Caribbean South America

joropo

a dance

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries--they try to keep control of world oil productions and prices from going too low (Venezuela is only South American country that is a member.)

joropo

Venezuela's national dance

Gran Colombia

Venezuela, Columbia, Panama, and Ecuador

llaneros

Venezuelan cowboys

Angel Falls

highest waterfall in the world

civil war

a war between two or more groups within the same country (major problem in Colombia)

rain forest

area in south part of this region (part of Amazon basin) where canopy is so thick little sunlight reaches forest floor

Cartagena

colonial city that was a major naval base and port in Spanish empire where a fort was built to help control pirates from England ("port fort")

Chibcha

first people to settle in Colombia (the "gold dusters"), overtaken by Spanish

Llanos

grassy plains between Colombia and Venezuela

resources

land, climate, oil, coal, sea (fish, shrimp), rivers (hydroelectric power), forests (timber)

Andes Mountains

longest mountain range in the world

oil

main resource in Venezuela and Colombia

guerrillas

members of an irregular military force who want to control the country

mestizo

most people in this region are a mix of Native American and European decent

cordillera

mountain system made up of roughly parallel ranges

indigo

plant used to make blue dye (like for blue jeans) that grows in Venezuela (another crop that the Spanish grew and made the Native Americans do the work)

Hugo Chavez

president of Venezuela who started to distribute oil income equally (instead of just to the richy-rich)

referendum

recall vote

Lake Maracaibo

region's largest lake (in Venezuela and area is rich in oil)

Orinoco River

region's longest river (in Venezuela and are is rich in oil)

Caribbean South America

the part of South America that touches the Caribbean Sea

climate

tropical savanna and highland (because of high elevation: -4 degrees/1,000 feet)

coca plant

used to make cocaine (not a good crop in Colombia!)

emeralds and gold

valuable resources in this region

Simon Bolivar

war general who helped many countries gain independence from Spain (Bolivia was named in his honor)

strike

when a group of workers stop working until their demands are met