CHAPTER 9

Caribbean South America

SECTION 1

Physical Geography

Physical Features

World’s highest waterfall, S.A. largest lake, & world’s largest rodent

Rugged mts., highlands, & plains drained by huge river system

Mountains & highlands Andes: 18,000 feet

Forms a three-pronged cordillera (mt. system made up of parallel ranges)

Active volcanoes & earthquakes Guiana Highlands

Eroding for millions of years Steep sided plateaus capped by sandstone (called

tepuis)

Plains, Rivers, & Wildlife

Llanos Region of plains between the highlands & the Andes Mostly grassland w/ few trees Plains flood easily

Orinoco River River flows for about 1,600 miles River & tributaries drain the plains & highlands

Cauca & Magdalena Rivers drain the Andean region Wildlife

Orinoco River Basin Capybara, piranhas, catfish, & crocodiles 100s of bird species, jaguars, ocelots, & monkeys

Climate & Vegetation

Near equator = mostly warm temps year-round Temps do vary w/ elevation

Llanos region has tropical savanna climate Wet & dry seasons

Rain forests Humid tropical climate Rain throughout the year

Resources

Rich agriculture Good soil & moderate climates Crops: rice, coffee, bananas, & sugarcane

Valuable Resources Oil, iron ore, coal, & timber

Coastal areas Fish & shrimp

Rivers in area used to produce hydroelectric power

Colombia

SECTION 2

Columbia’s History

The Chibcha Well developed civilizations Practiced pottery making, weaving, &

metalworking Customs

New rulers covered with gold dust & then taken to a lake to wash it off

Gold & emerald objects were thrown into the lake when ruler was being washed off

These customs inspired the legend of El Dorado

Spanish Conquest Spanish Conquest

Spanish arrived in the 1500s Expanding the Spanish empire Conquered Chibcha & seized their treasure Founded other colonies along Caribbean coast By the 1600s they had set up large estates in

Columbia Powerful landlords forced South American Indians &

enslaved Africans to work the land

Independence 1700 struggle for independence began Republic of Gran Colombia was created

Included Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, & Venezuela 1830

Republic dissolved & New Granada (now Colombia) was created

After independence people argued over amount of power central gov’t & Roman Catholic Church should have Rugged geography & little contact between people in

Colombia lead to development of separate economies & identities

Uniting groups was difficult Outbreaks of violence between the 1800s & 1900s

killed thousands

Colombia Today

Caribbean South America’s most populous country

Most live in fertile valleys & basins among mt. ranges Moderate climate good for farming here

Rivers help connect settlements between mts. & coast

Cattle ranches are common in the Llanos Few people live in the tropical rain

forests in the south

Cultural Life

Geography has isolated regions from one another People know by the area they live

African traditions influence songs & dances Soccer is enjoyed by many Colombians Tejo is also played

Chibcha sport similar to a ring toss Roman Catholicism is main religion Conflict

Big problem today Border conflicts w/ Venezuela has gone on for many years Different groups have waged war with each other & Colombian gov’t

Groups control large areas of the country & force farmers off their land, damaging the economy

Economy

Resources Coffee, bananas, corn, rice, cassava,

sugarcane, & flowers Oil is leading export (found in eastern

Colombia) Iron Ore, gold, emeralds, coal, & tin

Many Colombians have low incomes even with rich resources Urban poverty & rapid population growth

are challenges for Colombia

Civil War

Major problem today Many different groups fighting each other & the gov’t Over past 40 years

Guerrillas Militant group that uses irregular military force Have forced farmers off their land & caused thousands to

flee the country Groups also grow illegal plants used to make cocaine

Civil War have created uncertain future for Colombia New laws have made it harder for guerrillas & other

militant groups to operate freely U.S. also provides assistance in the form of foreign aid

SECTION 3

Venezuela & The Guianas

History & Culture of Venezuela Many small tribes of South American Indians prior

to arrival of Spanish Became independent in 1800s, but Spanish rule

shaped the history & culture of country Spanish Settlement & Colonial Rule

Spanish explorers came looking for gold & pearls Forced South American Indians to dive for pearls & pan for

gold Little gold, however

Agriculture Indigo was grown; South American Indians forced to work the

fields Many died & enslaved Africans were brought in

Many escaped to remote areas & began governing themselves

Independence & Self-Rule

Simon Bolivar Led revolt against Spanish armies

throughout the region Struggle for independence ended in 1830

1830s Caudillos (Dictators) & civil wars plagued

Venezuela Oil was discovered during this time Money from oil was kept by the dictators or

caudillos 1958 last dictator was forced from power

People & Culture

Descended from native Indians, Europeans & Africans Majority are mixed Indian & European European descent live in large cities African descent live along the coast

Most people are Spanish speaking Roman Catholics Indians speak 25 different languages &

follow their own religious practices Culture

Dancing, rodeo events, baseball, & soccer

Venezuela Today

Most make a living farming and ranching Most wealthy Venezuelans & the gov’t

have made money in oil industry Agriculture & Ranching

Northern Venezuela Small family farms & large commercial farms Llaneros: cowboys; herd cattle

Economy

Based on oil production Most people live in poverty

Poor moved to cities to find work Settled in outskirts & lived in shacks w/ no running water, sewers,

or electricity Wealth of country has attracted many immigrants

Economy & people suffer when oil prices drop (like in the 1980s) Member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

(OPEC) Lake Maracaibo in a source of rich oil

Are trying to reduce dependence on oil income Guiana Highlands

Rich minerals like iron ore & gold Dams on Orinoco River produce hydroelectricity

Government

1st president elected in 1959 Economic turmoil & political protests are common 2002

President Hugo Chavez started distributing oil income equally among Venezuelans Millions went on strike to protest actions some for 2 months This strike damaged the economy & oil exports fell dramatically

2004 Venezuelans called for a referendum (recall vote) 58% voted for Chavez Chavez adopted new policies in 2nd term to help end

poverty, illiteracy, & hunger

The Guianas

Guyana, Suriname, & French Guiana Dense tropical rain forests cover much of

region

Guyana

“Land of Waters” Agricultural land located on the flat,

fertile plains along the coast Rice & sugar most important crops

Population is diverse ½ are descended from those who

migrated to Guyana from India Came to work sugar plantations

Today Most farm small plots of land or run small

businesses 1/3 are descended from former African

slaves Operate large businesses & hold most gov’t

positions

Suriname

Resources & economy similar to Guyana Diverse population

South Asians, Africans, Chinese, Indonesians, & Creoles (mixed heritage)

French Guiana

Territory of France Send reps. to gov’t in Paris

People live mostly along coastal areas 2/3 of people are of African descent

Europeans, Asians, & South American Indians as well

Depend on imports for its food & energy