Two continents, one long mountain wall
North America and South America are joined by the thin land bridge of Central America. Together they are called the Americas. Altogether they hold about 1 in 8 people on Earth.
A chain of young mountains runs down the whole west coast: the Rockies in the north and the Andes in the south (about 7,000 km, the longest mountain chain on land). Rivers run east from it across wide lowlands.
North America (Canada and the USA)
- Land: Rockies in the west, central plains, old Appalachian mountains in the east, and the Great Lakes, the largest group of fresh-water lakes on Earth.
- Rivers: the Mississippi (about 3,700 km) drains the middle of the continent.
- Climate: cold in the north (forest and tundra), mild in the middle, hot and dry in the south-west.
- Economy: high incomes. Big farms (wheat, maize) with machines, mining, factories, technology and services. Large trade across the oceans.
Latin America: Mexico, Central America, Caribbean
- A narrow land with many volcanoes and earthquakes, because plates of Earth's crust meet here.
- Climate is hot. The Caribbean islands get strong storms called hurricanes in late summer.
- The Panama Canal lets ships pass between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, saving a very long trip round the south.
- People mostly speak Spanish. Economy: farming (coffee, bananas, sugar), oil, factories in Mexico and tourism on the beaches.
Tropical South America and the Amazon
- The Amazon carries more water than any other river on Earth and has the biggest rainforest, about 5.5 million km².
- The rainforest is home to millions of kinds of plants and animals. Cutting it down for farms and mines harms them and the climate.
- People mostly speak Portuguese in Brazil and Spanish in most other countries.
- Economy: coffee, soybeans, beef, iron ore, oil. Brazil has the biggest economy in Latin America, with large cities such as Sao Paulo.
The Andes and the southern cone
- The Andes have peaks above 6,000 m, such as Aconcagua (about 6,960 m).
- East of them lie the pampas, flat grassland good for wheat and cattle.
- At the tip, Patagonia is cold, dry and windy.
- Economy: copper from Chile, grain and beef from Argentina and Uruguay, wine and fruit.
North and Latin America compared
- Language and history: mostly English (and French in parts of Canada) in the north, Spanish and Portuguese south of Mexico's border region.
- Income: higher on average in North America. Latin America has a wide gap between rich and poor, and many people live in big cities.
- Exports: North America sells machines, technology and food. Latin America sells many raw materials and farm products.
- What they share: mountains on the west, big rivers, rich farmland, and people from many parts of the world.
Try it: build the mountain wall
- Take a long strip of paper. Fold it in zig-zags and stand it along the left edge of a big sheet. That is the Rockies and Andes wall.
- Draw rivers running from the wall to the right (east).
- Mark the Amazon in the north of South America and the Great Lakes in the north of North America.
- Press each region in the 3D and add its main product to your sheet.
Key formulas and definitions
- Americas = North America + Central America and Caribbean + South America
- Rockies + Andes = the long western mountain chain (about 7,000 km for the Andes)
- Population density = people ÷ area
- Amazon rainforest ≈ 5.5 million km²
- Key terms: Latin America, pampas, isthmus, canal, hurricane, raw material
Worked examples
1. Why was the Panama Canal built and what does it save?
It joins the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through a narrow bridge of land. Ships no longer need to sail round the far south tip of South America, which saves thousands of kilometres.
2. The Amazon rainforest is 5.5 million km² and India is about 3.3 million km². How many times bigger is the rainforest?
5.5 ÷ 3.3 ≈ 1.7 times, nearly twice the size of India.
3. Why does the Andes chain stop most clouds from reaching the Pacific side?
Winds blowing from the east lose their rain on the eastern slopes of the high wall, so the dry air that crosses leaves the far side dry in places.
4. Name two ways North America and Latin America differ in economy.
North America has higher average incomes and sells machines and technology. Latin America sells more raw materials and farm products and has bigger gaps between rich and poor.
Common mistakes
- Thinking America means only the USA. The Americas are two continents with many lands.
- Mixing up Latin America with South America. Latin America also includes Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
- Thinking the Amazon is a desert-free place with no cities. Big cities lie nearby.
- Thinking all of Latin America speaks Spanish. Brazil speaks Portuguese.