World Regional Geography

GEG 101 ONLINE!

CHAPTER 5: South America
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Studying the Chapter:

  • Read and study the textbook. (See outlines below.)
  • Read and study the Online Lecture 

Map Quiz 5 - Chapter 5:

Review Activities:

 

For All Realms:

Keep these in mind as you read and study EACH REALM (chapter).

  • Defining a Realm: Know the physical, cultural, economic, and/or historical criteria (characteristics) used to define the realm.
    • Why are the boundaries drawn where they are?
      • Are there any physical barriers (oceans, seas, mountains, deserts, dense forests) at the realm border?
      • Are there physical, cultural, economic, and historical differences on either side of the realm boundary?
      • Do the realm boundaries tend to run through areas of sparse population?
    • How do the physical, cultural, economic, and historical characteristics of the realm differ from these characteristics of neighboring realms?

     

    • You may want to do the following FOR EACH REALM to help your learning:
      • print this realm worksheet and keep track of the characteristics in the chart as you read and study the chapter.
      • You may want to review the lecture on REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY
      • Use the Goode's Atlas maps, especially the world maps at the beginning, to see differences between realms

     

    • Here are SOME of the physical, cultural, economic, and historical characteristics that you should consider
      • physical geography
        • landscapes
        • climate
        • precipitation
        • major physical features
        • physical barriers at the realm boundaries (oceans, seas, mountains, deserts, dense forests)
      • cultural geography
        • religion
        • language
        • politics
        • other
      • economic geography
        • level of development - IMPORTANT: SEE TABLE G-1 (pp. 34-41)
        • per capita income (GDP)
        • population growth rate
        • % urban population
        • life expectancy
        • other measures of development - IMPORTANT: SEE TABLE G-1 (pp. 34-41)
      • historical Geography
        • culture hearths
        • colonization - who colonized
        • other

 

  • Know where most people live in the realm. See the population density map in your Goode's Atlas and Figure G-9 (pp. 18-19) in your textbook. Also, assess how well the 5 reasons explain the population distribution. Do they apply to this realm or not?

 

  • Know the CONCEPTS, IDEAS, and TERMS listed on the first page of each chapter and the italicized words within the chapter. ALSO, know EXAMPLES of the terms from the realm being studied. It is strongly suggested that you make a list of these terms with their definitions and examples. Each unit exam will have a question where you DEFINE and GIVE EXAMPLES of these terms.

 

  • You must understand map SCALE. Know the difference between a large scale map and a small scale map. Each unit exam will have a question about map scale. See Figure G-3.
    • Large scale = large detail = small area
    • Small scale = small detail = large area

Textbook Notes:

[Some maps may be difficult to read. To see a clear image, RIGHT CLICK on the image and select VIEW IMAGE]

BRIEF OUTLINE / 4 CLASS THEMES

Chapter 5
SOUTH AMERICA

DEFINING THE REALM 231

 HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY
The Human Sequence 232
  • The Inca Empire 232
  • The Iberian Invaders 234
  • The Africans 235
  • Long-standing Isolation 235
  • Independence 236

 CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

Cultural Fragmentation 237

 ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

Economic Integration 238

Urbanization 239

  • The "Latin" American City Model 241

 

REGIONS OF THE REALM 243

The North: Facing the Caribbean 243
  • Columbia 243
  • Venezuela 248
  • the Guianas 244

The West: The Andean, Amerindian Region 250

  • Peru 250
  • Ecuador 253
  • Bolivia 254
  • Paraguay 255

The South: Mid-Latitude South America 255

  • Argentina 257
  • Chile 259
  • Uruguay 263

Brazil: Giant of South America 263

  • The Realm's Giant 263
  • Population Patterns 263
  • African Heritage 265
  • Social Problems 265
  • Development Prospects 265
  • Brazil's Subregions 267

 

DETAILED OUTLINE

Chapter 5
South America

 

MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES OF THE REALM

 

 DEFINING THE REALM

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
  • South America is south and EAST of North America. Much closer to southern Europe and Africa than North America is to Europe

    Question:

    • If you fly straight south from Chicago, over what countries in South America will you pass?

  • South America is much further from Asia across the Pacific than North America
  • the Andes mountains along the western edge of the realm acts as a barrier to the west

  • the Amazon River drains to the east
  • Amazon Basin
  • Brazilian Highlands
  • Guiana Highlands
  • Orinoco River
  • Paraguay and Parana Rivers

 

HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY: The Human Sequence
The Inca Empire
  • Culture Hearth - Intermontane basin around Cuzco (1200-1535 AD)
  • Altiplanos were key to settlement patterns elongated
  • 20 Million subjects at its zenith
  • Transportation Networks And Integration efforts were most impressive without rivers for transportation
  • A highly centralized state with the Incan minority in control
  • But easily conquered by the Spaniards by taking over those at the top of power
  • Machu Pichu

 

The Iberian Invaders

  • Where/what is the Iberian Peninsula?
  • Francisco Pizarro in 1531-1533 with 183 men and two dozen horses conquered the Incan Empire
  • land alienation, taxes, and forced labor "to maximize profits of exploitation"
  •  Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal dividing South America and Portugal's movement west

 The Africans

  • brought to South America as slaves to work on the sugar plantations
  • especially in Brazil which has South America's largest black population (45% of Brazil's total population)

Colonial Domains

Long-standing Isolation

  • Colonies were separated from one another
  • population settlement in clusters along the coasts

Independence

 

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY
  • plural societies
    • diverse Amerindian cultures
    • Europeans from Iberia
    • Europeans from elsewhere
    • Africans
    • Asians

 

  • South America's Culture Spheres

     

    Tropical Plantation

    		•
      • Resembles Middle America's Rimland
      • Locations, Soils, & Tropical Climates Favor Plantation Crops, Especially Sugar.
      • Initially Relied On African Slave Labor

    European-Commercial

      • The Most "Latin" Part Of South America
      • Includes The Pampas - Temperate Grasslands
      • Economically Most Advanced
      • Transportation Networks And Quality Of Life Are Excellent

    Amerind-Subsistence

    		•
      • Correlates With The Former Inca Empire
      • Feudal Socioeconomic Structure Persists
      • Includes Some Of South America's Poorest Areas
      • Subsistence Agriculture Must Contend With Difficult Environmental Challenges.

    Mestizo-Transitional

    		•
      • Surrounds The Amerindian-Subsistence Region
      • A Zone Of Mixture- Culturally & Agriculturally
      • Transitional - Economic Connotations

    Undifferentiated

    		•
      • Characteristics Are Difficult To Classify.
      • Sparsely Populated
      • Isolation And Lack Of Change- Notable Features
      • Development Of Amazonia May Prompt Significant Changes.

    Question:

    • Why is it inappropriate to call Middle and South America "Latin America"?

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

  • South America's unequal distribution of income:
    • legacy of colonial times
    • richest 20% of the population control 70% of the wealth
    • poorest 20% of the population control 2% of the wealth
    • even more unequal in some countries
    • the gap between the rich and poor is getting wider

    Economic Integration

    • Mercosur

      • Launched In 1994
      • An attempt at a free trade zone in southern South America
      • Includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, And Paraguay

    • Andean Community
      • Initially Formed In 1969 (Andean Pact)
      • Restarted In 1995
      • Members Are Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, And Bolivia

       

    • South American Community of Nations

     

    • NAFTA

        • Launched By The Us, Mexico, And Canada In 1995
        • Seeking To Expand Into South America To Include Chile
    • FTAA

 

Urbanization
  • The movement to and clustering of people in towns and cities
  • The Percentage Of A Country's Population Living In Cities
  • 79% - Continent-Wide In South America
    • very high especially for developing countries
    • higher than Europe and the United States
  • South America's increase in urbanization caused by both the rate of "natural increase" and internal rural-to-urban migration
  • megacities
  • push and pull factors

Question:

  • What is a "cartogram" ?

The "Latin American City" Model

  • CBD and Commercial Spine
  • Elite Residential Sector
  • Zone Of Maturity
  • Zone Of In Situ Accretion
  • Zone Of Peripheral Squatter Settlements
  • Disamenity Sectors

 

REGIONS OF THE REALM