South America Realm/ Regions Test

How has land ownership impacted Paraguay's economic inequality?

1.6% of people own 80% of the land which results in a low GDP for the country

Name the four South American Regions. What are the characteristics that made each of them unique?

São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Lima. All of their metropolitan populations exceed 10 million people.

(PERU) Who are the "Quechua speakers"? Describe the lifestyle of the "sierra" region?

the andean or sierra subregion occupies ⅓ pf the country, is ancestral home to largest component of population, which are speakers of Quechua.

What two factors have contributed to Argentina's economic failures? What was "The Economist" reaction to political corruption in Argentina?

the factors are political in fighting and economic management. the economist reacted to the political corruption as "a deliberate attempt to deceive voters and windle investors"

What portion of Bolivia's population indigenous?

About half of the population (11 million people).

What is the "unity of place"

Alexander von Humboldts, a great German scientist, notioned that in a particular region, there are intricate connections amongst climate, geology, biology, and culture.

What is an "insurgent state"?

An insurgent state is territorial embodiment of a successful guerilla movement. The establishment by anti government insurgents of a territorial base in which the exercise full control; this a state within state.

(BOLIVIA) Why is the town of Potosi legendary?

Because of the immense amounts of silver, tin, copper, and other metals.

Why is Paraguay considered "thoroughly bilingual"?

Because over 90% of the population speaks the native language Guarani.

Why was the production of "oil" not beneficial to the Venezuelan population?

Because the government has been living off of the population while the general population is stuck in an ongoing cycle of poverty.

(GUYANA) What is the legacy of this country? When did it gain its independence?

British Colony with English as the official language before the British rule ended in 196 and political turmoil began.

How does Colombia's drug cartels demonstrate "influence and control"?

Drug Cartels based in the cities control networks of producers and exporters. Cartels have infiltrated the political systems, overtaken the military and police forces, waged wars amongst each other, and have cost the country tens of thousands of lives and their entire social order.

What conditions provided for Chile's economic growth and stability?

Chile has instituted programs for free economic reform that has aided chile to become a prominent figure in the global economy

Describe the route of narcotics production in South America (predominantly cocaine).

Coca is harvested in the Andes and other nearby interior lowlands, it makes its way to collection centers where it is turned into coca paste. The next stage is refining the coca paste into cocaine hydrochloride. Finally, the cocaine is distributed up into Middle America and the US.

What is the difference between commercial agriculture and subsistence agriculture?

Commercial agriculture is for profit where subsistence agriculture is just to be able to live and feed their families off of a small plot of land.

What is Sranan Tongo?

Commonly used language in Suriname

What are the consequences of Bolivia's "landlocked" status?

Consequences of being landlocked are having no port access, building are expensive, transport is expensive, dependent on neighboring countries

Describe the three subregions of Peru?

Desert Coat- a subregion, and it's symptomatic of the cultural division prevailing in Peru that for nearly 500 years the capital city has been positioned on the western periphery, not in a central location in a basin of the Andes. Sierra- sub region occupies just about ⅓ of the country and is the ancestral home of the largest component in total population, the speakers of Quecha emerged during the Inca Empire. Oriente- the inland- facing slopes of the Andean ranges that lead down the Amazon- drained, rainforest- covered montana, is most isolated.

(PERU) Why was the "coastal strip" a good choice for a capital city?

Economically, having headquarters on the Pacific coast proved to be best, the coastal strip has become commercially the most productive part of the country. Great fishing industry add to the export trade; so do agricultural products from 40 oases

How is Guyana divided ethnically and culturally?

Ethnically it is 44% South Asian and 30% Afro-European, while culturally it is 57% Christian and 2% Hindu.

What products dominate Uruguay's export trade?

Fruits, veggies, and grain.

(BOLIVIA) How does the Santa Cruz Department in the East differ from the Andean west?

Haciendas are the same as they were hundreds of years ago unlike the west.

How has Chile's "elongated" geography assisted in its development (the sea, the mountains, the north/south orientation)?

Has assisted in its development by giving a bigger region access to trading ports. Mountains have help prevent uprisings from aggressive neighbors.

Who is Hugo Chavez? What were the consequences of Venezuela's oil policies?

He was a president who promised the people change when he was elected, but in fact, matters only got worse. He drove up the prices of oil and just kept more money for himself and continued to leave his population in the dark.

What are the "altiplanos"?

High altitude valleys that have fertile soil, reliable water sources, good building materials, and natural protection. Great for many farmers of that era.

(ARGENTINA) Describe the Mendoza Province.

Home to very productive winer industry.

How is Paraguay's long standing isolation eroding?

In the hot, semiarid climate in the Northwest the island is eroding.

List the reasons why reliance on the production of raw materials (commodities) is not always good.

It drives up the value of the producing countries currency, which in turn, limits sale of other exports because they become more expensive to do any trade with. High revenues from one raw material leave a possibility to undermine the development of local manufacturing and other processing industries.

Describe the cultural landscape of South America. What is meant by "cultural pluralism"?

It is a layered cultural landscape like Middle America. Cultural Pluralism is where people of varied ethnicities and cultures cluster in adjacent areas but generally do not mix. The result is a cultural mosaic of almost endless variety.

Describe the "llanos" area of the Venezuelan Highlands? Why is the "tierra templada" area important.

It is a part of the country that is in a nascent stage of development. The tierra templada zones are important because it is really god producing agriculture in the areas.

What is the "informal sector"? What are two names given to the entry-level settlements of South America?

It is dominated by unlicensed sellers of homemade goods and services, the primitive form of capitalism found in many developing countries that the government does not have control over. Barrios and Favelas.

Describe the Maracaibo Lowlands? Why are they important to Venezuela?

It is one of the leading oil producing areas in the country. Much of the oil comes from below the shallow lake.

How does "oil" figure in Guyana's future?

It is shared with Suriname and is mostly in rural areas. It needed urban areas no yet available.

(FRENCH GUIANA) Why is Kourou important?

It is the place where the European Space Agency launch complex is located.

(COLOMBIA) Describe the city of Medellin's recent transformation.

It used to be a major drug export city but the recent transformation has made it one of the world's most innovative cities. Most of the crime was pushed away and in place they put high technology systems throughout the city.

Describe Colombia's site and situation (population clusters).

It's great scenic physical geography divides the 48.7 million inhabitants into clusters that aren't sufficiently interconnected to foster integration. Columbia's population clusters continue to be poorly interconnected.

How does Paraguay's geography differ from its Andean neighbors?

Landlocked and has no highlands.

Why is French Guiana considered an Overseas Departement of France?

Language spoken in French Guiana is French, also the last remaining dependency on the mainland of South America

Describe French Guiana's economic activity.

Major influence in French Guiana is the ESA launch complex, that complex accounts for more than half of the territories economy activity.

Give a brief description of each of the major trading blocs: Mercosur Pacific Alliance

Mercosur was launched in 1995 and it established a free trade zone and customs that linked Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Venezuela. It is the most dominant free trade agreement in all of South America. Pacific Alliance was inaugurated in 2012 was created by Mexico, Peru, Columbia, and Chile. They formed a free trade area along the western edge of the continent.

Why is Middle Chile such an important region? Why is the Atacama Desert important?

Middle child is important region because it is fertile and valuable. Atacama desert is important due to highly valuable deposits of lithium.

(URUGUAY) How does Montevideo impact Uruguay's economy?

Montevideo impacts Uruguay's economy by providing transport for surrounding productive land.

Describe Ecuador's "coastal zone".

Narrow area that is sparsely settled, contains fertile soil and agriculture. Coastal zone also contains the largest city in ecuador.

(AGRENTINA) What were the conditions that allowed the Pampa to thrive?

New methods of transportation and refridgerated ships.

Describe Guyana's economic development? How has the neighboring drug trade affected Guyana?

Oil is a main factor in the economy, but the interior of the country became a staging area for drug transportation via the Caribbean sea. ⅕ of the economy is supported by the drug trade.

(PARAGUAY) How has Brazil impacted Paraguay's cultural make-up?

On the eastern boreder, Brazil flags, language, and tradition is much more prevelant and used for trade purposes.

How has the discovery of petroleum, and oil and gas reserves affected Peru? Describe the view of the government and Amerindians on Peruvian oil policies?

Peru has had more economic growth than any other country near them. trans- Andean pipeline transports natural gas from Camisea reserve of Cuzco to Lima conversion plant. Its than brought to the US for commercial purposes.

Describe Suriname's economic development.

Rice production and aluminium ore allow for self-sufficiency. Oil "future" would boost the economy.

What is the current level of urban population in South America? What are the "push" and "pull" factors driving people from rural areas to the cities?

Rural areas have grown by less than 2 percent every year over 6 plus decades. Reasonably, urban areas have climbed 83 percent. The push and pull factors are that in rural land reform has been very slow and most people just give up and leave. Urban centers bring these people in with the opportunity to earn a normal wage and have good lives for their families.

(SURINAME) What is the legacy of this country? When did it gain its independence?

Settled by the Netherlands with Dutch as the official language. It was granted independence in 1975.

Describe the exploration and development of Ecuador's oil industry.

Some believe it will be similar to that of Colombia and Bolivia.

Describe South America's major geographic qualities.

South America has a very familiar shape, it lies southeast of its northern neighbor. It also juts out in the northeast corner into the atlantic ocean towards europe and africa more than North America.

How has South America attempted to create "cross country" economic integration? What is "supranationalism"?

South America uses the ideas of free trade to help create cross continent integration economically Supranationalism is voluntarily becoming associated with economic, political, or cultural spheres that involve 3 or more countries that all are willing to sacrifice a little to benefit as a whole.

What is the cultural imprint of Argentina? Describe Argentina's urbanization? What is a "primate city"?

Spanish, one of the richest countries in the county, 92% of population lives in cities.

How does Lake Titicaca impact Bolivia's Altiplano?

Supports a lot of subsistence farmers that live on or near the lake.

Name the greatest, indigenous empire in South America? What were their accomplishments? What caused their end?

The Inca empire was very successful in South America, they are well known for being great builders and efficient administrators. They were also successful farmers, herders, manufacturers, and military strategists. They also lived amongst terrible terrained and stilled lived fine. They fell to a small troop of spanish invaders.

(COLOMBIA) What is "Farclandia"? How have they responded to the drug cartels?

The area controlled by FARC, they have responded to the cartels by fighting back and taking control of the states territory.

Describe the population map that makes up South America. How is the legacy of the Inca Empire shown on the map?

The modern map of South America first began taking shape when Iberian Colonizers began understanding the location and economies of indigenous societies. The Inca, similar to the Maya and Aztec people, had accumulated much gold and silver, they also had a ready labor force and good farmlands.

How has the Amazon affected the "oriente" region of Peru?

The region of Peru has been affected in a positive way in which Amazon has helped economic growth.

(PARAGUAY) What is the Triple Frontier?

The turbulent and chaotic area in southern South America that surrounds the convergence of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Lawlessness pervades this haven for criminal elements, which is notorious for money laundering, arms and other smuggling, drug trafficking, and links to terrorist organizations, including money flows to the Middle East.

Why has Colombia had difficulty developing a strong economy?

They have a history of extreme violence, the politics are very unstable, the population is divided in terrible inequality and the economy is impaired.

How did Colombia prevent becoming a "failed state"?

They have mounted successful campaigns against rebels and have had peace talks with FARC to regain control of the land.

(ECUADOR) How is the indigenous population in the Andean-highland subregion reacting to the lack of land reform?

This is a large issue and there have not been any changes made to date.

Describe the Indigenous Reawakening. What is Liberation theology?

This is in part related to changing religious practices in South America. It was a blend of Christian and humanist philosophies that interpreted the teachings of Christ as a quest to liberate the impoverishment masses from oppression.

Why is Punta del Este important to Uruguay's economy?

attracts tourists with beautiful scenery provides great revenue for the economy

How does Colombia display "cultural uniformity"?

it is a country with twice the landmass of France, but only 3⁄4 of the population.

Give a brief description of the physiographic subregions of Argentina; Pampas, Chaco, Patagonia, and Entre Rios.

the scrub‐forested Chaco in the northwest; the mountainous Andes in the west, along whose crestline lies the boundary with Chile; the arid plateaus of Patagonia south of the Rio Colorado; and the undulating transitional terrain of intermediate Cuyo, Entre Rios (also known as Mesopotamia because it lies between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers), and the North.