LATIN AMERICA

Spanning more than 85 degrees of latitud, Latin America encompasses Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and South America. It is a region of startling contrasts.

High mountains run from northern Mexico through the heart of Central America. The higher peaks of the Andes course down South America's western side.

Elsewhere, broad plateaus span huge areas. At still lower elevations, plains dominatethe landscape. The great grasslands, such as the pampas in Argentina and the llanos in Venezuela and Colombia, are ideal for grazing cattle and sheep.

But when people think of Latin America, it's often rain forests that come to mind. Eternally wet, intensely green, and bursting with life, rain forests cover parts of many Caribbean islands and Central American countries. Yet none of these compare to the Amazon rain forest of Brasil. Drained by the Amazon River, this lowland forest covers one-third of South America and is home to nearly half of the world's plant and animal species.