Social Studies: South America

Most of South America is not far from sea level. There are some peaks, though. Along the Chilean and Peruvian coast, the Andes Mountains skyrocket to to over 10,000 feet. On the eastern side of the continent, the Brazilian Highlands are between 2,000 and 5,000 feet up. Between the Andes Mountains and The Brazilian Basin, there is the Amazon Basin, which is right near sea level, between 0 and 1,000 feet. Most of South America’s southern tip has fairly low elevation, with a band of area between 2,000 and 5,000 feet. The Amazon river, as well as all of its various tributaries, snake through much of the continent. The highest spot in South America is atop Chile’s Mt. Aconcagua, whose peak is a dazzling 22,834 ft above sea level.

Most of northern South America (northern Brazil, Peru, and pieces of Venezuela and Colombia) is covered by the Amazon Rainforest, which is mainly broadleaf evergreen forest.

The very southern part of Brazil’s coast also has broadleaf evergreen. The central section of the continent (southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and bits of Bolivia), is tropical grassland. Much of Argentina (the southern part) is temperate grassland. On the southern coast of Chile, there is a thin band of deciduous forest. The Atacama Desert is slightly farther north, at northern Chile and Peru, which is basically desert and highlands.

The largest cities in South America are Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Río de Janero, each with over 8,000,000 people. Santiago, Lima, Bogota, and Belo Horizonte are all slightly smaller cities, each having between 4,000,000 and 8,000,000 people living in them.The most dense areas on the continent are in and right around big cities (like the three mentioned in the first sentence) as well as around a few smaller cities, like Caracas, Recife, and Bogota.The majority of people live on the continent’s coast, especially on the coasts of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia. In most of the Amazon rainforest, in the center of the South America, there is a very low population density, with under 2 people per square mile. A good amount of the southern tip of the country also has a population density of under two people per square mile.

There is a large area of tropical wet that covers northern Brazil and parts of Peru and Colombia. A plot of tropical wet and dry is spread over most of Brazil and Bolivia. In Uruguay, Paraguay, and northern Argentina, there is a section of humid subtropical.  There is also a small piece of arid climate on the eastern tip of Brazil. Most of Argentina, Chile, and Peru are made up of patches of arid, semiarid, highlands, and marine west coast. Given that South America is 6.888 million square miles, it makes sense that the climate would vary from hot, rainy tropical wet to cool, not-too-much-rain humid subtropical.

On all the maps, I see six different regions. They are: The Andes Mountains, Patagonia, The Amazon, The Brazilian Highlands, Pampas/Gran Chico, and The Guyana Highlands. First of all, the Andes Mountains are located all the way up the west coast. Both the vegetation and climate maps describe the Andes as “highlands”, with a strip of “Desert”/”Arid” going down the coast. On the Physical Features map they are very high up, reaching over 10,000 feet. Patagonia is located on the tip of the continent, and is not very populated, with <2 people per square mile. Its vegetation is deciduous forests and temperate grassland, and it’s mostly marine west coast and arid. The Amazon is located in the center of South America, and is also (mostly) not very populated, at <2 people per square mile, with strips of between 2 and 25. It’s a Tropical Wet, Broadleaf Evergreen Forest, which is not very far above sea level. The Brazilian Highlands cover southern Brazil and Bolivia. They are Tropical Wet and Dry, with Temperate Grassland, and range from near sea level to between 2,000 and 5,000 feet up. Pampas/Gran Chico is a region I’ve placed covering Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina, Right around Buenos Aires.  Pampas/Gran Chico is low, between 0 and 1,000 feet above sea level. It has a Humid Subtropical climate, and has Temperate Grassland and Tropical Grassland for its vegetation. Finally, Guyana Highlands is a small region in the northern part of South America, mostly elevated to a height of between 2,000 and 5,00 feet. Like The Brazilian Highlands, it has Tropical Wet and Dry climate and temperate grassland. It has a slightly larger population density, between 2 and 250 people per square mile, with more dense areas around Bogota and Caracas. As you can see by comparing my regions with the maps, each region is different enough from the others and has enough similarities among it.

South America is an amazing place to visit, offering beautiful wilderness and wildlife, as well as culture and cuisine. The Andes Mountains offer amazing scenery and a wonderful hike, or an intense journey to the 15,000 foot peaks. The spectacular Amazon Rainforest, the biggest and most biodiverse rainforest on Earth, offers dazzling flora and fauna, and no people, boasting less than two people per square mile. Visit Patagonia, with its deciduous forests and see the immense glaciers, slabs of ice thousands of years old. If you prefer civilization, go to Buenos Aires, a fascinating center of food, society and history. Río de Janeiro is a busy, culture-heavy, amazing city, packed with over 8 million people. In conclusion, South America offers a variety of experiences, both natural and anthropological.