CHAPTER 9: SOUTH AMERICAFrom the wettest jungle to the driest desert…South America has it all!

SECTION 1: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

How has South America’s rugged landscape both attracted and isolated people?

MOUNTAINS▪ Andes mountains: world’s

longest mountain chain

▪ Consist of CORDILLERAS: parallel chains or ranges of mountains

▪ An extension of the Rockies

▪ Created isolated groups

ALTIPLANO▪ Andes encircle the ALTIPLANO:

“high plain”; includes southeastern Peru and western Bolivia

▪ 2nd largest mt. plateau in the world

PATAGONIA▪ Southern Argentina

▪ Andes create a rain shadow: makes it very dry and windy

▪ Contains valleys, glaciers, and fjords

▪ Extends into southern Chile

HIGHLANDS▪ Brazilian Highlands

▪ Taper into Eastern Highlands---form a steep ESCARPMENT: cliff or slope btwn a higher and lower land surface

GRASSLANDS▪ LLANOS: fertile grasslands

found in inland areas of Colombia and Venezuela

▪ PAMPAS: grassy, treeless plains of southern South America—found mostly in Argentina and Uruguay

AMAZON RIVER▪ Begins on eastern edge of the

Andes

▪ Largest river basin in world: Covers c. 40% of South America (2,722,000 sq. miles); 4195 miles long

OTHER RIVERS▪ Paraná, Paraguay, and Uruguay

rivers form 2nd largest river system in S.A.

▪ Flow into the Rio de la Plata and then into Atlantic Ocean

LAKES▪ Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela

▪ Lake Titicaca: border of Bolivia and Peru---world’s highest large lake

CLIMATE▪ Vertical climate zones

▪ El Niño affects west coast

▪ Tropical Wet (rain forest) and tropical wet/dry (savanna) make up most of eastern S.A.

▪ Atacama Desert: along Pacific coast of Peru and Chile---created by Peru Current

▪ So dry, some places have never recorded rainfall

▪ Fog (camanchaca) is only source of precipitation

SECTION 2: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTH

AMERICA

EARLY PEOPLE AND INCA▪ Early indigenous groups:

Moche, Mapuche, and Aymara

▪ Inca Empire: stretched from Ecuador to Chile---Machu Picchu is most well known city

▪ Inca were skilled engineers---built roads throughout empire

▪ No written language (used storytelling)

▪ Used QUIPUS, knotted cords, for financial records

DEFEAT OF THE INCA▪ Silver and gold were important

▪ This attracted Spanish conquistadors

▪ Forces of Francisco Pizarro defeat Inca and imprison their leader, Atahualpa (1532)

▪ Spanish use the roads built by Inca to spread out

INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS▪ 1800s

▪ Inspired by American and French Revolutions

▪ 1820s: Simón Bolívar wins independence for Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia

▪ Also in 1820s: José de San Martín wins independence for Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina

▪ Postcolonial SA was unstable afterwards

INDEPENDENCE CONTINUED▪ Caudillos began taking power in the late 19th century

▪ Political corruption, violence, large wealth gaps, unemployment are still problems throughout South America

POPULATION PATTERNS▪ 4th largest continent; c. 400

million people

▪ Most people live on the coasts and along major rivers (80% live in cities)

▪ Not very densely populated

▪ Jobs hard to find; people leave for better opportunities

▪ BRAIN DRAIN: loss of highly educated and skilled workers to other countries

▪ Most go to N. America or Europe

SOCIETY▪ Ethnically diverse

▪ Most are Roman Catholic

▪ Carnival is a celebration of the beginning of Lent (think Mardi Gras)

▪ Syncretism: Macumba and Candomblé

RESOURCES▪ Forestry, farming, fishing, and

ranching make up 20% of workforce

▪ Grains, soybeans, coffee, cocoa, citrus, cattle, sugarcane, tobacco, and cotton are produced

▪ Coca is popular

▪ Others: gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin

▪ Venezuela, Ecuador, and Argentina are large exporters of petroleum