Central and South Am. Physical Features

The theory of plate tectonics states that the Earth's solid outer crust, the lithosphere, is separated into plates that move over the asthenosphere, the molten upper portion of the mantle. Oceanic and continental plates come together, spread apart, and interact at boundaries all over the planet.

Examples?

If a volcano erupts, thousands of people may be affected, and death and destruction will be catastrophic, especially if time is not given for an evacuation. Many may be killed or forced to flee, and damage to homes and businesses would be great. So the Santiaguito complex in Guatemala includes a volcano of Santa Maria. And in 1902, a catastrophic eruption occurred here.00:02:35And it killed over 6,000 people. And activity in this region continues today. The town of El Palmar, the nearby town, was destroyed in the 1980s by volcanic mudslides. And mudslides and explosions have been extremely destructive in this complex. The region is heavily populated because the coffee plants thrive in volcanic soil.

The Andes, running along South America's western side, is among the world's longest mountain ranges. Its varied terrain encompasses glaciers, volcanoes, grassland, desert, lakes and forest. From Venezuela in the north, the range passes through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.

The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. Under the 2009 Constitution, the islands have full internal self-government; the UK is responsible for foreign affairs, retaining the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory".