South America

1. South America

2. Geography • South America is the fourth largest continent in size and the fifth largest in population. • It is located primarily in the southern hemisphere, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the West. • The geography of South America is dominated by the Andes Mountain Range and the Amazon River (second longest river in the world).

3. Bodies of Water

4. Orinoco River • The Orinoco River • flows north of the Amazon • flows in a giant arc for more than 2,736 kilometers (1,700 miles), originating in the Guiana Highlands of northern Brazil • discharging in the Atlantic Ocean in Venezuela.

5. Amazon River

6. Amazon River • Amazon river is the lifeline of the rainforest and most of its water comes from the snow melt in the Andes of Peru - it originates high up in the mountains and formed by the join efforts of the Ucayali and Marañon rivers.

7. Amazon Rainforest • Amazon rainforest is home to many strangest looking, largest and smallest, most dangerous and least frightening, loudest and quietest animals on Earth. Visit Amazon Rainforest Animals to know more about it.

8. Amazon River • The Amazon River Basin is home to the largest rainforest on Earth. • The basin -- roughly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United States – • Covers some 40% of the South American continent and includes parts of eight South American countries: • Brazil • Bolivia • Peru • Ecuador • Colombia • Venezuela • Guyana • Suriname • French Guiana, a department of France

9. Amazon Rainforest Half of the rainforest in the world is in the Amazon region

10. Amazon Basin • The Amazon River basin has an area of almost 2.7 million square miles, • making it the largest watershed in the world. • The basin, which covers most of northern South America, is fed by tributaries from the glaciers of the Andes. • Every second, the Amazon River empties 209,000 cubic meters (7,381,000 cubic feet) of freshwater into the Atlantic Ocean. • The Amazon River is the life force of the equally vast Amazon rain forest, which makes up about half of the rain forest of the entire planet. • This tropical biome has as many as 100 different tree species on a single acre, including the • rubber tree, silk cotton tree, and Brazil nut tree. • Other important plant species include • palms, ferns, and ropelike vines known as lianas that network throughout the rain forest’s dense canopy.

11. Andes Mountains • Andes stretch 4,000 miles from the north to the south, thus making it the longest mountain range in the world. • The mountain range spans seven countries — Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina • In Chile, it rises to over 20,000 feet. • range is also known for its volcanoes, ruins of long-ago civilizations

12. Desert

13. Atacama Desert • The Atacama desert is found along the coast of Chile, South America • Much of the desert extends up into the Andes mountains and is very high in elevation. • Many times this area will go without rainfall at all for years. Some places in the Atacama Desert have not had rainfall for over 400 years.

14. Patagonia Desert • Covers nearly all of the southern portion of mainland Argentina. • The largest desert in Argentina and is the 5th largest desert in the world by area

15. Climate Regions

16. Climate Three main climate regions in South America are home to many plants and animals.The higher elevations in the Andes have cold weather with mixed sun and snow. The center of the continent has mild winters, warm summers,and a rainy season. • South America has a wide range of climates • The Amazon rainforest has a tropical climate. It is rainy all year long.

17. Pampas-Grassland • The Pampas are located in the center of the northern part of Argentina. • Just below Buenos Aires • Average temperature is 18°c • Dry season is summer (December) • Ombu is tree like plant • home to a number of rodents, many unique to the region, from grasslands to sparse vegetation. • Waterfowl and waders make their home in cool rivers or coastal lagoons. • The Pampas are a fertile plain.

18. Deciduous Forest Temperate broad-leaf forests are dominated by trees that lose their leaves each year. They are found in areas with warm, moist summers and mild winters. • Southern Chile • Middle East coast of Paraguay • Four distinct seasons

19. Savannah • The area between a rainforest and desert. • 2.5 million sq kilometers{1/4 the size of Canada}

20. Natural Resources of South America • Natural resources of South America are • coffee beans • cocoa beans • bananas • timber • rubber • gold • bauxite • spices • salt

21. Brazilian Highlands • central and southeastern Brazil. • Rising to an average elevation of 3,300 feet above sea level • characterized by low mountains, hilly uplands, and tabular plateaus and include Mato Grosso Plateau and Paraná Plateau. • geologically similar to the Guiana Highlands to the north, across the eastern Amazon River basin.

22. Guiana Highlands • plateau and low-mountain region of South America • located north of the Amazon and south of the Orinoco River. • Comprising a heavily forested plateau, they cover the southern half of Venezuela, all of the Guianas except for the low Atlantic coastal plain, the northern part of Brazil, and a portion of southeastern Colombia. • whole region receives an abundance of rainfall, and no season is really dry.

23. Parana River • south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina • the second longest after the Amazon, • rising on the plateau of southeast-central Brazil and flowing generally south to the point where, after a course of 3,032 miles it joins the Uruguay River • Itaipu Dam

24. Prior to European colonization, the Incan Civilization was a dominant force in South America. In the 1500's, Spain and Portugal colonized much of South America. It is politically divided into twelve sovereign states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, plus the overseas administration of French Guiana. Beginning of Civilization of South American

25. Oldest Civilizations of South America • One of the oldest civilizations of South America is the Inca civilization. The capital of the Inca civilization was the city of Cusco in the Andes. • The Incas were known for their distinct and developed culture. The ruins of the Inca civilization suggest that cities were built with unmatched stonework and constructed with great precision.

26. The Three Native Civilizations found in South America Of the three Native civilizations found in South America (Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs), the Incas were the least warlike. Their outstanding accomplishments in art and agriculture have endured throughout the centuries as their knowledge and expertise has been passed down from generation to generation. They have retained their culture, their lifestyle, and their artistic pursuits to this very day. Aztec Maya Inca

27. Indian Civilizations • Three important native civilizations that began in Latin America were: • Maya • Aztec • Inca

28. Maya • The Maya lived in southern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Their civilization was at its peak around 250 - 900 AD. • The Maya had city states ruled by kings and priests. They worshipped the gods by ritual sacrifice and blood-letting. • The Maya lived in a tropical wet climate with rainforests. They practiced slash and burn farming and grew squash and corn.

31. Aztec • The Aztec lived in central Mexico. Their capital was called Tenochtitlan and it was located on islands in a lake. Mexico City now stands on the ruins of the Aztec capital. • The Aztec also practiced sacrifice and built large pyramids like the Maya. • The Aztec empire flourished from 1400 to about 1520, when it was overthrown by the Spanish.

35. Inca • The Inca lived in South America in Peru and Chile. • The Inca built a system of roads through the Andes Mountains to connect their empire. • The Inca did not have a writing system but they kept records with a complicated system of ropes with knots.

37. European Colonization • Latin America was colonized by European countries. • Spain colonized Mexico and most of Central America and South America. • Portugal colonized Brazil. • The English colonized Jamaica and Belize. • The French colonized Haiti.

38. European Colonization • The Europeans converted the natives to Roman Catholicism and made them learn their languages. • The most wide spoken languages are Spanish and Portuguese. • The Europeans brought Africans to work on sugar plantations as slaves.

39. Freedom Fighters • The colonies gained independence in the 1800's with the help of leaders such as Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin. • As a result, muchof South America still speaks Spanish and Portuguese is the primary language of Brazil. Jose de San Martin Simon Bolivar

40. The Unique Animals of South America Andean Condor Piranha Anaconda Southern Right Whale Capybara Giant Tortoise • The Anaconda is one of the biggest and heaviest snake of the world. • The king of the sky, the Andean Condor is an absolute stunning sight when spotted. It is the largest flying bird on our planet, with a wingspan up to 310 cm. • The Piranha is a carnivorous sweet water fish that lives mainly in the Amazon Basin of South America. • The Giant Tortoise is an animal that can only be found on the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador). • The capybara is a semi-aquatic herbivorous animal and the largest of living rodents.

41. South America has Earth’s longest mountain range, driest desert,biggest rain forest, and river with the most water. South America has three main climates and valuable natural resource. Summary