South America Geography

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South America Geography

• South America is the fourth largest continent in
  size and the fifth largest in population.
• The geography of South America is dominated by
  the Andes Mountain Range and the Amazon River
  (second longest river in the world).

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South America

• Columbia
• Ecuador
• Peru
• Chile
• Argentina
• Uruguay
• Brazil
• Venezuela
• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Paraguay
• Panama
• Falkland
• Amazon
• Andes

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It is politically divided into twelve sovereign
states Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru,
Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, plus the
overseas administration of French Guiana.
Beginning of Civilization of South American
Prior to European colonization, the Incan
Civilization was a dominant force in South
America. In the 1500's, Spain and Portugal
colonized much of South America.
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Oldest Civilizations of South America

• One of the oldest civilizations of South America
  is the Inca civilization. The capital of the Inca
  civilization was the city of Cusco in the Andes.
• The ruins of the Inca civilization suggest that
  cities were built with unmatched stonework and
  constructed with great precision.

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Of the three Native civilizations found in South
America (Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs), the Incas
were the least warlike. They have retained their
culture, their lifestyle, and their artistic
pursuits to this very day.
The Three Native Civilizations found in South
America
Maya
Inca
Aztec
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South America

• Homework
• A Place of Three Cultures
• Mexico
• Read pages 227- 231
• Answer questions 1 to 4 on 231.

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Freedom Fighters

• The colonies gained independence in the 1800's
  with the help of leaders such as Simon Bolivar
  and Jose de San Martin. Like the Latino George
  Washington.
• As a result, much of South America still speaks
  Spanish.
• Portuguese is the primary language of Brazil.

Jose de San Martin
Simon Bolivar
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Amazon Rainforest

• Amazon rainforest is home to many strangest
  looking, largest and smallest, most dangerous and
  least frightening, loudest and quietest animals
  on Earth. Visit Amazon Rainforest Animals to
  know more about it.

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The Unique Animals of South America
Anaconda
Andean Condor
Giant Tortoise
Piranha

• The Anaconda is one of the biggest and heaviest
  snake of the world.
• The Andean Condor is the largest flying bird on
  our planet, with a wingspan up to 310 cm.
• The Piranha is a carnivorous water fish that
  lives mainly in the Amazon Basin of South
  America.
• The Giant Tortoise is an animal that can only be
  found on the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador).

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Amazon River

• Amazon river is the lifeline of the rainforest
  and most of its water comes from the snow melt in
  the Andes of Peru - it originates high up in the
  mountains and formed by the joint efforts of the
  Ucayali and Marañon rivers.
• Deforestation is a major issue

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1. The higher elevations in the Andes have cold
weather with mixed sun and snow.

• 3. The Amazon rainforest has a tropical climate.
  It is rainy all year long

Climate

• 2. The center of the continent has mild winters,
  warm summers, and a rainy season.

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Get out your books.

• Colombia 267-271 Questions 1,3,4
• Ecuador 272-276 Questions 2,3,4
• Mexico 221-225 Questions 2,3,4
• Peru 272-276 Questions 2,3,4
• Venezuela 267-271 Questions 1,3,4

• Argentina 278-281 Questions 1,2,4
• Bolivia 272-276 Questions 2,3,4
• Brazil 255-258 Questions 3,4,5
• Chile 272-276 Questions 2,3,4

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• Dominated by mountains
• Sierra Madre on both west and east coast.
• Central plateau in the middle of the mountains.
• Baja Peninsula
• Yucatan Peninsula sticks into Gulf of Mexico
• Central Mexico at intersection of four tectonic
  plates
• Climate on plateau is temperate because of
  elevation
• Greater Mexico City population gt 20,000,000
• Aztecs conquered by Cortes and Spanish
• NAFTA has resulted in more industry
• Native America, Mestizo and Spanish heritages
• Two thousand maquiladoras along US border

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Atacama DesertThe Atacama Desert is located in
the northern part of Chile.The Atacama Desert is
one of the driest places in the world.In some
places rain has not fallen for centuries.
Landforms of South America

• Pampas
• The Pampas of South America is home to a number
  of rodents, many unique to the region, from
  grasslands to sparse vegetation. Waterfowl and
  waders make their home in cool rivers or coastal
  lagoons.
• The Pampas are located in the center of the
  northern part of Argentina.
• The Pampas are a fertile plain.

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Natural Resources of South America

• Natural resources of South America are coffee
  beans, cocoa beans, bananas, timber, rubber,
  gold, bauxite, spices, and salt.

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South America has Earths longest mountain
range, driest desert, biggest rain forest, and
river with the most water. South America has
three main climates and valuable natural resource.
Summary