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
