Geog #4
Unity of Place
The great german natural scientist Alexander von Humboldt's notion that in a particular locale or region intricate connections exist among climate, geology, biology and human cultures. This laid the foundation for modern geography as an integrative discipline marked by a spatial perspective.
What is the Southern most city in the world?
Ushuaia, Argentina on the island of Tierra del Fuego . This city of 29,452 people lies at 54 degrees 48 south latitude. Less than 700 miles from Antarctica .
Cartogram
a specially transformed map not based on traditional representations of scale or area.
Patagonia
a windswept plateau region occupying the southern third of south america EAST of the Andes. The plateau receives little precipitation. and its only vegetation is scrubby grasses and thorny desert scrubs. The name probably comes from the grand Patagon a dog=headed monster in European romance called Primaleon of Greece.
Uneven development
the notion that economic development varies spatially, a central tenet of core-periphery relationships in realms, regions, and lesser geographic entities.
Falkland Islands
As a British overseas territory, the Falklands have internal self-governance, and the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The islands' capital is Stanley on East Falkland.
What South American city was the capitol of the Inca Empire?
Cusco, Peru. The city was built by the Incas in the 14th century and served as their capitol for 200 years until it was destroyed by Francisco Pizarro in 1533. Today Cusco thrives as a major tourist attraction. Many of its houses and buildings are constructed on foundations of stone first cut by the Incas
Amazon River
A major South American river. It's the second longest river in the world and one of its three major river systems, running about 4,000 miles from the west to east and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.
What percentage of the word's coffee beans come from S. America?
45%-----Brazil leads the continent by producing just under 1/4 of the world's total. Another 16% are grown in Columbia
What country in South America is the longest, when measured north to south?
Brazil. The country measures 2,725 miles north to south. Which is the approximate distance from NY city to Reno, Nevada
what do coffee plants require? What elevation yields the most flavorful coffee beans?
Hot moist climates- elevations 3,000-6,000 feet.
What city is the world's highest national capitol?
La Paz, Bolivia. The city sprawls across the floor of a deep canyon high in the Andes at an elevation of 12,000 ft. Approximately the same height as the summit of Japan's Mt. Fugi. The canyon walls protect the city from bitterly cold winds that whip across the surrounding plateau. Visitors from lower elevation often suffer from altitude sickness for several days until their bodies adjust to the thin oxygen -poor air.
Colombia
Located Northwestern of South America; North to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Caribbean Sea and West of Panama and Pacific Ocean. Bordering Venezuela and Brazil. Shares oil and gas in and around the "Lake" Maracaibo area. South eastern interior is known for fertile ground for their money maker-drugs. They have a major biodiversity. With 40 to 45 thousand plant species. Andes Region: Andean Region- mountainous from the west and the north. The Andes Mountains form the most populated region of Columbia. Climate and vegetation varies because of the altitudes. This region has the most Coca species grown. Discovered new pipelines along the Andean cordillera to the coast. Coca is one of the four cultivated plants and is known throughout the world for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. Putumayo, Caquetá, Meta, Guaviare, Nariño, Antioquia, and Vichada The drug trade took place in the major cities such as Medellin and Cali. -Had an impact because of the Colombian's life. Columbia-Venezuela's border is the key transit to transport cocaine to the U.S. "Columbia replaced Bolivia and Peru as the primary producer of coca leaf between 1996 and 1997 but went back to Peru in 2012" (Wikipedia).
What lies about 50 miles northwest of the Cusco?
Machupicchu, a well preserved mountain top inca city which was rediscovered in 1911.
How many of South America's 20 longest rivers empty into the Pacific Ocean?
None. South america's continental divide runs along the crest of the Andes and at the continent western edge in most places the divide lies within 200 miles of the pacific coast. Rivers originating west of the divide have only a short distance to travel before reaching the pacific. Rivers flowing east from the divide have nearly the whole expanse of the continent to cross before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.
What was discovered in Venezuela's lake Maracaibo in 1914?
Oil was discovered. Maracaibo sits above one of the world's largest oil fields. Today the lake's surface is a thicket of oil derricks. Wealth from oil exportation has helped to make Venezuela one of the richest countries in Latin america
Land alienation
One society or culture group taking land from another
Dependecia Theory
Originating in South America during the 1960's, it was a new way of thinking about economic development and underdevelopment that explained the persistent poverty of certain countries in terms of their unequal relations with other rich countries.
The world's most southern city with the population greater than 100,000 is what?
Punta Arenas, Chile. Located 150 miles northwest of Ushuaia.
What stretch of the ocean off of the S. American coast is considered one of the most treacherous to ships?
The Drake Passage Approximately 500 miles wide. This straight separates Cape Horn- at the southern tip of south america- from the south Shetland Islands which lies just north of Antarctica. One of the most treacherous to ships. First traversed in 1615, the passage was part of a major trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans until 1914. when the panama canal opened Frigid temperatures, rough waters and high winds made the passage treacherous for all vessels but especially for the sailing ships of centuries past.
Latin American City Model
The Griffin Ford model of intraurban spatial structure in the middle american and south american realms.
Pampa
The pampas are a lowland or plain which makes up the majority of Argentinian physiographic subregion. The temperate climate makes it an ideal place for agriculture. Over the last century and a half, the pampas have been used as a center for large scale meat and grain production. Large scale railroads and haciendas were built in order to further production q
Coca
The plant is grown as a cash crop in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, even in areas where its cultivation is unlawful.[2] It also plays a role in many traditional Andean cultures as well as the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (see Traditional uses). Coca is known throughout the world for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The alkaloid content of coca leaves is low, between 0.25% and 0.77%.[3] This means that chewing the leaves or drinking coca tea does not produce the high (euphoria, megalomania, depression) people experience with cocaine. Coca leaf extract had been used in Coca-Cola products since 1885, with cocaine being completely eliminated from the products in or around 1929.[4][5] Extraction of cocaine from coca requires several solvents and a chemical process known as an acid/base extraction, which can fairly easily extract the alkaloids from the plant.
The Incas
also known as the Incan Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America.[3] The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century, and the last Inca stronghold was conquered by the Spanish in 1572. From 1438 to 1533, the Incas used a variety of methods, from conquest to peaceful assimilation, to incorporate a large portion of western South America, centered on the Andean mountain ranges, including, besides Peru, large parts of modern Ecuador, western and south central Bolivia, northwest Argentina, north and central Chile, and a small part of southern Colombia into a state comparable to the historical empires of Eurasia. The official language of the empire was Quechua, although hundreds of local languages and dialects of Quechua were spoken. Many local forms of worship persisted in the empire, most of them concerning local sacred Huacas, but the Inca leadership encouraged the worship of Inti—their sun god—and imposed its sovereignty above other cults such as that of Pachamama.[4] The Incas considered their king, the Sapa Inca, to be the "son of the sun."[5]
Galápagos Islands
are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, 906 km (563 mi) west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part. The Galápagos Islands and their surrounding waters form the Galápagos Province of Ecuador, the Galápagos National Park, and the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of slightly over 25,000.[1] The islands are famed for their vast number of endemic species and were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.
why is south america sometimes referred to as the hollow continent?
because the middle is almost empty- South America earned its nickname because most of its people live on the coast. The interior is SPARSELY populated. 16 of the largest metropolitan areas lie within 200 miles of the coast.
The second longest country in s. america?
chile. measures 2,647 miles. In contrast to its great length measures ONLY 235 miles east to west at its widest point.
Informal Sector
dominated by unlicensed sellers of homemade goods and services, the primitive form of capitalism found in many developing countries that takes place beyond the control of government.
What are the Nazca lines
gigantic drawings that that were etched into Peru's desert floor by the Nazca people between 500 BC and AD 500. They are scattered across 200 square miles. they form the worlds largest display of art. the drawings fall into two categories. 1. Animal motifs and 2. Geometric patterns of criss crossing straight lines.
Altiplano
high elevation plateau, basin or valley between even higher mountain ranges, especially in the Andes of south america.
Machu Picchu
is a 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level.[2][3] It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District in Peru.[4] It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438-1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas" (a title more accurately applied to Vilcabamba), it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization.
Strait of Magellan
is a navigable sea route separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans but it is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the unpredictable winds and currents and the narrowness of the passage.
Atacama Desert
is a plateau in South America, covering a 1,000-kilometre (600 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is the driest non-polar desert in the world.
Gran Chaco
is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region. This land is sometimes called the Chaco Plain.
Tierra del Fuego
is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, with an area of 48,100 km2 (18,572 sq mi), and a group of many islands, including Cape Horn and Diego Ramírez Islands. Tierra del Fuego is divided between Chile and Argentina, with the latter controlling the eastern half of the main island and the former the western half plus the islands south of Beagle Channel.
Plural society
is defined by Fredrik Barth as a society combining ethnic contrasts: the economic interdependence of those groups, and their ecological specialization (i.e., use of different environmental resources by each ethnic group).
Drake Passage
is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean.
The Andes
is the longest continental mountain range in the world. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about 7,000 km (4,300 mi) long, about 200 to 700 km (120 to 430 mi) wide (widest between 18° south and 20° south latitude), and of an average height of about 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The Andes extend from north to south through seven South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
Panama Canal
that connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 metres (85 ft) above sea level.