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Chapter 9 The Tropical North (Pg. 271-294)
Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname & the colony French Guiana Lesson 1 Physical geography – Angel Falls and the Galapagos Islands (online) videos Lesson 2 – History – discuss how unstable governments have resulted in revolution and low investment, Hugo Chavez primary source document and video interview Lesson 3: Culture – The Drug Trade in Colombia
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Chapter 9, Lesson 1 Physical Geography of the Tropical North
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Landforms of the Tropical North
The Andes mountains run through Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela Cotopaxi – world’s highest volcano (elevation: 19,347 ft) Llanos – inland tropical grassland north of the Amazon Basin, used for cattle ranching Tepuis – forest-covered mesas along the Brazilian border Most people live in mountain valleys & plateaus Why not along the coasts? Lowlands are covered with rainforests – too hot, wet, and densely forested At the eastern end of the Canaima National Park, Mount Roraima lies on the intersection of 3 country borders: Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela. At 2810m tall, it is the tallest of the tepuis and the most famous, having inspired Doyle’s The Lost World. Despite its height, a ramp-like feature called the Roraima Ramp makes it relatively scalable. That doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park, according to Up co-director/writer Bob Peterson: “It was like your worst nightmare,” says Peterson. “It was like a six- or seven- hour climb to the top, and I had on way too much gear. When we got to the top, we had to hike across uneven terrain for another hour and a half. It was already dark when we got to our camp. And suddenly, from out of the darkness we saw this cave lit by candles and there was warm soup waiting for us. We we saw our tents, most of us just sat down and started crying. We were so happy to be there.” What are the major physical features of the Tropical North? How do Colombia's rivers help the nation's economy?
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Angel Falls in Venezuela
The Orinoco River (3rd longest in S.A.) flows 1,300 miles through the Guiana Highlands and contains Angel Falls 3200-foot drop – the world’s largest waterfall! Picture of Angel Falls – 20 times as high as Niagra Falls! 11 football fields end to end floods for 8 months, then the sun dries it out for 4 months Look at a Physical Map of Venezuela Angel Falls was actually named for pilot Jimmy Angel. While searching in 1937 for an amazing waterfall he originally spotted in 1933, Angel managed to crash-land on the summit of Auyantepui. He and his party had to walk for 11 days before finding help. The ensuing publicity surrounding his miraculous rescue prompted the Venezuelan government to name the falls after him. His airplane “El Rio Caroni” was ultimately retrieved in 1970 and now sits on display at the Ciudad Bolivar airport. Quick 2 minute video of flying over Angel Falls – video of tightrope walking over the Falls
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The Galapagos Islands Rich plant & animal life
Marine Iguana, Giant Tortoises, Blue-Footed Boobies A UNESCO World Heritage Site 600 miles from Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean Named after the Equator! Galapagos Islands - why so unique? Never connected to mainland, so many years of adapting apart from other animals Marine iguana, Giant Tortoises, Blue-Footed Boobies UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Building intercultural understanding: through protection of heritage and support for cultural diversity. UNESCO created the idea of World Heritage to protect sites of outstanding universal value.
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Waterways of the Northern Tropics
The region borders on the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea & Pacific Ocean The Magdalena & Cauca Rivers allow shipping access to Colombia’s interior Rivers in Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana are shallower and not useful for transportation
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Climate of the Northern Tropics
Tropical climate, cooler in the highlands Much of the coastal and eastern lowlands of Ecuador & Colombia have a tropical monsoon climate. The plains regions have an annual rainfall of inches, while the highlands have yearly rainfall ranging from inches. How and why do climates vary in the Tropical North? How do the climates of the Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast, and the Caribbean coast differ?
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Natural Resources in the Northern Tropics
Oil, gold, natural gas, & coal, diamonds, emeralds, bauxite (for aluminum), copper, & iron ore Venezuela: world’s 11th largest oil producer Colombia: world’s #1 emerald producer Differing elevations and climates in Ecuador & Colombia allow farmers to grow a variety of crops. Coffee is a valuable cash crop in Venezuela & Colombia Which natural resources are most important to the economies of the Tropical North's countries? Which fossil fuel, mineral, and gem are most widespread in the Tropical North? Picture of “Columbian Coffee” Cocaine brings in twice as much money as coffee does
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Ecuador’s Economy Farming is an important economic activity
Coastal plains: Bananas, cacao, coffee, rice, sugarcane Andes: Coffee, beans, corn, potatoes, wheat Farmers dig potatoes in the sierra region northeast of Quito, Ecuador. The commercial center of Ecuador’s cacao industry is the humid lowland plains of the central coast. Most of the beans come from trees that grow along river banks, called bancos, on farms in the provinces of Los Rios, Guayas and Manabi. The farms extend as far north as Esmeraldas Province where in such indigenous communities as Estero de Platano, cacao is harvested from what is left of the Choco forests. Cacao farmers work small plots of land, most comprising less than ten acres. An acre of trees may produce a ton of beans per year.
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Chapter 9, Lesson 2 History of the Tropical North
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Early History of the Tropical North
The Tropical North’s indigenous peoples lived there for thousands of years & had advanced societies. The Inca Empire controlled the area by the 1400s In search of gold, the Spanish arrived in the early 1500s and colonized Ecuador, Colombia, & Venezuela Created governments in Quito, Bogotá, & Caracas How did Europeans colonize the Tropical North? Which European nations founded colonies in the Tropical North, and which countries did each nation colonize?
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Life under Colonization
Native Americans suffered greatly under Spanish rule Slaves in the encomienda system OR Died due to a lack of immunity to European diseases. The Guianas were colonized by Great Britain, the Netherlands, & France brought African slaves to work on their sugar plantations. The encomienda system was created by the Spanish to control and regulate American Indian labor and behavior during the colonization of the Americas. Under the encomienda system, conquistadors and other leaders (encomenderos) received grants of a number of Indians, from whom they could exact “tribute” in the form of gold or labor. The encomenderos were supposed to protect and Christianize the Indians granted to them, but they most often used the system to effectively enslave the Indians and take their lands.
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Independence 1823: Venezuela’s Simon Bolívar led an independence movement for Ecuador, Colombia, & Venezuela to break away from Spain Formed a new country (Gran Colombia), but it broke apart in 1830 The British (Guyana), Dutch (Suriname), & French (French Guiana) abolished slavery in the mid-1800s, but stayed colonies until the mid-1900s Recruited workers from India, Indonesia, & China to work instead Spain had been invaded by France, so couldn’t manage their colonies well, so that started the independence movement How did Spain’s colonies become independent countries? How did British, Dutch, and French colonists find workers after slavery ended in their colony?
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Challenges for the Tropical North
1900s - a lack of strong, stable governments plagued the region, leading to conflict, civil war, & dictatorship Today: French Guiana – still a colony Venezuela – socialist democracy The US has accused Venezuela’s government of violating human rights of protestors and allowing Colombian drugs to be trafficked through the country Colombia – struggling with FARC (Revolutionary Forces of Colombia) who wants to limit foreign influence in the country and help poor farmers, but is funded by drug sales. What challenges do the countries of the Tropical North face? Which of the region’s nations have experienced serious internal unrest since gaining independence? – video about food riots Trump has spoken out about placing sanctions on Venezuela due to their treatment of protesters. Hugo Chavez – Led a failed coup in 1992, in jail for 2 years, then got into politics Died from cancer Supports socialism Came to power in 1998 Criticizes the US a lot- Bush was “fighting terror with terror” Mr Chavez is renowned for his flamboyant public speaking style, which he puts to use in his weekly live TV programme, Alo Presidente (Hello President), in which he talks about his political ideas, interviews guests and sings and dances. 7 minute video (only for first 4 minutes) of an interview of Chavez with Barbara Walters – from
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Chapter 9, Lesson 3 Life in the Tropical North
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People of the Tropical North
Ethnic diversity: Mostly Spanish heritage, but also Native American, Indian, English, Dutch Ecuador - 90% of citizens have some indigenous ancestry Suriname – 40% have Indian ancestry Language: Mostly Spanish, but also indigenous, English, Dutch, Hindi Creole – a group of languages developed by African slaves on plantations Religion: Roman Catholic in Ecuador, Colombia, & Venezuela A variety of religions are practiced in the Guianas What ethnic groups populate the Tropical North, and where do they live? Where do the greatest number of people in the Tropical North live? Food: Colombia – toasted fire ants (hormiga), and Ecuador – barbequed guinea pigs (cuy)
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Where do people in the region live?
Most people live in cities 90% of people in Venezuela live in coastal cities like Caracas Bogota, Colombia and Quito, Ecuador are large inland cities, but most population centers are on the coasts Most people that live inland are Native American, while most other ethnic groups are found near the coasts
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Art & Music in the Northern Tropics
Andean basket and cloth-weaving Music & Dance Andes - Pan flute, drums Coastal – cumbia, merengue, salsa Llanos – maracas, guitar Pan flute – panpipe video from machu picchu 2 links – CUM is the lesson, BIA is the actual dance Merengue dance – starts at :35 Cumbia is a music style that originated in Colombia's Caribbean coastal region. Cumbia began as a courtship dance practiced among the African slave population that was later mixed with European instruments and musical characteristics. Cumbia started in the northern coast of South America, what is now Colombia and Panama, mainly in or around Cartagena during the period of Spanish colonization. Spain used its ports to import African slaves, who tried to preserve their musical traditions and also turned the drumming and dances into a courtship ritual. Cumbia was mainly performed with just drums and claves Quechua fabric weaving in the Andes of Ecuador Panama Hat video…
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Ongoing Issues in the Tropical North
Poverty is common even though there are plentiful natural resources Wealth from those resources is only shared by a few Many leaders want to expand free trade to strengthen their countries’ economies. Tension with the USA Colombian drugs & Venezuelan socialism Civil Conflict Indigenous people protesting for rights in Ecuador Colombian drug sales fund FARC to help the nation’s poor farmers What challenges do the countries of the Tropical North face? How has Hugo Chávez increased tensions between Venezuela and the United States? Ecuador’s People - Quechua – KECH wah Story of grocery stores in Ecuador that have to keep everything behind a counter 40% of population is Native American Also speak Quechua – Incan language Subsistence farmers in the highlands 40% of population is mestizo (Spanish & Native) Work in factories or on plantations Europeans own the largest farms & factories and run the government Mostly mestizo (European & Native American) Speak Spanish Catholic Government is a republic Farmers (campesinos) are moving to cities to find work and escape drug violence
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Colombia’s Drug Problem
Main illegal crops –cocaine, marijuana, & heroin Results in violence and conflict with other countries Read the TIME perspectives on the Drug Trade on pg in the old textbooks. maybe read 262 and 263 also?
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Former US Congressman Dan Burton said:
“I don’t think they would be refining coca and heroin in Colombia if they couldn’t make any money.... Don’t just talk about education. Don’t just talk about eradication. Don’t just talk about killing people like Escobar [a Colombian drug lord], who is going to be replaced by somebody else. Let’s talk about what would happen if we started addressing how to get the profit out of drugs.” In groups, discuss the issue. Each group should write a letter to their congressman telling him how we could get the “profit out of drugs”. Burton retired in 2012
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