1. South America

2. Countries, Capitals and Populations
Country
Capital
Population
Argentina
Buenos Aires
41 million
Bolivia
La Paz
9.7 million
Brazil
Brasilia
199 million
Chile
Santiago
16.6 million
Colombia
Bogotá
45.6 million
Ecuador
Quito
14.5 million
Uruguay
Montevideo
3.5 million
Paraguay
Asunción
7 million
Venezuela
Caracas
27 million
Peru
Lima
29.5 million

3. South America Facts The total population is est. 392 million (2010)
The continent comprises 12 nations.
Ten of the countries are Latin: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The other nations are territories claimed by France and England
Also island nation in the Pacific are owned by S. American countries
Easter Islands (Chile) (Moai)
Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

4. Countries/territories controlled by other nations
Country
Capitol
Population
French Guiana
Cayenne
221,500
Suriname
Paramaribo
500,000
Falkland Islands (UK)
Stanley
3,000

5. Geography South America has four upland provinces
They are in the north and along the coasts
There are three lowland provinces.
This sits in the middle like a huge bowl
The Andes Mountains, the second highest mountain range in the world.
It is in the North West of the continent
The main lowland is the Amazon Basin in the middle of the continent
It is drained by the Amazon River, the world's second longest river.
Hemisphere.

6. South America contains desert lands as well
Patagonia
Atacama
The lowest point in South America (131 ft below sea level) is on Peninsula Valdés in eastern Argentina.
The highest point (22,834 ft) is atop Aconcagua in western Argentina, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere
The coastline of South America is uniform except in the south and southwest, where there are numerous rivers

7. Geological History
The shield area of the Brazilian and Guiana highlands in the east and northeast is the oldest part of the continent
Shield = old, hard, metamorphic rock.
It is made of igneous (volcanic) and metamorphic rock from the Precambrian era (before 570 million years ago)
Fossils found in the Brazilian Highlands offer evidence of continental drift
Shows that S. America was once joined with Africa

8. Geologic History Con’t
Volcanic and seismic activity continue all along the continent's western rim.
The southernmost Andes show remnants of glaciers (from beginning 2.5 million years ago).
The erosion of the highlands continues to contribute sediments to surrounding lowlands.

9. South American History
In 1494 the pope signs the treaty of Tordesillas which divides the South America between the Spanish and the Portuguese
At this time between 75 to 100 million Indians inhabited South America
This heritage was mixed with people from the Iberian Peninsula (Spanish and Portuguese)
Part of this traditional heritage was that prestige comes from owning land

10. The Encomienda System
Encomiendas were large plantations usually owned by a Spanish or Portuguese family
The Native Americans worked as slaves in return they were promised their souls would be protected by their Spanish overlords
The Kingdom of Spain levied huge taxes on these Encomiendas and their owners were only allowed to trade with Spain (kind of like America and England)

11. Influence of Catholicism on South America
4 Types of Catholicism present in South America
Formal- Most of the Spanish and Portuguese. They contributed the most money to Rome
Nominal- The majority of people made up this type
Folk Catholicism- Mixing of folk religions and traditional Catholicism
Spiritism- Voodoo – early on the Spanish banned this religion
They also banned protestant books

12. Latifundas
These are Encommiendas that take place at different levels of elevation. Because the crops they do grow well at different parts of mountains
Two types
Plantations- Single crop for export purposes (low lands)
Fazundas- Highland plantations usually for coffee

13. Geography Facts for South America
Latin America is very diverse in its Physical Geography
The populations are undergoing a tremendous amount of change
There is a large gap in these countries between the very wealthy and the very poor
The middle class is growing but unfortunately so are the poor
There is a great deal of corruption in these regions but a lot of effort has been made to end this corruption.

14. South America Industry
The major resources of South America are Minerals and Agriculture
They also have huge cattle ranches in countries like Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
South America is also very wealthy in terms of lakes and rivers – these can be used for power.
There is also a great deal of illegal drug industry in South America
Cocaine and Marijuana are cash crops grown here and sold in the U.S.

15. Ancient Civilizations
Three ancient civilizations existed in what is present day South America
The Inca in present day Peru and Chile
The Aztecs in present day Mexico
The Maya in present day Guatemala
Crops such as maze, corn, beans and squash were all being grown at this time
Europeans brought things like the horse, pigs, sheep, cattle and potatoes

16. Similarities of Ancient Civilizations
1 Large population base
2 Agricultural Economies
3 Systems of Government
4. Social and Economic Systems
5. Monolithic Architecture
They lacked modern technology and that along with disease allowed them to be easily conquered by Europeans
Spanish conquered the Aztecs and the Inca

17. Climate of South America
There are four main causes of climate conditions in South America
1. Latitudinal position on the tropic of Cancer
2. Vertical Zones
3. High pressure cell
4. Selva- Broad leaf evergreen trees