1World Regional World Regional GeographyGeographyDavid SalleeDavid SalleeLesson 6Lesson 6SOUTH AMERICASOUTH AMERICAMAJOR GEOGRAPHIC MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIESQUALITIESzzPHYSIOGRAPHYPHYSIOGRAPHYIS DOMINATED BY THE IS DOMINATED BY THE ANDES MOUNTAINS S AND THE ANDES MOUNTAINS S AND THE AMAZON BASIN.AMAZON BASIN.zzPOPULATIONPOPULATIONIS CONCENTRATED IS CONCENTRATED ALONG THE PERIPHERY.ALONG THE PERIPHERY.zzCULTURAL PLURALISMCULTURAL PLURALISMEXISTS IN MOST EXISTS IN MOST COUNTRIES AND IS EXPRESSED COUNTRIES AND IS EXPRESSED REGIONALLY.REGIONALLY.zzREGIONAL ECONOMIC INTERACTIONREGIONAL ECONOMIC INTERACTIONHAS BEEN MINIMAL IN THE PAST.HAS BEEN MINIMAL IN THE PAST.PLATE TECTONICSPLATE TECTONICSSOUTH SOUTH AMERICA:AMERICA:CONTINENT OF CONTINENT OF EXTREMESEXTREMES••PRECIPITATIONPRECIPITATION••TEMPERATURETEMPERATURE••VEGETATIONVEGETATION••ELEVATIONELEVATION••INCOMEINCOME••POPULATIONPOPULATIONPRECIPITATIONPRECIPITATION2TEMPERATURETEMPERATUREVEGETATIONVEGETATION• It is over 7,000 km (4,400 miles) long, 500 km (300 miles) wide in some parts and of an average height of about 4,000 m (13,000 feet). • Highest mountain range outside Asia, with the highest peak, Aconcagua, rising to 6,962 m (22,841 feet) abovesea level. • Cannot match the Himalaya in height but do so in width and are more than twice as long. • South America has a shoreline length of 144,566.8 miles including beaches, mangrove swamps, and rocky cliffs. ELEVATIONELEVATIONBrazil (example)•Largest income gap in the realm •Wealthiest 10% of the population own 2/3 of the land and control over 50% of the country’s wealthINCOMEINCOMEPOPULATIONPOPULATION••A HOLLOW CONTINENT A HOLLOW CONTINENT --WHY?WHY?••PHYSIOGRAPHIC PHYSIOGRAPHIC BARRIERSBARRIERS••NONNON--COMPLEMENTARY COMPLEMENTARY ECONOMIESECONOMIES••LACK OF DEVELOPED LACK OF DEVELOPED INFRASTRUCTUREINFRASTRUCTURE••INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES ORIENTED COUNTRIES ORIENTED TOWARDS EUROPE AND TOWARDS EUROPE AND THE US THE US ––NOT NOT TOWARDS EACH OTHERTOWARDS EACH OTHER••78% 78% --URBANIZED URBANIZED CONTINENTCONTINENT--WIDE IN WIDE IN SOUTH AMERICASOUTH AMERICATHE INCA EMPIRETHE INCA EMPIREz CULTURE HEARTH-INTERMONTANE BASIN AROUND CUZCO (1200-1535 A.D.)zALTIPLANOSWERE KEY TO SETTLEMENT PATTERNS.z 20 MILLION SUBJECTS AT ITS ZENITHz TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS AND INTEGRATION EFFORTS WERE MOST IMPRESSIVE.z A HIGHLY CENTRALIZED STATEPachacutiPachacuti--IncaInca--YupanquiYupanqui––99ththruler of ruler of the Inca Empire the Inca Empire3THE INCA THE INCA EMPIREEMPIREInca CraftsInca CraftsInca MasonryInca MasonryInca RoadsInca RoadsThe Inca road system covered The Inca road system covered approximately 22,530 km approximately 22,530 km (14,000 mi) and provided (14,000 mi) and provided access to over three million access to over three million kmkm²²of territory. of territory. Inca MysteriesInca MysteriesINDIGENOUS INDIGENOUS PEOPLESPEOPLES&&COLONIAL COLONIAL DOMAINSDOMAINS4Chief Kem Pery and his wifeThe The HuaoraniHuaoranipeople are a people are a people shrouded in mystery. people shrouded in mystery. They speak a language They speak a language unrelated to any other (in unrelated to any other (in fact it has yet to be even fact it has yet to be even classified). Additionally, their classified). Additionally, their pottery designs do not pottery designs do not resemble those of their past resemble those of their past or present neighbors. It is or present neighbors. It is only known through their own only known through their own folklore that they migrated folklore that they migrated from "down river" a long time from "down river" a long time ago, "fleeing the cannibals."ago, "fleeing the cannibals."The The HuaoraniHuaoraniThey revere the jaguar and call themselves, They revere the jaguar and call themselves, HuaoraniHuaoraniwhich means "human beings" or "the which means "human beings" or "the people," and refer to everyone else as people," and refer to everyone else as cowodecowodeor "nonor "non--humans." Up until four decades ago the humans." Up until four decades ago the HuaoraniHuaoranistill used stone axes and maintained a still used stone axes and maintained a thoroughly traditional hunter thoroughly traditional hunter and gather lifestyle in their and gather lifestyle in their extremely isolated and extremely isolated and monkeymonkey--rich rainforest rich rainforest haven.haven.Hunting for monkeys with a traditional blowgun and poisonous dartsHowever, in the 1950's all of this However, in the 1950's all of this changed. First the missionaries came. changed. First the missionaries came. Then concomitant with the global Then concomitant with the global demand for oil came demand for oil came the demand to find new oil the demand to find new oil reserves, and as fate has it reserves, and as fate has it the world's 1,200 the world's 1,200 HuaoraniHuaoranilive right on top of one of live right on top of one of Ecuador's biggest oil Ecuador's biggest oil deposits. Since this deposits. Since this discovery, the discovery, the HuaoraniHuaoranihave been forced to deal have been forced to deal with the encroachment of oil with the encroachment of oil companies and companies and cowodecowodeon the land they on the land they have called home for at least a have called home for at least a millennia.millennia.Son's first machete lessonHowever, like indigenous people all over the However, like indigenous people all over the world who learn that they have natural world who learn that they have natural resources other nations want, they are forced resources other nations want, they are forced by those who make the rules to adapt as best by those who make the rules to adapt as best they can to changing realities. One they can to changing realities. One HuaoraniHuaoraniclan, the clan, the TagaeriTagaeri, has moved deeper in the , has moved deeper in the forest to shun all contact with the outside forest to shun all contact with the outside world. Other world. Other HuaoraniHuaoranicommunities have communities have adopted ecotourism adopted ecotourism as a way to maintain as a way to maintain control over their control over their land, culture and land, culture and resources.resources.Huorani family in their hammockSOUTH SOUTH AMERICAAMERICA’’SSCULTURE CULTURE SPHERESSPHERESCULTURE SPHERESCULTURE SPHERESTropical-plantationz Resembles Middle America’s Rimlandz Locations, soils, & tropical climates favor plantation crops,