South America

What is El Niño? What occurs during an El Niño event?

El Niño is an ocean and weather pattern. During an El Niño event, the eastern Pacific Ocean is warmer and the climate much wetter than normal.

What are two examples that illustrate how Spanish and Portuguese heritages continue in South American culture.

Language and religion

Where did the Spanish conquerors of the Incas establish their capital city?

Lima

Which of the following is not a major river in South America?

Llanos

a large plains area between Colombia and Venezuela

Llanos

Southern Common Market

Mercosur

large urban slums

favelas

What is the purpose of Mercosur? What countries are full members in Mercosur?

The purpose of Mercosur is to expand trade, improve transportation, and reduce tariffs among member countries. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay are full members of this trade organization.

Describe how the tepuís of the Guiana Highlands are different from the Andes.

The tepuís are a chain or high plateaus that have been worn away by erosion. This area is composed of ancient eroded highlands. In contrast, the Andes are more recently formed mountains that were created when the Nazca and South American plates collided. There is also continued tectonic activity in the Andes.

What are four developments of Inca civilizations that are still visible today?

suspension bridges, stone construction, terraced fields, paved roads

rock or sand layers that contain oil

tar sands

a chain of high plateaus

tepuis

the line of elevation above which trees do not grow

tree line

The city of Manaus grew rich in the late 1800s from which resource?

rubber

Which of the following countries is not a full member in Mercosur?

Bolivia

Which country has the largest Portuguese-speaking population?

Brazil

Describe how terrorism affects life in Colombia.

Answers will vary. Students may discuss how violence is affecting voting patterns, civil rights, politics, and justice in Colombia. Students should attribute the violence at least in part to the illegal drug trade in that country.

Which of the following countries has the highest percentage of people of European ancestry?

Argentina

Where is the driest region in South America?

Atacama Desert

How is the history of Brazilian independence different than that of the Spanish colonies in South America?

Brazilian independence followed a different path because the ruling Portuguese royal family came to live in the colony. The country only received its independence after the Portuguese king returned to Portugal. In contrast, the Spanish colonies had gained their independence after the authorities fled the country after unrest.

Where in South America would you find a Mediterranean climate?

Chile's central valley

Which of the following countries is famous for its emeralds?

Columbia

What was the capital city of the Incan Empire?

Cuzco

Which of the following civilizations once covered the area of what is now Ecuador to Chile?

Incan

Which of the following cities were established from the sugar and slavery trade?

Natal and Salvador

Why does Patagonia have semiarid and arid climates?

Patagonia lies in the rain shadow of the Andes, which creates semiarid and arid climates.

Describe the language known as Portunol. Where is it spoken?

Portunol is a mix of Portuguese and Spanish. It is spoken in the area of Uruguay's border with Brazil.

How have the creation and distribution of resources affected development in the Amazon Basin?

Rubber and other forest products from the Amazon River Basin have attracted people and investment.

Why does the continent of South America have a wide variety of climate regions?

South America has a wide variety of climate regions because the continent extends across 60 degrees of latitude.

Describe the settlement patterns of South America.

The coasts and reach only a few hundred miles inland are where most of the populations are located. Many of the major cities are seaports. The interior of the continent is in general thinly populated. Each country tends to have one or two large cities, which are much larger than any other cities in the country.

What forces created the Andes? How does tectonic activity affect the region today?

The collision of the Nazca and South American plates created the Andes. Continued tectonic activity causes volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Why do the majority of South Americans today follow the Roman Catholic faith?

The majority of South Americans today are Roman Catholic because their ancestors, the Spanish and Portuguese colonists, were Roman Catholic.

Why did the South American Indian population fall sharply during the colonial period?

The population fell because millions of South American Indians died from diseases brought by the Europeans; many more died in battles with the Europeans; and others died from overwork in Spanish mines and on ranches and plantations.

Which of the following countries contains large tar sands?

Venezuela

Which of the following issues is not a serious environmental concern in South America?

air pollution

Which of the following factors severely limits the growth of many industries in South America?

all parts and raw materials must be imported

a small country between two larger more powerful countries

buffer state

Taking over the government through force is called a ____.

coup

What is a major cause of poverty and unrest in South America?

inequality in land ownership

Which of the following factors is not a challenge for South American countries?

lack of natural resources

large estates on the Pampas

latifundia

a tropical fruit with starchy roots

manioc

small farms that are often unprofitable

minifundia

What is La Niña?

ocean and weather patterns that occur when Pacific waters are cooler than normal