chapter 9 blog notes
TRANSCRIPT
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