S OUTH A MERICA AND THE A MAZON R AINFOREST By: Arya Okten, Melisa Tabtimtong, Taylor Niehoff, Sarah Walker

S OUTH A MERICAN C ULTURE CULTURE The people of South America are very culturally diverse. This is because South America encompasses all of the native cultures that were there before the Europeans came along with those brought by the Spanish, Portuguese, and African. LANGUAGE The majority of the people in South America speak Spanish. However, all the cultural diversity leads to the fact that many more than one languages are spoken. Be warned, your pocketbook dictionary of conversions may not have all these languages! Aymara in Bolivia and Peru Quechua in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru Urarina in Peruvian Amazonia Guaraní in Paraguay English in Guyana Hindi in Guyana and Suriname Dutch and Indonesian in Suriname French in French Guyana Italian and German in certain pockets across southern South America, such as Brazil, Uruguay & Argentina Japanese in Brazil THE ARTS Beyond the rich tradition of indigenous art, the development of Latin American visual art is based much off the style of Spanish, Portuguese and French Baroque paintings, which were based off of the style of the Italian Masters. However, this artistic Eurocentrism began to fade in the early twentieth century and the Latin Americans began to create their own types of art. Latin American music includes the music of all countries in Latin America and comes in many varieties, from the conjunto music of northern Mexico to the habaneras of Cuba. Latin music is just as unique as the culture itself and often language is the only common thing these tunes share. DIET South Americans typically eat three meals and one or two snacks daily. Milk is usually not just drunk plain but used in fruit- filled drinks and coffee, and milk-based desserts are very popular. Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are the most common food. Cassava flour and meal are common in many areas. Coffee is a major part of South American lifestyle and is the most common drink.

Climate and Geography of the Amazon Rainforest Climate: Since it is on the equator, the climate of the Amazon rainforest is typically a tropical climate. It is hot and humid, with the average annual temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. There is no dry season as it rains almost the whole year. Geography: Except for Chile and Ecuador, the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil borders every country in South America. It borders Bolivia, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, and Guyana.

E COLOGY AND E COTOURISM Ecotourism in the Amazon is where people go to wild and scenic areas due to the fact that it is educational and active. Ecotourism has been used to support tribes in South America. Would you want to see the beautiful wildlife and nature of the Amazon rainforest and river? The ecology of the Amazon is very diverse and bountiful. There is a wide variety of plants and animals due to the warm, humid climate. South America has a very diverse ecology due to it is mostly the Amazon Rainforest and rainforests are the oldest environment so it has had the longest to develop. So you can expect steamy days with a lot of wildlife.

Plants and Animals Two thirds of the worlds species of plants are found in the Amazon Rainforest. In a four mile area, there could be 1,500 types of flowering plants, and 750 types of trees. Some plants found in the Amazon are bromeliad, heliconia, orchids, water lilys, and coca plants. These plants form the canopy that covers the forest. Many of these plants, such as clavilllia and suma can also be used for medicinal purposes. One fifth of the worlds animals are found in the Amazon Rainforest. Some of these animals are anaconda snakes, jaguars, orangutans, toco toucans, poison dart frogs, gorillas, and harpy eagles. Many of these animals such as harpy eagles, orangutans, and jaguars are endangered. Most of those species are endangered because of deforestation.