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South America --Chapter #12--

South America --Chapter #12--. I. Physical Geography. Landforms: Mt. Aconcagua Altiplano Guiana Highlands Tepuis (Angel Falls) Amazon Basin Llanos Gran Chaco Pampas Patagonia Tierra del Fuego. Major Rivers: Amazon? Orinoco? Parana?. Natural Resources: Hydroelectricity?

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South America --Chapter #12--

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  1. South America --Chapter #12--

  2. I. Physical Geography • Landforms: • Mt. Aconcagua • Altiplano • Guiana Highlands • Tepuis (Angel Falls) • Amazon Basin • Llanos • Gran Chaco • Pampas • Patagonia • Tierra del Fuego

  3. Major Rivers: • Amazon? • Orinoco? • Parana?

  4. Natural Resources: • Hydroelectricity? • Itaipu Dam • Rubber • Timber • Medicine • Mineral wealth? • Copper • Emeralds

  5. BLACK GOLD IN SOUTH AMERICA • Oil in the Rainforests of Peru & Ecuador • Tar Sands of Venezuela • Lake Maracaibo • Colombia? • Brazil? • Argentina? • Chile?

  6. II. Historical & Cultural Geography • Early History: • Inca • Cuzco • Francisco Pizarro (1530s)

  7. Spanish Settlement: • Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) • Columbian Exchange? • American Indian pops? • Latifundia

  8. Portuguese Settlement: • Brazil (1530s) • Sugarcane • African slave trade • Cattle ranching

  9. Liberation of South America: • Between 1810 – 1830 • Colonial borders? • Buffer state? • Coup?

  10. Languages: • Brazil? • Andes = Quechua (Inca)

  11. Settlement Patterns:

  12. III. South America Today • The Economy: • Minifundia • Chile’s central valley & S. Brazil & N. Argentina • Coffee?

  13. The Destruction of the Amazon Rainforest

  14. Some stats on the Amazon R.F. Makes up 20% of S. Amer. 2.7 mill. sq. mi. (10x Texas!) 54% of total rainforests (LARGEST IN WORLD!) Greatest biodiversity About ½ of Earth’s est. 10 mill. species Amazon Basin Ocelot

  15. Amazon River: World’s LARGEST river! 3,915 mi. long (Nile=4,160) Contains 20-25% of world’s freshwater (excludes ice) 1,100 tributaries (17 = >1,000 mi. long) “The River Sea”?

  16. Arapaima 9.8’ long 440 lbs. Amazon River Dolphin “boto” Bull shark

  17. Importance of Amazon R.F. A. Biodiversity Contains ½ of approx. 10 mill. world species <1% have been studied 137 species lost/day b/c of deforestation 2,000 fish species 20% of ALL birds

  18. B. Medicine “the World’s largest pharmacy” Why should WE be concerned w/destruction of rainforests? Complex chemical storehouses Provide 25% of today’s medicine (70% of plants have anti-cancer props.) Vincristine

  19. C. Climate “Lungs of our Planet”? Absorbs CO2 & produces >20% of world’s O2 What happens if rainforests are destroyed?

  20. 1950: R.F. covered about 15% of Earth Today: R.F. covers about 6% of Earth Avg. of 12 acres lost/min. 1 yr. = 10,000 sq. mi. (Vermont) Who is to blame for this? R.F. will be consumed in <40 yrs.

  21. Why are rainforests being cut down? • 1. exploitation of iron ore & other minerals • 2. resettlement of “excess” pops. from the crowded S.E. • 3. farming & ranching • 4. timber exploitation • 5. hydroelectric development

  22. The Trans-Amazon Highway (BR-364 & BR-163) (Soy Highway) …IMPACT???? • Regional Initiative for Infrastructure Integration of South America

  23. Recap… • Why do we care? Importance of rainforest? • Biodiversity • Medicines • Climate

  24. Colombian Civil War • Civil War (1964 – present) –longest in S. Amer. • Betw: • Colombian Govt. (democracy) • Communist Guerilla groups • 1964: FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) • 1966: ELN (National Liberation Army) • GOAL: fighting for social & economic reform or to overthrow the govt. to est. a communist state? • Labeled as “terrorists” by the West

  25. FARC: • 11,000 members (2009) • Prevalent in S. Colombia • Raise about $600 mill./yr. by protecting drug lords & thru kidnappings • Collects “war taxes” from those in regions they control

  26. ELN: • Similar to FARC but smaller (1,500 members) • Also collect “war taxes” and kidnap • REASON FOR CRIME & GUERRILLA ACTIVITY = POVERTY! • Per capita GDP = $9,200 • 22% of pop. = works in ag. • 49% of pop. = below poverty line

  27. A MAP THAT SUMS IT UP • FARC = yellow • ELN = green hatch • AUC = orange

  28. Colombian Oil • Colombia = U.S.’ 9th largest importer! *How does this influence our involvement?

  29. Cano Limon Pipeline destroyed by the ELN

  30. The Colombian Drug Trade • Colombia: • Supplies 80% of world’s cocaine & 70% that enters the US • Cocaine = produced from the coca plant • Grown on farms under control of FARC • Peasants grow coca b/c it is worth more $$$$ than growing coffee

  31. Medillen Cartel • Formed in 1970s by Pablo Escobar • Responsible for producing & trafficking cocaine • At its height = $60 mill./day • U.S.’ DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) • Created by Nixon administration to combat drugs • Used violence/intimidation (narco-terrorism) • Assassinations of those who stood against Escobar • 1993: Escobar was hunted down • Medellin Cartel disappeared

  32. Cali Cartel • Involved in heroin & cocaine trafficking • Controlled 90% of cocaine market • Early 1990s = $7 bill./yr. from US alone • Did not use narco-terrorism like Medellin • We don’t kill judges, we buy them.

  33. 1991: Operation Cornerstone by DEA • Arranged extradition from Colombia to US • Intercepted major shipments from Cali • 1995: indicted 61 top members of Cali • Cali was no more

  34. Plan Colombia • Modern trafficking orgs = decentralized • 2000 – present • Aimed at eliminating trafficking & combating FARC & ELN • US = $6 bill. since 2000 • Train & equip Colombian army • Supply airplanes & herbicide to kill coca plants • Colombia’s Drug War video 1 • Colombia’s Drug War video 2 • Colombia’s Drug War video 3

  35. Former Colombian President: Alvaro Uribe Velez

  36. Mercosur(Southern Common Market) • 1991 • Brazil, Uruguay, Arg., Para. • Promotes free trade • 3rd largest economic alliance (EU & NAFTA)

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