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South America
- *population is over 370,000,000 people
- *continent takes up about 6,880,000 square miles (about 12% of world's land area
- -fourth largest continent
- *the Andes is the world's longest mountain range
- -extends 4,500 miles - all the way down the western coast of the continent
- *main languages are Spanish and Portuguese
- *predominant religion is Roman Catholic
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Caribbean South America
- *five countries make up the northern territories
- 1) Guyana
- 2) Suriname
- 3) French Guiana
- 4) Venezuela
- 5) Colombia
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The Guianas
- *this includes Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana
- *all are tropical areas along the Atlantic Ocean
- *human geography differences make each country unique
- *mostly African or Asian descent
- *English, Dutch, and French are the spoken languages
- *Mulattoes are also large parts of the population
- -people of mixed African and other ancestry
- *economies are very similar in the Guianas
- *fish, sugar cane, and bauxite mining are important
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Venezuela
- *large nation west of Guiana
- *mostly mestizos
- -mixed Spanish and Indian
- -speak Spanish
- *most people live in fertile mountain valleys
- *poor people live in ranchos
- -small shacks
- *the Guiana Highlands cover about half of Venezuela
- *Angel Falls is located in this region
- *the llanos is important for grazing
- -tropical grassland
- *oil deposits have made Venezuela very wealthy
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Colombia
- *second most populous country in South America
- *borders the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean
- *most people live in valleys between three cordilleras
- -parallel mountain ranges
- *Colombia is most famous for coffee
- *illegal crops are also grown in Colombia
- -marijuana and cocaine are illegally exported
- *very unstable socially in Colombia
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Pacific South America
- *four countries make up the Andean countries
- 1) Ecuador
- 2) Peru
- 3) Bolivia
- 4) Chile
- *found in the Andes Mountains
- -this is the longest unbroken mountain chain in the world
- *3 environments are created by the mountains
- 1) Coastal Plain
- -includes the Atacama Desert
- 2) Highlands
- -plateaus are called altiplane or paramos
- 3) Tropical Forests-very few people live in the area called selva (meaning forest)
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Ecuador
- *gets its name from the equator
- *most of the people are mestizos
- *population is divided between coasts and mountains
- *oil is leading export
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Peru
- *home of the ancient Inca Empire
- *most people are of Inca descent
- *poverty and unemployment are widespread
- *many Asians have immigrated to Peru recently
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Bolivia
- *one of two landlocked countries in South America
- *Lake Titicaca is found in Bolivia
- -this is the world's highest lake (about 12,500 feet above sea level)
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Chile
- *about 2700 miles long; only 100 miles wide
- *most people are mestizos
- *75% of population live in the Central Valley
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Atlantic South America
- *four nations make up Atlantic South America
- 1) Uruguay
- 2) Paraguay
- 3) Argentina
- 4) Brazil
- *the Rio de la Plata is the largest river in the region
- -this river is called an estuary because the river current meets ocean tides
- *the highest parts of the Andes are here
- *temperate grasslands are called Pampas
- -the pampas were home to many gauchos (equivalent to America's cowboys)
- *oil and bauxite found in the Patagonia Region
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Paraguay
- *one of two landlocked countries in South America
- *Rio de la Plata gives Paraguay access to the sea
- *most of the people are mestizos
- *economy is based on agriculture
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Uruguay
- *economy based on livestock raising
- *3/4 of the land is devoted to livestock
- *politically unstable area
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Argentina
- *South America's wealthiest country
- *most people are of European descent
- *led by military dictators until 1983
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Brazil
- *is the largest country in South America
- *almost half of South America's land and population are in Brazil
- *plains and plateaus make up Brazil
- -coastal and Amazon areas are plains
- -inland areas are mostly plateaus
- *an escarpment seperates the plateau from the plain
- -a steep cliff between two level areas at different heights
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Northern Brazil
- *bulges out into the Atlantic Ocean
- *very poor region (life expectancy = 49)
- *former Portugal colony
- *popular region for sugar plantations
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Southern Brazil
- *smallest region in Brazil
- *economic heartland of Brazil
- *contains almost half of the population
- *great climate leads to productive farms
- *biggest and most important crop is coffee
- *Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are the largest cities
- -both have large slum communities called favelas
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Amazon River Basin
- *tropical rain forest area
- *populated mostly by Indians
- *Indian population has dropped from disease
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Economic Growth of Brazil
- *much of Brazil faces poverty
- *most of the poor live in favelas or the Northeast
- -children make up most of the poor
- *many small farmers live in the sertao
- -sparsely populated wilderness/"backwoods" type area
- *poor climate and soil limit potential
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Policies for Growth
- *Brazil government has adopted programs for two reasons
- 1) Boost the growth of industry
- 2) Encourage inland settlement/development
- *the government built dams along the escarpment
- *manufacturing areas grew rapidly on the coasts
- *government began to focus on the interior
- *capital, Brasilia, was built in the 1950s
- -Brasilia is shaped like a bow and arrow
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Positive Effects
- *Brazil is among the world leaders in industrial productivity
- *Gasahol allowed Brazil to limit importing oil
- -mix of gasoline and ethanol
- *less people involved in agriculture
- *more jobs in manufacturing and service industry
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Negative Effects
- *poverty has continued to increase
- *erosion of former rain forest areas is a problem
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