South America

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• South America

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South America

• 12 of worlds landmass
• 6 of worlds population
• Vast majority of people live within 500 miles of
  coast
• Vast interior is sparsely populated

• Northern area is all tropical south of the
  Tropic of Capricorn the climate is more
  temperate, and very cool in the highlands
• South America is dominated by 2 landforms Amazon
  and Andes

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Amazon

• Worlds largest river by far
• Nile is longer (by about 40 miles), but Amazon
  covers far more ground as much as 60 miles wide
  at some points
• Discharges 50 billion gallons of water per second
  into Atlantic Ocean

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Andes

• 50 peaks higher than 20,000 feet (highest is
  Aconcagua in Argentina)
• 4,500 miles long and gets to 400 miles wide
• Subject to violent earthquakes and volcanoes

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Incas

• First people came to South America about 9000 BCE
• Incan empire 1150 CE until Pizzaro arrived
  about 300 years later
• Known for intricate architecture of massive stone
  blocks
• Capital at Cuzco in modern-day Peru

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Environments

• Llanos grassland and open dry forests of
  Colombia and Venezuela
• Pampas - tall grassland in Argentina and Uruguay
  known for Argentine cowboys (gauchos)

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Brazil

• 5th largest country in the world home to more
  than half of South Americas people
• Sao Paolo worlds 4th largest city
• History marked by military intervention and
  government corruption
• Largest South American economy, largest
  maldistribution of wealth in world (though
  improving)

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Brazil

• Local oil provides 60 of Brazils energy needs
  other 40 from sugarcane ethanol.
• Rapidly industrializing preparing for World Cup
  and Olympics
• 83 urbanized
• 1/3 of them in favelas Brazilian urban
  shantytowns (poverty is similar to Haiti in
  favelas)

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Colombia

• South Americas 2nd largest country (pop.)
• Only S.A. country to have coastline on Caribbean
  and Pacific
• Focal point of international drug trade
• Anti-government insurgency ongoing for decades

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Argentina

• Vast natural and human resources make it a
  natural candidate for economic leadership, but
  military dictatorships and corruption have
  prevented that
• Still has S.A.s highest per capita GDP
• Argentina and Uruguay are S.A.s only
  predominantly white nations

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Venezuela

• Largest oil reserves in the Western Hemisphere
• U.S. gets 10 of its oil here
• Economy completely dependent on oil prices
• Huge wealth disparity between Europeans and
  native African descendants
• President Hugo Chavez is a divisive figure,
  strong socialist policies conflicting with U.S.
  ideology

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Bolivia

• La Paz is worlds highest capital city
• 1 of only 2 landlocked countries in S.A.
  (Paraguay)
• History of coups and poverty remains South
  Americas poorest country

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The Guyanas

• Guyana British and Dutch roots whose people are
  from India Africa (British colonial influence)
• Suriname also Dutch and English roots with
  inhabitants being from the East Indies Dutch
  speaking
• French Guiana still a department of France and
  famous for Devils Island penal colony