geography chapter 12

amazon river

4,00 miles long; world's largest river in volume; no other river drains a larger area; so much water flows from this river into the atlantic ocean that freshwater dilutes seawater more than 100 miles from shore

amazon river basin

______ ______ ______ is the world's largest tropical humid climate region; has the largest tropical rain forest in the world; more than 150 inches of rain fall every year

brazil

______ has enormous reserves of iron ore and bauxite

colombia

______ has long been famous for its emeralds

uruguay

______ is an example of a buffer state

chile

______ is the world's largest producer and exporter of copper

spain, portugal

a 1494 treaty had divided south america between ______ and ______

buffer state

a small country between two larger, more powerful countries

guaraní

a south american indian people who lived in the fertile lands of eastern paraguay

lima

after conquering the inca empire, the spanish built a new capital city in ______, near the coast

beans, chilies, corn, potatoes, and squash

american products that colonists took to europe, africa, and asia

altiplano

an elevated plain that divides the andes; name means "high plateau" in spanish; lies at about 12,000 feet above sea level

tierra del fuego

an island divided between argentina and chile

el niño

an ocean and weather pattern that affects the dry pacific coast; during this event, the eastern pacific ocean is warmer and the climate much wetter than normal

french guiana

an overseas department of france; lies along south america's northern coast

cattle, horses, sheep, sugarcane, and wheat

animals and agricultural products that european colonists introduced to south america

llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and the andean condor

animals unique to south america that have adapted to the andes' harsh conditions

gran chaco

between the andes and the brazilian highlands; name means "hunting land" because hunting is a popular pastime in this most semiarid landscape

1822

brazil declared its independence in ______

mediterranean

chile's central valley has a ______ climate, with winter rains and summer droughts

natal and salvador

cities in northeastern brazil that remain from the sugar and slavery era

francisco pizarro

conquered the inca empire in the 1530s

orinoco river

drains the western guiana highlands and the llanos; emptiness into the atlantic ocean

brazilian highlands

extend inland along brazil's southeastern coast; ancient and eroded

lake poopó

farther south than lake titicaca; salty lake

1) tierra caliente 2) tierra templada 3) tierra fría 4) paramo 5) tierra helada

five different elevation zones of the central and northern andes region, according to elevation

inca

founded south america's greatest early civilization; stretched from what is now ecuador to central chile; built paved roads and suspension bridges to connect their empire from the pacific coast to the amazon lowlands

lake titicaca

freshwater lake; 3,200 square miles; located on the peru-bolivia border; more than 25 of the altiplano's rivers drain into this lake

tepuís

high plateaus caused by erosion

rain shadow

in southern argentine the andes create a ______ ______, which results in the patagonia having semiarid and arid climates; few animals live in this area

decreased

indian populations ______ during the colonial period because of european diseases being carried to south america and because they were overworked in mines, on ranches, and plantations

latifundia

large estates that spread across the pampas

llanos

large plain area in northeastern colombia and western venezuela; name means "plains" in spanish

amazon river basin

largest plain in south america; occupies about 2 million square miles

paraná river

longest of south america's three great river systems; flows into the río de la plata estuary between argentina and uruguay; drains an area that includes the eastern slopes of the andes and the highlands of eastern brazil

tropical wet, dry

many areas of south america have ______ ______ and ______ climate

medicines

many nuts and plants used for ______ come from the amazon rain forest

dammed

many rivers, particularly in the paraná and amazon basins, have been ______ to generate electricity and store water for irrigation

marine west coast

moist westerlies influence southern chile, that area has a ______ ______ ______ climate

argentina, brazil, chile

more recent oil discoveries have been made off the coasts of ______, ______, and ______

brazil, columbia

new gold and silver deposits have been found in ______ and ______

columbia, peru, ecuador

oil deposits have been developed in ______ and the upper amazon basin of ______ and ______

bolivia

once the spanish were established in peru, their influence spread across the altiplano into what is now ______

east

portugal got the right to lands to the ______ of the treaty line

brazil

portugese settlement began in the 1530s along the eastern coast of what is now ______

rubber and timber

rain forests provide ______ and ______

12,000

researchers believe people first entered south america from the north more than ______ years ago

guiana highlands

rise in southern venezuela; stretch across part of northern brazil and guyana, suriname, and french guiana

tar sands

rock or sand layers that contain oil; because the oil has to be cooked out of the rocks, production of expensive

chibcha

ruled and developed gold-working skills in the colombian andes

brazil, columbia, venezuela, guyana, suriname, ecuador, peru, chile, bolivia, paraguay, argentina, uruguay

south america's 12 countries

the andes

south america's great mountain range that extends along the continent's pacific coast

patagonia

south of the pampas; semiarid plains that stretch all the way to tierra del fuego

west

spain got the right to lands to the ______ of the treaty line

nazca, south american

the collision of the ______ and ______ ______ plates created the andes

atacama desert

the driest region of south america; located in northern chile and southern peru; a high pressure system and cool ocean currents bring dry weather to this area throughout the year

hunter-gatherers

the first settlers were ____________

aconcagua

the highest peak in the andes range; rises to 22,834 feet

cuzco, peru

the inca capital; examples of inca stone construction can still be seen in this place

venezuela

the largest oil reserves are in ______

tree line

the line of elevation able which trees do not grow

1810, 1830

the spanish colonies of south america gained their independence between ______ and ______

chile

the spanish colonized central ______ in the 1540s

lake maracaibo

the vast oil deposits surrounding ______ ______ have made venezuela a leading oil-exporting country

amazon river, orinoco river, paraná river

three great river systems that drain the eastern part of south america

brazilwood

used to produce red and purple dye

angel falls

waterfalls in venezuela that tumble 3,212 feet; the world's highest waterfall

la niña

when pacific waters are colder than normal; pattern alternates with el niño

pampas

wide grasslands far south; eastern edge is argentina's most densely populated area; erosion by both wind and water have carried fertile soil from the andes to these plains