Although the countries of South America are diverse, most have a blend of Native American, African, and European heritages, as well as a strong Spanish or Portugese influence on language and culture. The region's population of over 420 million people live in 12 countries and 3 dependent territorites.
The early empires of South America, including the Inca and the Nazca, developed sophisticated civilizations. The first European settlers, mostly from Spain and Portugal, arrived in the late 15th century and dominated the future development of the continent. Africans followed in the 16th century as forced laborers to work on plantations in Brazil and the West Indies. Asian immigrants first settled in the 19th century, and formed ethnic communities in Peru and Brazil, as well as Mexico and Cuba.
Patterns of human settlement in South America vary from sparsely populated Brazilian rainforests and Chilean deserts to the "populated rim" with megacities. Since the 1950s, many South Americans have migrated from rural areas to coastal cities. The economies in most South American countries reflect a historic dependence on farming as well as increasing reliance on a devleoping industrial sector. Countriesi n the region are faced with the problem of trying to improve the economic conditions of their people without doing irreparable harm to the environment.
Industrial growth in the region is limited by high mountains, dense forests, a drain on profits by foreigners, and political instability. Some South American countries are developing industries, but many of these industries are controlled by multinational corporations, who take their profits out of the country.
The tropical cliomates produce ideal growing conditions for tropical fruits, such as pineapple, papaya, and guava, as well as coffee and cacao, the main ingredient in chocoalte. Countries depending on only one or two export products can experience hardships in case of crop failures due to drought, disease or other natural disasters.
Brazil produces over 40% of the exports from South America, with Chile and Argentina following at around 12% each of the total. Brazil exports beef, sugar, iron, steel, woodpulp, corn, soybeans, and oil seed crops (grown to produce cooking oil). The deforestation caused by increased production of livestock and crops increased Brazil's greenouse gas emissions over 40% between 1990 and 2005.
The physical geography of the region hampers the development of transporation and communications systems throughout South America. Outside of urban areas, high mountains and dense vegetation make construction difficult and expensive, but a few major roadways exist. The Pan American Highway runs the length of Mexico, Central America, and South America. The Trans-Amazon Highway in Brazil links the interior of the Amaon Basin with the rest of the country and withthe surrounding countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Ironically, the opneing up of isolated regions of the Amazon rainforest has led to some of the region's and the world's most pressing challenges, including destruction of the rainforest and its biodiversity. Some countries have well-developed rail systems, while inland waterways remain important for transportation.
The rainforests of Brazil, like those in other parts of the world, are rapidly disappearing. Brazil has to balance the need to preserve the forests with economic development, which means cutting down large tracts of forests to make way for settlements, farms and ranches, roads, and access to natural resources. Rapidly growing cities face problems of overcrowding, substandard housing, air pollution, and inadequate resources for sanitaiton, employment, health care, and education. Many of the challenges of industrialization - pollution, overcrowding, public health - are global in scope. The endangered Amazon rainforests, for example, has been recognized as one of the world's greatest conservation challenges.
While Roman Catholicisim has been the dominant religion in South America since the colonial era, many South Americans have blended indigenous customs with those introduced by Europeans and Africans. Various art forms, including murals and music, also reflect a mixture of Native American, African, and European influences. South American life revolves around ties to the community and extended family.
Learning:
Assignments:
*Remember to work on your semester reading assignment. It's not due until January, but you can turn it in early if you are done.
Mapping:
- This week names of each South American country. Add the capitol of each country and any major cities.
