergreen beeches with an admixture of magnolia and coniferous, and in the lower tiers, as in mountain hylaea, tree-like ferns and bamboos. Mountain-forest brown soils are developed under these moist evergreen forests. The extreme south of Chile is characterized by subantarctic mixed forests, lower, poorer and sparse compared to the previous ones, although similar in species composition. Among these forests, patches of peat bogs appear more and more often towards the south, but the evergreen flora in Latin America reaches the extreme polar limit of woody vegetation. However, the upper belt of forests is made up of beeches with leaves falling for the winter and conifers; they also predominate on the drier eastern slopes of the Patagonian Andes. Above them, in front of bare rocks and eternal snows, there are marshy meadows, and below, along the coast, heaths.

CONCLUSION

The human need for various types natural resources are not the same. So, without oxygen, a person cannot live for even a few minutes, while without uranium or plutonium, he managed for thousands of years. The costs of developing natural resources are also different: sometimes they are minimal, but much more often the development of natural resources requires large investments, especially when it comes to the use of expensive equipment and technology, the inaccessibility of deposits, etc.

The distribution of natural resources across the countries of Latin America, as well as across the planet as a whole, is characterized by unevenness. As a result, there are notable differences between countries in the level and characteristics of their endowment with natural resources.

A significant range of soil and climatic conditions in Latin America allows you to grow crops of both tropical and temperate zones, creates the prerequisites for different types Agriculture.

An important issue today is the fate of the Amazon forests. Here, the selva (hylaea) - over 5 million km2 - is the world's largest array of evergreen broad-leaved forests. It is called the "lungs of the planet": vegetating all year round, the selva provides up to 40% of the oxygen released by the vegetation of the globe into the atmosphere. The destruction of forests is fraught with serious consequences for the climate of the entire Earth, rivers, and soils. But it is in this direction that things are moving. Started in the Amazon, especially in Brazil, the intensified agricultural colonization based on the slash-and-burn system has already caused considerable damage to its forest resources. The state of land resources around the world, and especially in developing countries, raises serious concerns in connection with the tasks of increasing food production.

The area of ​​agricultural land in Latin America is expanding, which is largely due to the decrease in forest area. The slash-and-burn system of agriculture is widely used, which leads to the spread of erosion processes. These processes are observed in all countries of Latin America - from Mexico to Argentina, including the vast plains of the Pampas. Erosion, deflation covers most of the cultivated land in these countries. In order to combat soil destruction, land surveys and inventories are being carried out, and well-known anti-erosion measures are being taken, but so far within very limited limits.

Of the 33 states, only two Bolivia and Paraguay are landlocked. But the distribution of the river network of the source over their territories is extremely uneven and often very unfavorable for economic use.

The dependence of the economies of Latin American countries on foreign monopolies often hampers the exploration of many minerals.

The main problems are the study of resources and the organization of their large-scale and rational use. It is also very important to study the possibilities of cooperation between Latin American countries in the field of cooperating natural resources with the accelerated development of industries that produce durable goods and means of production.

Bibliography

Volsky V.V. Socio-economic geography of the foreign world. – M.: Kron-Press, 1998.

Lukashova E.N. South America. - M .: State educational and pedagogical publishing house of the Ministry of Education of the RSFSR, 1983.

Spiridonov I.A. World economy. Tutorial. – M.: Infra-M, 2001.

Countries and peoples. America. General overview of Latin America. Middle America. Redcall. Bromley Yu.V. and others - M .: Thought, 1981.

 

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