CH: - 11 (South America).

Q1) Tell about the location and extent of South America.

A) The salient features of the location and extent of South America are following:-

1) In terms of extent South America stands 4 th in world’s continents. Its area is 18 Million Sq.Km. Its
shape is like irregular triangle that has a base towards North and is narrowed towards the South. This
continent is located between 13 N to 56 S latitude.

2) The north south extent from Caribbean Sea to Cape Horn is about 7600 Km.

3) Panama strait connects it with Central and North America. The Equator passes over the Source of
Amazon the largest river of the continent and Tropic of Capricorn passes almost in the middle of South
America. The Map clearly shows that 2/3 of the area of South America is located in Torrid Zone. The
longest distance in East-West direction is 5150 Km.

Q2) Write a note on Physical features of South America.

A) Generally South America may be divided into the following 3 main physical divisions.

A) The western folded mountains of Andes ranges:-

1) It is the longest mountains system in the world which extends from the Caribbean Sea in the north to
the Gulf Horn in the south along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

2) At least 50 peaks are higher than 6000 meters. These mountains were folded or squeezed up from the
sea floor about 20 million years ago.

The long and huge Andes Mountains can be divided into the following 3 divisions.

a) North Andes:-

1) In the north the Andes are divided into 3 branches. Among these are river basins and valleys. In
between central and eastern branches Maracaibo lowlands are located which border oil rich lake
Maracaibo. As the Andes height decreases near the Caribbean Sea until became the ranges of about 600
meters.

2) In Ecuador which is located in between 5 S and 10 S, the Andes are a knot of mountains where
branches of many mountains are emerged.

3) Great stretches of old rocks in Ecuador and in Peru shows that is remains under volcanicity for long
time and still earthquakes are frequent. Cotopaxi and Chimborazo are famous volcanoes of Ecuador.

b) The central Andes:-

1) It is the widest part of the Andes. In Peru it is divided into 2

.) Western Chain

.) Eastern Chain.

Between them lays the Altiplano (high plain) a plateaus region (3600 meters above sea level.

2) It is maximum wide on that location where it surrounded the Peru and Bolivian Plateaus. The rivers of
the Plateaus are drained into Lake Titicaca. This lake is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia at the
height of 3750 meters above sea level and it is the highest lake in the world for boating.

c) The Southern Andes:-

1) In northern Chile, the 2 major ranges of the Andes come closer together and extend towards the
extreme southern part continent from 30 S in a single farm.

2) Through out of Chile, the Andes are bordered on the east by rugged hills and on the west by ranges of
coast hills. Between the main ranges and the coastal ranges lies the central valley of Chile. South of 40
degree latitude, the drowned glacial valley became fiords.

B) Eastern mountains and plateaus of Guiana, Brazil and Patagonia:-

There are 3 huge mountains masses:-

a) The Guiana Plateaus:-

1) It is located between the basin of the Orinoco River and the Amazon River. It is uneven plateaus and
formed of old and hard rocks. The whole mountains mass is a vast plateau whose surface is not flat but
very rugged and hilly. Many deep river valleys have cut the whole plateaus region into a large number of
smaller table lands with rounded flat surfaces.

2) The Guiana mountains has so difficult excess from the Coasts due to sharp eastern slopes of
mountains that even today inland transportation is by means of rivers, although waterfalls and rapids
make journey difficult. Among the numerous waterfalls in the world, it is the highest known waterfall.
Angel falls from about 1000 meters height in Venezuela.

b) The Brazilian Plateau:-

1) It is a triangular shape highland with rugged surface. According to area, it is many times higher than
Guiana Plateau. It is a solid mass of old rocks, which forms the Nucleus of continent.

2) It is a stable from old ancient periods and called continental shield.

3) Eastern parts of Brazilian mountains are very high with coastal slopes. The south eastern part is in
escarpment and called Serr-Do-Mar.

4) In the north, the Brazilian mountains are in curve and several rivers enter in the Amazon River.
5) In the south-east, the Brazilian Plateau, large areas are formed by lava deposits and broken down to
form soil locally called Terra-Rossa, famous for coffee growth and South East part of the Brazil is most
important coffee producing region of the world.

Like Guiana Mountains, Brazil mountains are also divided into blocks due to erosion.

c) The Patagonian Plateau:-

1) This long plateau is in the extreme south of the continent extends far about 1600 km and is about 400
km wide. Its highest part is at the foot of the Andes in the west, its eastern side has lesser slope than
western side.

2) Most of the plateau is very dry. Thus, only poor grass and stunted vegetation can grow. The streams
which cross the plateau surface from the Andes have cut deep gorges and trenches. Many towns and
villages have settled in these deep valleys which remain safe from stormy winds.

C) The central flood plains Basin:-

The following 3 lowlands are prominent in South America.

a) The Orinoco Basin:-

1) It is extended on 349,650 sq. Km in the north of the continent and is drained by the Orinoco River and
its tributaries. Most part of this basin is situated between the Orinoco River and the Andes Mountain.

2) Although the River Orinoco is about 2250 Km long, but only its 800 Km is navigable. Near the sea the
Orinoco River divides into many streams. The delta becomes a Maze of Swamps during the rainy season.

b) The Amazon basin:-

1) It is the largest river basin in the world. The river gathers host tributaries draining the Brazilian
Mountains. The Amazon basin extends over 6993,000 Sq. Km. which is equal to Australia. The Amazon
has a length of about 6280 Km. Its mouth is estuary instead delta due to tides.

2) The greater part of the Amazon Basin is covered with Tropical rainy forest. Instead the Amazon forest
is the world’s largest rain forest. The climate is unpleasant due to dense forest. Therefore, it is less
populated and be longs to block races, which are physically and mentally weak and back ward.

3) Generally, the animal life is limited on the tops of tree in dense forest others are snakes, elephant and
dears etc. Economically the Amazon basin is important for elephant teeth and rubber.

Border lands of these forests have been clear where rice Kahawa, black Maize, Palm, and Banana are
cultivated.

The Amazon River is navigable by large ships for 1600 Km and by smaller vessels all the way to Quito’s in
Peru till 3700 Km from the Atlantic Ocean.
c) The Parana Paraguay Basin:-

1) The river Paraguay rises in the west of Brazilian Highlands from Mato-Grasso Plateau, while the
Paraxa River rises in the central part of Brazilian mountains of east of Paraguay.

2) The Paraguay River joins the Paraxa River at southern tip of the state of Paraguay. They have
navigable for a sufficient distance. These rivers drained through grass lands of Uruguay and Argentina
called Pampas.

3) Another river, the Uruguay River which rises from Brazilian mountains pours its water into Paraxa
River in the north of Buenos Aries city. The both combined rivers fall in a small gulf known as Rio-De-La-
Plato. These 3 rivers drained a vast area.

Q3) Write a note on Climate of South America.

A) The salient features of Climate of South America are following:-

1) South America extends over nearly about 70 degrees of latitudes from 13 N to 56 S. Therefore, it has
all types of climates from Equatorial region to temperature cold region.

2) It has also Tundra type of climate on the peaks of Andes Mountain. It shapes is just cow tail which
opens towards north and narrows towards the south and does not resemble with north America-Europe
and Asia as in these continents large portion of lands are located in Temperature zone. Therefore it has
extreme of climate in any part.

3) Ocean currents have a strongly influence upon the climate of South America. The cold Peruvian
current flows along the western shores of the continent from about 30 S to 40 N. This current lowers the
temperature along the western coastal region and also increases its dryness. But the eastern coastal
region is influenced by the warm water of south Equatorial current and the Brazilian current. These
currents increase the temperature of eastern coastal areas. Due to these currents eastern coastal areas
are warm than the western coastal areas.

4) Landforms have also large influence. The warm winds of the Atlantic Ocean are succeeded to reach in
the interior part of tropical and south tropical areas of continent; but the western winds are prevented
by the Andes Mountains and rain shadow areas develop in the east. Therefore, Patagonian Plateau has
dry climate.

Q4) Write a note on temperature of South America.

A) In July sun is nearly vertical on the tropic of cancer in the north an temperature more than in 6.7 C in
the interior south of Amazon Basin.

In the north of 30 S trade winds blow from sea to land and causes rainfall on eastern coast and Indies
Mountain. Therefore, the Western coast remains dry.
In South of 40 S North the western wind causes rainfall on the western coasts. This wind also causes
rainfall on eastern slopes of the Indies Mountain after crossing the mountains because these mountains
are not so high on these latitudes. These winds become warm and dry as they blow downward from the
eastern slopes.

In winter when the sun is vertical in the north of equator, the western wind belt shifted towards north.
Then the western wind cause for more rainfall on the pacific coasts in between 30 S and 40 S.

In summer season these areas comes under the effect of S.E. traders due to shifting of pressure belts
towards south and received no rainfall. Such a climate which remains hot and dry in summer and wet
and less warm in winter is called Mediterranean Climate.

Q5) Write a note on distribution of Rainfall.

A) According to rainfall distribution South America may be divided into following parts.

a) Heavy rainfall throughout the year.

b) Moderate rainfall mostly occurs in summer

c) Mediterranean type of rainfall

d) Lesser rainfall areas.

1) Such areas which receive heavy rain throughout the year. It includes Amazon basin, equatorial areas,
eastern and south Chili.

2) In Northern hemisphere of South America rainfall happens moderately with average of 1000 mm-
2000mm annually. It mostly happens in summer season due to evaporation or warm Tropical air masses.

3) These areas which receive rainfall mostly in summer. These areas are River Orinoco basin, Paraxa and
Prague basin where rainfall in uncertain and often long draught spell occurs. Rain in winter and dryness
in summer climate. Such rain occurs in the western coast of Chili in between 30 S to 40 S.

4) Low rain areas are located the south of summer high rainy areas where rainfall is 500 mm to 1000
mm annually. The driest areas of the continent are located in the west of Andes in north of 30 S and in
the east of Andes in the south of same latitude. As a whole South America has not extreme type of
climate. Neither so hot nor so cold; but when cold waves of South pole moves towards north then the
temperate falls sufficiently sometimes it effects also feels in the Amazon Basin.

Q6) Write a note on Population of South America.

A) According to some scientists the people are inhabited in North and South America about 10 thousand
years from the past.

.) History:-
 Christopher Columbus, Puraguese sailor discovered the west-indies islands. Western American
coast and surrounding coastal areas of Trinidad of South America in 1492. Less than 50 years after the
first voyage of Columbus. The Spaniards had conquered South America and Central America. The
Portuguese too had taken the possession of Brazil. In the 17 th century, the English, French and Dutch had
established colonies in Guyana, in the north east of continent.

Due to inter-marriage of the Indians of South America (the real people of South America) and Europeans
(immigrants, a new race came into being known as Mestizos), with the passage of time it became a
major part of population of South America.

Now mostly the people of Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia and Paraguay belong to Mestizos or the
Indians of South America races, mostly European races are located in Argentina and its neighboring
country Uruguay.

The present population of South America is Italians, Germans, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, and other
countries immigrants.

South America is a vast continent which is on the whole thinly populated it shares about 1/8 of total
earth surface but population is 1/18 of the total world population.

The main areas with moderately high population apart of big cities are following.

a) The South Eastern parts of Brazil

b) The immediate hinterland of the Plata estuary

c) Middle Chile

d) The high basins and Plateaus of Peru and Bolivia.

Apart from these population concentrated areas, there are vast stretches of land with very little
population such as:-

a) A great part of Amazon Basin

b) Most of Guiana Highlands.

c) The Gran Chaco region in Paraguay and Argentina

d) The western part of Brazilian Highlands.

e) Patagonian Plateau

f) The Atacama Desert of the Northern Chile

g) The forested region of the Southern Chile.

A most of the countries of South America the majority of the people love in rural areas. But in Argentina
and Chile most of the people live in cities. The population of cities is increasing fast due to migration
from rural areas.

The country with the greatest population in South America is Brazil with 157 million. Nearly 2/3 of
population of Brazil is people of European descent. Most of the population of Uruguay also belongs to
European races.

Mostly the people of black (Nagrea) and mixed parentage are settled in the North Eastern part of Brazil.
It is rather surprising to find that in most of the north Andean States, the people live mainly in the
mountains. But Orinoco basin and Guyana Mountains are less populated.

While, a southern country of Andes Mountains is a dry and desert country. It is thinly populated. 2/3 of
the population of Chile lives in the Middle Chile due to favorable climate.

Therefore, it is prominent for farming and animal rearing.

In Argentina, the 2nd largest country in the continent; the population is concentrated in the cities of
Pampas region. Paraguay is not so developed country due to its interior location. Its greater hilly areas
have poor means of transportation with other countries. Mostly population belongs to American Indian
people and population is moderately dense.