1. Ch. 9, L3 Life in the Tropical North
I. People and Places
A. Population Groups
1. Ecuador has the Tropical North’s greatest indigenous population.
a) 1 in 4 are Native American.
b) Mestizos = 9 in 10.
2. Venezuela and Columbia have the opposite distribution.
3. The descendants of contract laborers from India are Suriname’s largest group, making up nearly 40% of the population.
a) Equal number are of African and mixed-African descent.

2. Ch. 9, L3 Life in the Tropical North
b) Large Indonesian population with whites and Native Americans totaling 5%.
4. Neighboring Guyana is home to more Native Americans; this group makes up 10% of the population.
a) Africans = 33%.
b) East Indians = 40%.
c) No significant white population.
5. People of mixed descent make up most of French Guiana’s population.
B. Where People Live
1. Guyana’s population remains largely rural.
a) Elsewhere people live in cities.

3. Ch. 9, L3 Life in the Tropical North
b) Bogotá, Colombia is the Tropical North’s largest city.
2. Colombia’s Caribbean lowlands is home to about 20% of its people, mainly in Cartagena and other port cities along the coast.
a) Colombia’s Pacific coast is sparsely settled with descendants of ex-slaves.
b) Llanos is also sparsely populated.
3. Quito, Ecuador is another mountain capital city, with nearly 2 million people.
a) Guayaquil, the country’s largest city, is located on the coast.
4. Most Venezuelans live along the coast.

4. Ch. 9, L3 Life in the Tropical North
a) Venezuelans began migrating to the cities in the mid-1900s in the search for jobs.
b) 90% of the population live in Caracas, the capital city, and other cities near the coast.
5. Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana are sparesly populated.
a) All 3 = ½ the population of Caracas.
b) Most live near the coast.
II. People and Cultures
A. Language Groups
1. Spanish is the official language of Ecuador, Colombia, & Venezuela.
a) Ecuadoran Spanish has differences.

5. Ch. 9, L3 Life in the Tropical North
b) 10 Native languages are spoken in Ecuador with 25 in Venezuela and 180 in Colombia.
2. Languages in Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana reflect their colonial heritage as well as their ethnic populations.
a) Creole, a group of languages that enslaved people from various parts of Africa developed to communicate on colonial plantations, is widely spoken.
b) Most Guayanans speak English.
c) In Suriname, Dutch is the official language, but only spoken on a secondary level.
B. Religion, Daily Life, and the Arts
1. Ecuador, Columbia, and Venezuela are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.

6. Ch. 9, L3 Life in the Tropical North
a) Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana practice a variety of languages.
2. Each country’s food, music, and other cultural elements reflect its ethnic and religious makeup.
a) Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia celebrate Carnival, but its not as colorful as it is in Brazil.
3. Culture often differs by geographic area.
III. Ongoing Issues
A. Trade Relations
1. Many South American leaders believe that one way to strengthen their countries’ economies is to expand trade.
a) The countries of the Tropical North joined the Union of South American Nations.
b) One goal was to end tariffs, taxes on imported goods.

7. Ch. 9, L3 Life in the Tropical North
c) Another goal was to adapt a uniformed currency.
B. A Northern Neighbor
1. Another challenge is improving the region’s relationship with the United States.
a) Stopping the flow of illegal narcotics.
C. Challenges in Venezuela
1. In 1998, Venezuelans elected Hugo Chávez, a former military leader, as president.
a) He was friendly with Cuba and Iran.
2. After his election, Chávez promised to use Venezuela’s oil income to improve conditions for the country’s poor.
a) In 2009, he seized control of U.S. companies who were developing oil resources in Venezuela.

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D. Struggles in Columbia and Ecuador
1. Colombia has undergone a long and bitter struggle between the country’s government and a Colombian organization called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
a) Curtail foreign involvement in Colombian affairs.
b) Help and support of poor farmers.
c) Funded by illegal drug trafficking.
2. In Ecuador, indigenous peoples protested for rights and blamed President Rafael Correa for not keeping his promises.
a) He promised to rewrite the nation’s constitution to expand rights, but he didn’t.
b) Indigenous peoples organized to win rights for access to land, basic services, and political representation.