Countries of South America Chapter 13 Countries of South America

Section 1 - The Northern Tropics Countries in the Northern Tropics - The Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia,

Guianas Guyana - formerly British. 43% African and 50% Asian Guyana, Fr. Guiana, and Suriname share the following: Tropical wet climate, rainforest, and narrow coast line Fishing, rice, wheat and sugarcane are the main economic activities. Guyana - formerly British. 43% African and 50% Asian 90% live on the coast Disputes with Venezuela over land Poorest country in S.A. Jim Jones People Temple - 1978 Mass suicide

Suriname Fr. Guiana Formerly Dutch 10% African,50% Asian, 30% Mulatto Grows rice, and bananas Mines bauxite and exports lumber Fr. Guiana Largest ethnic group is mulatto. Home to Devils Island - prison European space agencies rocket port. Forests, shrimp and gold

Venezuela Formerly Spanish Catholic Live in the valleys in the N and NW Capital Caracas, poor areas Ranchos SE - highlands and rainforest Angel Falls is located here - world’s highest waterfall

Venezuela - cont. Orinoco River - central Venezuela surrounded by the llanos - savanna region (grassland) - used for grazing Elevation is a big factor for climate Oil is a major resource (top 5 in the world) Lake Maracaibo. Oil deposits are being depleted so they have been trying to invest in business. Member of OPEC Other resources - iron ore, sugar, coffee , rice, corn, and bananas

Colombia Gained independence from Spain in the 1800s It has lowlands, Mts. and grassy plains (llanos) Main crop is coffee but also produces rice, bananas sugar, and tobacco Campesinos -- small coffee farms Natural resources - oil, natural gas, gold, emeralds Also money being made on Marijuana and cocaine

Colombia ://www.colombiajournal.org/cocainephotos.htm Famous for drug trafficking of cocaine Medellin (Pablo Escabar) vs. Cali drug wars ended with both drug lords taken down in the mid 1990’s. Today still over 300 smaller groups left smuggling drugs out of Colombia ://www.colombiajournal.org/cocainephotos.htm

Chapter 13 -- section 2 The Andean Countries The Andes Mt. are the longest chain of Mts. in the world (5000 miles long) and second highest Follow the Pacific to form a narrow plain Atacama desert - Peru Paramos -- high plateaus in Ecuador Altiplanos -- high plateaus in Peru and Bolivia Selvas -- tropical forests on the eastern slope of the Andes Incas -- indigenous people of the Andes, these people have physical adaptations to live in high elevations (larger lungs)

Ecuador Ethnically: 25% Indian who speak Quechua (language of the Incans) -- live in the highlands and are subsistent farmers 50% Mestizo who speak Spanish and live in large cities 10% European - control the wealth and live on large plantations, run the Gov. and factories Oil was discovered but an earthquake wrecked the pipeline. Leading producer of balsa wood Bananas, coffee, and cocao Galapagos islands are owned by Ecuador

Peru Incas are 45% of the pop. Machu Picchu was the capital city of the Incans Live in the highlands as llama herders Economic - coca plant (cocaine), anchovies Many Asians have began to immigrate to Peru Alberto Fujimori - Japanese ancestry, former President of Peru Resigned amid allegations of corruption

Bolivia CHILE Landlocked Resources - tin, oil, copper and zinc Indigenous and subsistence farmers Part of Incan empire LaPaz (adm. ) Sucre (Jud) CHILE Long and narrow (2700 x 100) Atacama desert in the north, most people live in the central valley - fruits and veg. Mines nitrates for explosives or fertilizer Copper (one of the worlds largest), oil and coal Very poor - 3 million below poverty line

Section 3- southern S.A. Has the greatest physical diversity bound together by the Rio De La Plata and is the wealthiest part of S.A. Regions: 1. Andean Region (far west) Mt. Aconcagua 2. Tropical grasslands of the Gran Chaco (great swamp) 3. Grasslands of the pampas 4. Cold desert of Patagonia - sheep are raised, oil found

Paraguay Uruguay Argentina Landlocked but linked to the sea by the Plata river system Agriculture - cotton, grain and livestock Hydroelectric and more democratic (1993) first Pres. Elect Uruguay Meat and meat processing industries Argentina Famous leader Peron Lost war over the Falkland islands with the British 2nd largest country in S.A.