Caribbean South America

Physical Features The Andes Mountains extend up the west coast of South America and are split into 3 regions called cordilleras. – Central Range- a volcanic area which allows extremely fertile soil. Excellent for growing coffee plants – The Oriental Cordillera (Eastern Range) extends to the and borders Venezuela – The Cordillera de Merida (Western Range)

The Northern part of the Andes is an active volcanic region with many earthquakes On the eastern part of the Andes, the mountains plunge into lowlands The Amazon rainforest is in the southeastern corner of Columbia and borders Brazil. The Orinoco is the largest river in South America. Along the eastern coastlines there are many swamps and saltwater grasses.

Climate and Ecosytems Because its located on the equator, the climate in northern South America is hot. Their northern climate varies between tropical wet and tropical wet and dry Because the climate varies so do the ecosystems – The Pacific coast of Columbia have lush rainforests – The Llanos are grasslands and wetlands that have many different plants and animals

Settlement There are many ports set up along the coast of Caribbean South America which have prospered because of trade, fertile soil, and cooler temperatures – Settlers avoided the inlands because of diseases carried by insects Venezuela is one of South America’s most urban societies. Many people live on the coastline of the Caribbean South America because of unhealthy living conditions farther inland.

Resources Many crops are grown and exported from the coastal regions of Guyana – Sugarcane, bananas, rice, molasses, shrimp Venezuela is not suitable for farming, however oil is very important to their economy. Columbia grow sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed and tobacco at low elevations – Columbia used terraced farming to grow barley, wheat, and potatoes

Diversity The Caribbean region of South America is extremely diverse. Unlike other regions of South America, there are not many Native Americans in the Caribbean because many died from diseases when the European came. Many Native Americans married Europeans and their descendents are called mestizos Native Americans also intermarried with African Americans In Guyana and Suriname, many people descended from workers who migrated from India and Indonesia (Javanese) The northern coast of South America has strong ties with the Caribbean and follow many traditions such as Carnival.