GEOG 104 Lecture 5: Chapter 3 Digest 5
Document Summary
The region: different colonial past than geologic boundaries, contrasts and disparities, large indigenous populations. Physical features: dramatic physical contrast, major mountain ranges, sierra madres, andes (longest mountain in the world) Andes mountains: convergence of the south american and nazca plates, highly volatile lots of tectonic activity, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions. Andes precipitation: orographic lifting and the rain shadow effect combines with cold water current = driest desert in the world, the atacama desert. Altitudinal zonation: altitudinal zonation: vertical zones of climate and vegetation needs, aka: temperature-altitude zones, distribution of vegetation based on altitude, some plants are more adept at lower elevations. Altitudinal zonation: tierra caliente, dry forest, cacao, bananas, tobacco, sugarcane, tierra templada, wet forest, cotton, corn, beans, squash, coffee, tierra fria, wheat, fruit trees, potatoes, tierra helada, vegetation mostly absent. Aka: why do we care: extra rain, flooding, drought in australia/change weather patterns, during which season does el nino occur, winter (christmas time)
