World Regional Geography - Week 4 (Class 1) PDF

WORLD REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY Week 4 (Class 1) The South American Realm MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES  Physiography dominated by the Andes Mountains in the west and Amazon Basin in the north. Much of the remainder is plateau country  Myriad Climates and Habitats...

WORLD REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY Week 4 (Class 1) The South American Realm MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES  Physiography dominated by the Andes Mountains in the west and Amazon Basin in the north. Much of the remainder is plateau country  Myriad Climates and Habitats  Brazil—largest and most populous state  South America after the commodity boom  China’s economic presence in South America  Abundant natural riches tends to create considerable dependency on economic conditions in world markets  Altiplano  The Altiplano is an area of inland drainage lying in the central Andes, occupying parts of northern Chile and Argentina, western Bolivia and southern Peru.  The Inca State, Empire  The Inca were expert builders whose stone structures  1438–1533  Machu Picchu  More than 7,000 feet above sea level  Built around 1450AD  New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 The Iberian Invaders  Iberian (Spanish and Portuguese)  Spanish conquest of the Incas in 1533  Land Alienation  One society or culture group taking land from another.  Portuguese penetrated east-central South America Population  The Population Map—Then and Now  “Pre-Colombian” population  Indigenous societies inhabited Andes highlands, Amazon Basin, and harsh environments of Tierra del Fuego  Contemporary population  90% of indigenous peoples eradicated by European warfare and disease  European settlers stayed near the coasts  Andes settlements legacy of Incas THE CULTURAL MOSAIC Ethnic Landscapes  Ethnic layers  Indigenous  Europeans  Africans  Asians  Ethnic mixing—some peoples have single ethnic origin while others have mixed ancestry  Cultural pluralism—peoples of various ethnicities and cultures cluster but generally do not mix  Brazil has South America’s largest black population  Concentrated in Brazil’s northeast ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY Agricultural Land Use and Deforestation Commercial agriculture  Large-scale or for-profit  Legacy of European land distribution systems Subsistence agriculture  Primarily for household use  Historically associated with indigenous, African, and Asian land-use patterns  Deforestation  Brazil has lost an area of rainforest almost the size of Venezuela since 1980 Dependence on Raw Materials The Commodity Boom and Its Aftermath  During the first decade of this century about 5% annual growth  Brazil, Chile, and Peru  Economic growth from global demand for raw materials from China has leveled off since 2011  Heavy reliance on the production of raw materials is risky long-term  Drive up producing country’s currency  Undermine local manufacturing and other processing industry  Invite corruption and instability  Nonrenewable resources URBANIZATION Rural-Urban Migration  Urban population of 82%  Rural-to-urban migration—from countryside to cities  Favela  Push and Pull factors  Push Factors  Slow rural land reforms  Little prospect of economic advancement  Pull Factors  Urban opportunities—regular wages, education for children  Better medical care  Upward social mobility and lure of life in a big city EXTERNAL RELATION The Shadow of the United States  Long history of U.S. involvement in the realm  Monroe Doctrine—1823  Cold War (1945-1993)—to keep Soviet influence out of the Western Hemisphere  Anti-Americanism based on past U.S. support of right-wing dictatorships  Dependency theory (1960)— persistent poverty of some countries explained in terms of unequal relations with more affluent countries https://sites.google.com/site/theoriesofdevelopment/stages-and- theories/dependancy-theories China’s Growing Economic Influence  Surpassed the U.S. as the leading trading partner of Brazil, Chile, and Peru  Chinese Presence  Establishing new embassies and consulates  Buying up companies  Partnering joint ventures  Financing infrastructure projects and development assistance  Sending and inviting high-level trade delegations  Demand for raw materials and markets for Chinese exports THE SOUTH AMERICAN REALM Regions of the Realm  The Caribbean North  The Andean West  The Southern Cone  Brazil Population Ranking GDP Ranking The Caribbean North  Colombia  Venezuela  Guyana—Britain  Suriname—the Netherlands  French Guiana—France Colombia  Coastlines on both Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea  History of conflict and violence  Resources  Agriculture and other resources found in west and north  Oil and gas reserves along border with Venezuela and eastern Andes Colombia’s Revival  Campaign for economic revival  Promoting market-oriented, business-friendly policies  Bogota—one of the realm’s primary business complexes Cocaine’s Curse  Drug cartels infiltrated political and security systems  Control of vast networks of producers and exporters  Vast, remote, and flat interior fertile ground for drug industry  Cartels organized their own armed forces fighting with the government  Venezuela https://www.worldometers.info/maps/venezuela-map/ https://www.worldometers.info/maps/venezuela-map/ The “Three Guianas”  Non-“Latin” colonial legacies  Plantation agriculture similar to Caribbean islands  Guyana  Former British colony (1966)  Ethnically and culturally divided  Poorest and least urbanized  Oil potential  Suriname  Former Dutch colony (1975)  Ethnically and culturally divided—South Asian, Indonesian, African, Chinese  French Guiana  French dependency  European Space Agency The Andean West  Physiographical dominance of the Andes  Historic and cultural influence of Indigenous peoples  Subsistence agriculture  Legacy of land-owning elite and landless peons  Oil and natural gas potential Peru  Peru is the third largest country in South America, after Brazil and Argentina  Most people live along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, where the capital, Lima, is located.  The world's largest rain forest, the Amazon, covers nearly half of Peru  Vast mineral reserves  Gold, copper, zinc, lead  Subsistence agriculture in isolated and clustered villages  Inca Culture https://www.peru-explorer.com/amazon_rainforest_map.htm Ecuador  Ecuador is named after the Equator  Quito—capital  Bordered by Colombia and Peru  Ecuador is considered one of the most naturally diverse areas of the world.  Agriculture—bananas, cacao, cattle raising, coffee  Cotopaxi highest active volcano in the world  Galapagos https://geology.com/plate-tectonics.shtml Bolivia  Landlocked and isolated  Lake Titicaca—3,700 m (12,500 ft) highest navigable lake  La Paz-capital  Resources—silver, tin, zinc, copper, lead, ferroalloys, oil, natural gas  Uyuni Paraguay  landlocked country  Poverty, low urbanization, and high inequality (1% of population owns 77% of the land)  Triple Frontier—lawless border zone of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay  Scene of smuggling, money-laundering  Global terrorism activity  Sizeable, tristate Middle Eastern community The Southern Cone Argentina  Capital: Buenos Aires  One of the realm’s most affluent and urbanized countries  Around 95% of Argentina’s population are of European descent  It benefits from rich natural resources – including oil, silver and copper  Argentina’s main industry is agriculture  Iguazu Falls: Located on the border between Argentina and Brazil, about ⅔ of the waterfalls belong to Argentina. These waterfalls are among the largest waterfalls https://www.touropia.com/regions-in-argentina-map/ Chile  Elongated state—territory is long and narrow— 4,000 km (2,500 mi)  Extends across several environmental zones  Three Subregions  Middle Chile  Santiago—capital  Valparaíso—chief port  Fertile agricultural lands  Dominated by Europeans  Atacama Desert  Wealth of minerals—copper (Top Export)  Mestizo populations  Southern coasts  Fjords, islands, and cold Andean interior  Indigenous majorities  Economically and socially stabile  Successful free-market reforms have been made  Foreign investments have allowed Chile to diversify  Second largest Pool -- San Alfonso del Mar https://www.inverse.com/science/the-truth-about-easter-island-a-sustainable- society-has-been-falsely-blamed-for-its-own-demise  Chile is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire and counts about 3,000 volcanoes.  Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island of the world. Uruguay  Small and compact  Densely populated  Buffer state—between Brazil and Argentina  Montevideo—capital  50% of country’s population  Economic Activities  Grazing cattle and sheep  Beef products, wool and textiles, hides  Tourism https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/oriental-republic-uruguay-map- vector-2890748 Brazil: Giant of South America  Regional and economic superpower  1989—embraced democratic government  Vast natural resources  Territorially—Ranks 5th in world  Brazil is the eighth largest economy in the world  Amazon Basin, Tropic Savanah, Brazilin highland  Rio De Janeiro, Long-time capital until 1960  São Paulo (Most populous city)  Industrial producer  Brasília—1960  Forward capital—located in internal frontier Population and Culture  Diverse population  European  Portuguese, Italian, German, Eastern European  Indigenous  African  Asian  Japanese  Concentrated in São Paulo State  Roman Catholic