South America can be divided into 5 main physiographic regions - the Andes Mountains, Brazilian Highlands, Guiana Highlands, Amazon River Basin, and the Deserts. The longest mountain range in the world, the Andes, stretch along the western edge of South America. Key countries described include Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina. Major cities highlighted are Caracas, Bogota, Lima, La Paz, Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro. The economies and cultures of each country are briefly summarized.

1. SOUTH AMERICA
BY: ADRIANNE MAE D. ASKALI
INSTRUCTOR

2. Map of SA

5. South America can be divided into
5 physiographic divisions.





The Andes
Brazilian Highlands
Guiana Highlands
The Amazon basin
The Deserts

6. The Andes MOUNTAINS





The Andes MOUNTAINS Run from NW Venezuela
to the southern tip of Tierra Del Fuego.
The mountain was formed by the subduction of
the Pacific plate beneath South American plate.
It is the world’s longest and second highest
mountain range.
Andes Mountains it stretches 4,500 miles from north
to south, along the west coast.
The longest continental mountain range in the world

7. Andes Mountain

8. The Andes is divided into three
sub regions:
 Northern
– Venezuela, Columbia, & Ecuador
 Central – Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
 Southern – defines the border between Chile
& Argentina (South of Santiago the
mountains are lower)

9. The Brazilian Highlands
One of the most
important physiographical
region of the continent,
occupying an area of
about 2 million sq. miles.
Also know as Brazilian
Plateau, it is made up of
basaltic lava.

10. Guiana Highlands


Occupies the area of
Guyana, Suriname and
French Guiana, with parts
in Colombia, Venezuela
and Brazil.
The region is very
sparsely populated. Angel
Falls can be found here.

11. Angel Falls


The tallest waterfall in
the world.
Located in Venezuela.
Over 3,000 feet tall.

12. Llanos
A
tropical grassland situated in between the
northern Andes and Guiana Highland.
 Occupies a few million square km of
Venezuela and Colombia.
 This region is characterized by seasonal
flooding, which can be as high as a meter.
 The grasslands are being cleared for
agricultural purposes. Cowboy = Llaneros

13. Llanos

14. Amazon River Basin
The 2nd longest river
in the world, the
largest by volume.

15. Amazon River

The width of the
Amazon River varies
from 1 mile wide to 130
miles wide and floods
during
the
rainy
season.

16. Amazon Rainforest


The Amazon Rainforest
1.4 billion acres in 9
countries, the largest part
in Brazil. Deforestation is
threatening many
species.
About 20% of earth's
oxygen is produced by
the Amazon rainforest.

17. VENEZUELA

18.  About
2 times the size of California
 Climate: tropical, hot, humid
 Population: 28 million
 Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese, Arab, German, African,
indigenous people Languages: Spanish
 Religion: 96% Roman Catholic

19. Caracas


Venezuela’s capital and
largest city located near
the coast, separated by
the Cordillera de la
Costa.
The metropolitan area
has a population of
more than 4 million.

20. Population
 Males
often go to war with other villages and
40% of adult males have killed someone.
Women marry at a young age to males who
are chosen for them.

21. Yanomami

Live in the rain
forests of Venezuela
and northern Brazil,
population: 30,000.
Yanomami means
“human beings.”

22. Yanomani

23. 

Mining in Venezuela Iron ore and gold are mined in
Venezuela. Irresponsible mining has caused
damage to the rain forests and flooding. Acid runoff
from mines poisons streams.
Oil – Venezuela has the biggest oil reserves outside
of the Middle East. Oil was discovered under Lake
Maracaibo in 1917. They have come to depend too
heavily on their oil production and the economy is
greatly affected by the rise and fall of oil prices.

24. Oil and Mining in Venezuela

25. COLOMBIA

26. Twice the size of Texas.
 The only South American country with
coastlines on both the North Pacific
Ocean and Caribbean Sea
 Ethnic groups: mestizo 58%, white 20%,
mulatto 14%
 Language: Spanish
 Religion: 90% Catholic


27. Agriculture in Colombia

Colombian agriculture
is very diverse due to
the extremes of climate
zones.
Coffee,
cut
flowers, bananas, rice,
tobacco,
corn,
sugarcane,
cocoa
beans,
oilseed,
vegetables, and forest
products are some of
the crops grown.

28. Flower Industry in Colombia

Colombia is the world’s 2nd largest exporter of
flowers with over 1 billion annually. Over 75% of
these are sent to the U.S.

29. The Andes Mountains divide the
country.

This physical division
isolates
people,
creating conflict about
how they should be
governed.

30. Violence in Colombia

A four-decade long conflict between government
forces and anti-government insurgent groups,
heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during
the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or
popular support necessary to overthrow the
government, and violence has been decreasing
since about 2002. However, insurgents continue
attacks against civilians and large areas of the
countryside are under guerrilla influence or are
contested by security forces.

31. Violence in Colombia

32. Bogotá

With a population of
about
8.8
million
people, Bogota sits
approximately
8,660
feet above sea level in
the Colombian Andes.
Mexico City and New
York City are the only
North American cities
larger than Bogotá .

33. ECUADOR

34. 






Area : 110,000 sq. miles
Population : 15 million
Frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic
activity, floods
60,000 mi 2 of rain forest 18% of Ecuador is
protected 4 World Heritage Sites
Currency : US $ Dollar
Language : Spanish
Ethnic groups : mestizo 65%, Amerindian 25%,
European 7%

35. Peru

36.  Size:
slightly smaller than Alaska
 Climate: tropical coastal, dry desert, frigid
mountain
 The source of the Amazon River is here.
 Population: 30 million Amerindian 45%,
Mestizo 37%, white 15%
 Language: Spanish
 Religion: 94% Christian
 Very high risk of infectious disease

37. Lima
 Capital
of Peru is located at sea level
 Lima is the international air entrance to
Peru City of museums Rich in colonial
architecture.

38. Lima

39. Uros People

41.  Size:
about 3 times the size of Montana
 Population: 10 million
 Ethnic groups: Quechua 30%, Mestizo 30%,
Aymara 25%, white 15%
 Languages: Spanish (official) 61%, Quechua
(official) 21%, Aymara (official) 15%
 Religion: 100% Catholics

42. Economy

Bolivian Economy is one of the poorest and least
developed countries in Latin America. 51% live below the
poverty line

43. La Paz

44. La Luna Valley

a unique phenomenon
caused by the erosion
of most of a clay
mountain, less than 10
miles from La Paz.

45. North Yungas Road

Connects La Paz to the
Bolivian jungle. It is
called death road and is
considered the most
dangerous road in the
world.

46. Death Road

47. BRAZIL

48. Flag
 Green
-represents the forests of the country
and the
 Yellow rhombus- its mineral wealth;
 Blue circle and stars - depict the sky over
Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15
November 1889 - The number of stars has
changed with the creation of new states and
has risen from an original 21 to the current 27

49.  Brazil
is the largest country in South America.
It is the 5th largest county in the world, and
only slightly smaller than the U.S.
 The Amazon Rain Forest covers about 1/3 of
South America and is the largest rain forest in
the world.

51.  Population:
approximately 200 million (5 th
highest in the world)
 Ethnic Groups: White 53.7%, Mulatto
(mixed white and black) 38.5%, Black 6.2%
About 25% of Brazilians are farmers.
 About 80% live in cities
 Official language: Portuguese
 Religion: 90% Catholics

52.  Brazil
is believed to have the largest
populations of indigenous people living in
isolation from the outside world.
 Some
of them have no knowledge
whatsoever of life outside of their villages.
Others are being pushed out of their native
lands by illegal logging.

53. Indigenous People in Brazil

54. Brasília

Capital city

55. Sao Paolo


Sao Paolo is the largest
city in Brazil and the
largest in the Southern
Hemisphere.
In Sao Paolo, about 4
million people live in
complete poverty.

56. Rio de Janeiro



The former capital of Brazil
and is the most-visited city
in South America.
Christ
the
Redeemer
overlooking Rio is the
largest art deco statue in
the world, at 130 feet tall.
It is made of reinforced
concrete
and soapstone,
and was constructed in the
1920’s.

58. Carnival
A
festive season celebrated in Catholic
countries and occurs immediately before Lent
in February.
 Carnival includes parades and street parties.
People often dress in masquerade. Rio’s
carnival is sometimes called the “biggest
party in the world.”

61.  Economy
of Brazil Characterized by large
and well-developed agricultural, mining,
manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's
economy outweighs that of all other South
American countries.
 In 2011, it became the 7th largest economy in
the world based on GDP. Agricultural
products include: coffee, soybeans, wheat,
rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef

62. Atacama Desert



Occupies the area of
Chile, Argentina, Peru
and Bolivia
It is the driest desert
of the world.
In some areas, no rain
has ever been
recorded.

64. Uruguay

65. URUGUAY
Population: 3.3 million
 Ethnic Groups: White 88%, Mestizo 8%, black
4%,
Amerindian
(practically
nonexistent)
Languages: Spanish (official), Portunol , and
Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mixes)
 Religion:
81% Christian, 17% atheist or
agnostic Literacy: 98%
 Education: 16 years


66.  Economy
of Uruguay – characterized by an
export-oriented agricultural sector, a welleducated work force, and high levels of social
spending.
 3/4 of the country in Uruguay is grassland,
ideal for raising cattle and sheep. Uruguay
has more cattle than people. It is one of the
world’s largest exporters of wool.

68. PARAGUAY

69. 







Size: Slightly smaller than California
Population: 6.5 million
Ethnic Groups: Mestizo 95%
Languages: Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
Religion: 97% Christian
Literacy: 94%
Education: 12 years
One of the region's poorest and least-developed
countries

70. CHILE

71.  Population:
17 million
 Ethnic Groups: White and White-Amerindian
95.4%, Mapuche 4%
 Languages: Spanish (official), Mapudungun,
German, English
 Religion: 86% Christian
 Literacy: 96%

72.  Economy
of Chile a market-oriented
economy characterized by a high level of
foreign trade and a reputation for strong
financial institutions. Chile is the world’s
largest exporter of copper. Fruits grow well
in the central valleys, including peaches,
nectarines, apples, pears, and plums. Some
of the best vineyards in the world are located
near Santiago.

73. Mapuches

make up Chile's largest
ethnic
group,
approximately 600,000.
They
have
been
struggling
for
independence
for
centuries. Most of
them
live
on
reservations
in
southern

74. ARGENTINA

75. 




Population: 42 million
Ethnic Groups: White (mostly Spanish and Italian)
97%,
Languages: Spanish (official), Italian, English,
German, French, indigenous
Religion: 94% Christian, but most of those are nonpracticing Catholics
Literacy: 97% Education: average of 16 years
(college education is free at state universities)

76.  Economy
of Argentina benefits from rich
natural resources, a highly literate population,
an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a
diversified industrial base. Many of the
major car companies have plants in
Argentina. This is GM chassis in production.
Sunflowers are grown to produce sunflower
oil.

77. Pampas
 fertile
lowlands,
covering
almost
300,000 sq miles. High winds and wildfires
are common. Gauchos are the SA version of
cowboys and are a symbol of Argentinean
tradition.

78. Pampas

80. Tierra del Fuego

an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South
American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan.
The islands are shared between Chile and
Argentina.

82. Falkland Islands

83.  an
archipelago of almost 800 islands about
300 miles east of South America. It is a
territory of the U.K., although Argentina
attempted to invade it in 1982. Only about
3,000 people live here.