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 Although the rain forest (and the Andes Mountains), makes traveling and communicating throughout South America difficult, it provides a vast amount of resources and vegetation for the region  The rain forest also helps promote biodiversity  The Amazon rain forest is currently being destroyed at a rapid rate

 Timber, like mahogany and cedar, are cut down for export year after year  Native people continue to clear areas of the rain forest to plant crops  Brazil’s growing population is also contributing to the decline of the rain forest

 There is a high price to pay for deforestation  Benefits of the rain forest:  Helps regulate climate  Prevents global warming by increasing the absorption of Carbon Dioxide  Home to over 50% of the world’s animal and plant life  Many plants provide significant medical benefits

 After countries gained their independence from Spain, Oligarchy was the common form of government  An oligarchy is a government run by the few  If the government could not control the people, the junta would step in  The junta was run by military generals to keep the citizens in line with those in power

 Today, democracy is growing throughout Latin America  A main goal of reform is to decrease the income gap  The gap between the rich and poor is very large in Latin America  Favelas (Brazilian slums) are just on example of the income gap  Land Reform (breaking up large landholdings and redistributing) is a goal for many South American countries  Many countries are also working to increase the amount of women in government roles