We investigate the spatial distribution, the space velocities and age
distribution of the pre-main sequence (PMS) stars belonging to Ophiuchus, Lupus
and Chamaeleon star-forming regions (SFRs), and of the young early-type star
members of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association. These young stellar
associations extend over the galactic longitude range from 280 deg. to 360
deg., and are at a distance interval of around 100 and 200 pc. This study is
based on a compilation of distances, proper motions and radial velocities from
the literature for the kinematic properties, and of basic stellar data for the
construction of Hertzsprung-Russel diagrams. Although there was no well-known
OB association in Chamaeleon, the distances and the proper motions of a group
of 21 B- and A-type stars, taken from the Hipparcos Catalogue, lead us to
propose that they form a young association. We show that the young early-type
stars of the OB associations and the PMS stars of the SFRs follow a similar
spatial distribution, i.e., there is no separation between the low and the
high-mass young stars. We find no difference in the kinematics nor in the ages
of these two populations studied. We analyze the different scenarios for the
triggering of large-scale star-formation that have been proposed up to now, and
argue that most probably we are observing a spiral arm that passes close to the
Sun. The alignment of young stars and molecular clouds and the average velocity
of the stars in the opposite direction to the Galactic rotation agree with the
expected behavior of star formation in nearby spiral arms.Comment: 14 pages, 14 postscript figures, accepted for publication in A&