Title: South America Geography
1South 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).
2South America
- Columbia
- Ecuador
- Peru
- Chile
- Argentina
- Uruguay
- Brazil
- Venezuela
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Paraguay
- Panama
- Falkland
- Amazon
- Andes
3 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.
4Oldest 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.
5Of 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
6South America
- Homework
- A Place of Three Cultures
- Mexico
- Read pages 227- 231
- Answer questions 1 to 4 on 231.
7Freedom 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
8Amazon 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.
9The 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).
10Amazon 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
111. 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.
12Get 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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14- 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
15Atacama 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.
16Natural Resources of South America
- Natural resources of South America are coffee
beans, cocoa beans, bananas, timber, rubber,
gold, bauxite, spices, and salt.
17South 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