South America |
South America |
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Venezuela
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Population: 28,121,688 inhabitants
Land surface: 912,050 km2
Currency: Venezuelan Bolivar
GDP per capita: US$ 6,632
Language: Spanish
Official name: República Bolivariana de Venezuela.
Capital: Caracas 3,226,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Maracaibo 1,847,000 inhabitants; Valencia 1,719,500; Barquisimeto 1,027,700; Ciudad Guayana 748,200.
Government: presidential system
Religion: predominantly catholic 92.7%.
Geography. Venezuela has three natural regions. First, the Andes and other non- Andean ranges to the west and north, as well as important elevations in the south. The center, occupied by the Llanos del Orinoco, is a livestock area. And finally in the southeast, ancient massifs covered by sandstone rocks extend until the borders with Brazil and Guyana (Venezuelan Guayana). This is a region that is sparsely populated, with jungles, savannahs and rivers. Peculiarities of the region are the tepuis (plateau mountains) and the strange abysses of Sarisariñama. Most of the population is concentrated in the northern mountains. The most important oil fields are in: the Lake Maracaibo (State of Zulia), the Orinoco River Basin (States of Delta Amacuro, Monagas and Guarico), the Falcón Basin (State of Falcon), the Apure-Barinas Basin (States of Apure and Barinas) and the Cariaco Basin (State of Sucre). In the Gulf of Paria and the center of the State of Anzoategui, there are significant reserves of natural gas. Besides oil, the country has deposits of iron ore, bauxite, manganese, tungsten, gold, diamonds and chromium.
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Colombia
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Population: 46,741,096 inhabitants
Land surface: 1,138,910 km2
Currency: Colombian Peso
GDP per capita: US$ 7,304
Language: Spanish
Official name: República de Colombia.
Capital: Bogota 7,290,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Medellin 2,962,900; Cali 2,732,300; Barranquilla 1,841,700; Cartagena 837,600.
Government: presidential.
Religion: Catholicism is the official religion, to which 93% of the population adheres to; there is also liberty of cults.
Geography. The great Andes crosses the country from north to south and is divided into three branches: the Western Cordillera, next to the Pacific; the Central and the Eastern, separated by the wide valleys of Cauca and Magdalena. The swampy delta of the Magdalena opens to the north of the Andes; the Pacific plain to the west, and the forest and savannah plains, which stretch until the Orinoco and Amazon, to the east. This configuration results in a wide and varied climate: from the frozen lands of the Andean peaks to tropical climate of the Amazonia. The population is concentrated in the Andean, which is a temperate region. Coffee is the main legal export, probably overcome by the illegal sale of cocaine, which is processed from coca leaves harvested in Peru and Bolivia. The Colombian subsoil contains deposits of oil, coal, gold, platinum, silver and emeralds. Coca plantations in Colombia increased by almost 25 % by 2001, from 33,600 hectares to a total of 169,800 hectares.
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Peru
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Population: 28,221,492 inhabitants
Land surface: 1,285,220 km2
Currency: Sol
GDP per capita: US$ 6,039
Language: Spanish and Quechua
Official name: República del Perú.
Capital: Lima 7,899,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Arequipa 720,400; Trujillo 590,200; Chiclallo 481,100; Cuzco 279,600.
Government: presidential
Religion: Catholic (official and predominant), also with syncretic expressions associated with indigenous beliefs.
Geography. The Andes divide the country into three regions. The coast is desert-like but has large commercial plantations based on an artificial irrigation that is historically the most modern and westernized. Half of the population is concentrated n the mountains, between two branches of the Andes. Many of the farmers there continue to organize themselves into ayllus (communities) of the inkaicas roots. They practice a self-subsistence farming (corn and potatoes). The grazing of llamas and alpacas has retreated to the higher areas, due to the advance of mining and commercial sheep farming. The region consists of the eastern Amazonian lowlands, is a sparsely populated area, and has tropical climate and jungle vegetation. Peru is one of the largest producers of coca plant with energy and medicinal properties, commonly used in the indigenous culture, with which cocaine is produced artificially.
1. Indicate which country the statement refers to: Venezuela, Colombia or Peru.
Brazil
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Hymn |
Population: 194,227,983 inhabitants
Land surface: 8,547,400 km2
Currency: Real
GDP per capita: US$ 8,402
Language: Portuguese
Official name: República Federativa do Brasil.
Capital: Brasilia 3,099,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): São Paulo 17,800,000; Rio de Janeiro 10,600,000; Belo Horizonte 4,310,100; Salvador 3,095,100; Porto Alegre 3,576,500; Recife 3,377,600.
Government: presidential
Religion: predominantly Catholic, though often mixed with cults of African origin, in syncretic religious forms (Macumba, Umbanda and Candomblé).
Geography. There are five distinguishable regions in the country. The Amazon, located in the north, consists of plains covered by equatorial forests and crossed by large rivers. In the highlands of the Carajás is one of the largest mineral formations in the world (iron, manganese, copper, nickel and bauxite). The economy is basically based on extracts. In the northeast, the hinterland consists of crystalline plateaus, with a semi- arid climate and sparse vegetation where livestock predominates. The most humid littoral belt (Zona da Mata) has plantations of sugar cane and cacao. The southeast is known for its great economic development. Its topography is composed by extensive plateaus, blocked on the east by the sierra of the Sea. The main agricultural products of the region are coffee, cotton, corn and sugar cane. The south includes the Southern plateau, which has a subtropical climate and is the main agricultural area with coffee, soybeans, corn and wheat. At the southern end, there are important cattle ranching activities conducted in the Gaucho countryside. Finally, the Midwest consists of vast plains, where livestock is predominant.
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Chile
Population: 16,802,953 inhabitants Land surface: 756,630 km2 Currency: Chilean Peso GDP per capita: US$ 12,027 Language: Spanish Official name: República de Chile. Capital: Santiago 5,478,000 inhabitants (2003). Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Concepción 963,800; Valparaíso 888,300; Viña del Mar 356,800; Temuco 280,200. Government: presidential Religion: Catholic, 77%, Protestant, 13%
Geography. Chile is limited by the Andes Mountains to the east and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. The country is shaped like a narrow strip that at no point exceeds 360 km wide, while from north to south measures 4,200 km. This extension explains the succession of climates and landscapes. Under the influence of cold currents, the north is deserted, where there are major copper mines and nitrate. Chile is the largest producer and exporter of copper in the world. The central region is of temperate climate and is suitable for agriculture. 65% of the population is concentrated here.
Argentina
Hymn
Population: 39,934,110 inhabitants
Land surface: 2,780,400 km2
Currency: Argentinian Peso
Geography. The Andes Mountains unfold west of Argentina, which crosses the entire country from north to south. In the sub-Andean region there is a succession of an oasis of an irrigation-based agriculture: sugar cane, citrus (in the north) and vine (in the center). Plains extend to the east of the Andes: the Chaco plain in the north, with subtropical vegetation and cotton crops; the Pampa plain with fertile and deep soils in the center, and a temperate climate, where sheep and cattle ranching and agriculture of wheat, corn, soybeans and forages develop.
Patagonia is a low, arid and cold plateau in the south. It has steppe vegetation where sheep is extensively raised and oil extracted. Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, located in the South Atlantic, in front of Tierra del Fuego, as well as a section of Antarctica having a total area of 1,250,000 km2.
1. Indicate to which country the statement refers to: Brazil, Chile or Argentina
Its economy is basically extractive
The capital is Santiago
It is the most populous country
It reclaims the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands
It is the largest country
The country is a narrow strip
The capital is Brasilia
It has the highest GDP per capita
The capital is Buenos Aires
It is the largest producer of copper
Patagonia is an arid and cold plateau
Bolivia
Himno
Population: 9,694,231 inhabitants
Geography. Bolivia does not have a coastline. There are three distinguishable natural regions: The plateau, with an average altitude of 4,000 m has a dry and cold climate, and houses most of the population. The country’s wealth is based on its minerals: tin, gold, silver, zinc, lead, tungsten and copper. The Bolivian Yungas and the valleys on the eastern slopes of the Andes have a subtropical climate and make up the main area for the production of coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, soybeans, citrus fruits, bananas and coke. In the tropical lowlands in the east and the north, which is a region full of forests and savannas, cattle farming is practiced while rice, soybean and sugarcane are grown. There are also deposits of hydrocarbons. Bolivia is geographically divided into three basins: Lake Titicaca (in the plateau), the Amazon River in the north and the Rio de la Plata in the south.
Ecuador
Hymn
Population: 13,481,180 inhabitants
Land surface: 283,560 km2
Currency: US Dollar
GDP per capita: US$ 4,341
Language: Spanish and Quechua
Official name: República del Ecuador.
Capital: Quito 1,451,000 inhabitants (2003).
Geography. The country has three natural distinguishable regions: the coast, the mountains and the east. More than half of the population lives on the coast, where export crops predominate: bananas, cocoa, rice and coffee. Subsistence farming dominates in the mountains, between two branches of the Andes Mountains. The archipelago of Columbus, or the Galapagos Islands, belongs to Ecuador.
Paraguay
Hymn
Population: 6,238,376 inhabitants
Uruguay
Hymn
Population: 3,350,454 inhabitants
Geography. Uruguay has a territory full of hills. Its topography is an extension of the foothills of southern Brazil, belonging to an ancient massif, the Brazilian Guayánico. Its average altitude is 300 meters above sea level, which together with its location and latitude, explain its warm and humid subtropical climate with rainfall distributed throughout the year. There is an almost continuous vegetative cover of natural pastures, suitable for raising cattle and sheep. Its territory, well watered by numerous streams, presents more than 1,100 kilometers of navigable waters, especially the Black and Uruguay rivers as well as on the estuary of the Plata. The coast also offers a succession of sandy beaches that attract many tourists.
3. Indicate which country the statement refers to: Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay or Uruguay
Its plateau is 4,000 meters
The capital is Montevideo
Half of its population lives on the coast
It exports soybean
The capital is Quito
Its average altitude is 300 meters
It is the most populous country
It grows cotton
It is the largest country
The capital is La Paz
It has sandy beaches
The capital is Asuncion
It exports bananas and cocoa
It is very rich in tin
It has the highest GDP
4. Other countries in South America:
Country
Population
Extension, km2
Capital
Currency
Idioma
French Guiana
206.972
90.000
Cayenne
Euro
French
Suriname
460.530
163.270
Paramaribo
Dutch
Aruba
103.530
190
Oranjestad
Aruban Florin
Dutch
5. Indicate the capital of the following countries:
Peru
Brazil
Bolivia
Venezuela
Argentina
Paraguay
Colombia
Chile
Ecuador
Uruguay
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®Arturo Ramo García.-Record of intellectual property of Teruel (Spain)
No 141, of 29-IX-1999 Plaza Playa de Aro, 3, 1º
DO 44002-TERUEL |
