1. South America SUB-REGIONS NORTH BRAZIL WEST SOUTH COLOMBIA VENEZUELA
GUYANA
SURINAME
FRENCH GUIANA
SUB-REGIONS
BRAZIL
WEST
PERU
ECUADOR
BOLIVIA
SOUTH
ARGENTINA
CHILE
URUGUAY
PARAGUAY

2. THE NORTH (CARIBBEAN SOUTH AMERICA)
Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana
REGIONAL CHARACTER: Coastal Locations, Early European Plantation Development, Forced Migration of Black Laborers
VENEZUELA – 26.1 MILLION PEOPLE OIL FROM LAKE MARACAIBO IS CHIEF RESOURCE CARACAS & VALENCIA - KEY CITIES Leftist Government (NOT friendly with the U.S.)
COLOMBIA – 45.2 MILLION PEOPLE COFFEE, OIL & COAL - MAJOR EXPORTS COCAINE - LEADING ECONOMIC ACTIVITY TORN BY INTERNAL VIOLENCE BOGOTA & MEDELLIN - MAJOR CITIES
THE GUIANAS (FRENCH GUIANA, GUYANA, SURINAME) POPULATION< 1.5 MILLION ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POVERTY STRICKEN

3. THE WEST (ANDEAN SOUTH AMERICA)
PERU, ECUADOR, BOLIVIA
REGIONAL CHARACTER: Indigenous Populations, Subsistence Agriculture, Mountainous Environments, Poverty
PERU – 27.7 MILLION PEOPLE
LIMA is its Primary City
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES - Fishing, Irrigated Agriculture, Sugar, Cotton, Rice, Fruit, Oil, Minerals
Inca empire extended over 2,000 miles through the Andes
Modified the landscape with terrace fields and rope bridges
Machu Picchu, “The Lost City of the Incas,” was a ceremonial center well before Columbus
The potato was domesticated in Peru

4. ECUADOR - 13.6 MILLION PEOPLE
MAIN EXPORTS: Oil, Coffee, Cacao, Bananas
GUAYAQUIL - Largest City and Commercial Center
QUITO - CAPITAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER
Has major settlements in the Andean basins
Steady increase in the proportion of Ecuadoran population locating in the lower slopes and the coastal areas
Oil is extracted from the eastern side of Ecuador in the tropical lowlands that drain into the Amazon River
BOLIVIA – 9.2 MILLION PEOPLE
LANDLOCKED AND POVERTY STRICKEN
MAIN EXPORTS: TIN AND ZINC
South America's poorest country
Landlocked high in the Andes with its capital, La Paz, located at 12,000 feet (3,700 m)
The Bolivian mine at Potosi produced nearly one-half of the world's silver in the 16th century

5. Brazil (Eastern South America and the Amazon River Basin)
Largest nation in South America
Major urban growth along the coast and in the Amazon River Basin
Favelas – Poor shanty towns (slums) on the outskirts of Brazil’s major cities
Brazil is rich in gold.
Brazil grows sugar cane to convert to ethanol.
Oil, Hydroelectric, and Ethanol provides over 80% of Brazil’s energy needs.
Brazil is a 100% energy independent nation. 5

6. THE SOUTH (MID-LATITUDE SOUTH AMERICA)
THE SOUTHERN CONE: ARGENTINA, CHILE, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY
Heart of European-Commercial Culture Sphere
URUGUAY Million People
MONTEVIDEO - Primary City
Most European of South American Countries
EXPORTS: HIDES, MEATS,TEXTILES
PARAGUAY – 6.3 Million People
95% Mestizo (mixed European & Native American heritage)
Landlocked Location
CHILE – 16 Million People
An “Elongated State”
EXPORTS: COPPER AND NITRATES

7. Second largest nation in South America
ARGENTINA MILLION PEOPLE
90% URBANIZED, PERIPHERAL
BUENOS AIRES - PRIMATE CITY
EXPORTS: CEREALS, MEATS, VEGETABLE OILS
Second largest nation in South America
Major urban growth along the coast and in the plain of the Rio de la Plata
The agricultural productivity of the pampas - the dominant grasslands - of the interior that largely defines Argentina
Beef and wheat - major Argentine export commodities