16.2 General Oceanographic Variables of Latin America
and the Canary Islands
Traditionally, the area has been divided into five biogeographical regions with nine
provinces (Briggs 1995) (Fig. 16.1). Western Atlantic Region, from Bermuda
(Southern Florida) to Cape Frío (Brazil), which includes the Caribbean, Brazilian
and West Indian provinces. In the Pacific Ocean, the Eastern Pacific Region
includes the Mexican, Panamanian and Galápagos Provinces, the Eastern South
America Region with the Peru-Chilean Province and Easter Island in the central
south Pacific. In the Eastern Atlantic, the Canary Islands belong to the Lusitania
Region.
Together they cover a wide biogeographical and climate range (Table 16.1).
They are affected by the main currents in the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans
(Fig. 16.2). Minimum temperature reaches -2 °C South of the Brazilian region
and Eastern South America. The highest temperature is reached in the tropical
Fig. 16.1 Biogeographical regions in central and south American coasts according to Briggs
(1995) and Clark and Downey (1992)
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