Definition of Physical Geography

Geography is a Greek term formed by two words: geo and graphs (geo means earth and graphs means writing or description). From a historical point of view, the first to use the word geography was the Greek Eratosthenes of Cyrene, who in the lll century BC. C showed that the Earth was round and calculated its dimensions roughly.

Geography as discipline Academic covers different branches and all of them allude to the dimension of space. There is physical geography, which focuses on natural phenomena, that is, on the set of physical factors of a territory. On the other hand, we find social geography, which is traditionally subdivided into human geography, political geography Y economic geography.

Understanding the physical geography of Latin America

In Latin America we find the main relief units, that is, mountains, plateaus, hills, plains and river basins.

The Mexican relief is characterized by its extensive plateau and in the central area of ​​its territory find three mountain systems: Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre from the south. Mexico is affected by the action of two large volcanic plates, the Pacific plate and the plate moving northwest.

The Central American relief is characterized by the existence of transversal mountains and with a significant presence of volcanoes in the Pacific region. As for the Caribbean, it is made up of a set of islands of sedimentary origin, which are divided into two large groups: Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles.

In the territory of South America we find the Andes Mountains, which goes from Alaska to Cape Horn. In the basin from the Orinoco River we find the Orinoco Plains, which cover the territories of Colombia and Venezuela. The Amazon River basin is home to the largest water system on the planet and the most extensive rainforest, located mainly in Brazil. The Río de la Plata basin generates a river plain that affects Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. La Pampa is a large plain that occupies areas of Argentina, Paraguay and a part of Brazil. Patagonia is a plain located in the extreme south of Argentina and a small part of Chile.

The study of the Physical Geography of Latin America also includes the diversity climatic. In Central America and the Caribbean there is a weather tropical. In South America there is a climate with a great variety: humid zones like the Amazon Rainforest, arid zones like the Atacama Desert or a temperate climate in the north of Argentina and the east of Paraguay.

Photos: iStock - Jacques van Dinteren / xenotar