Question | Answer |
Andes Mountains | are part of a chain of mountain ranges that run along the west and southern coasts of South America, are a barrier to movement into the interior . |
Llanos | vast plains found in Colombia and Venezuela, which are grassy, treeless areas used for livestock grazing and farming. |
Cerrado | savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall that make them suitable for farming. |
Pampas | areas of grasslands and rich soil found in Argentina and Uruguay: produces cattle and wheat grain |
Orinoco River | winds through the northern part of South America mainly in Venezuela |
Amazon River | fed by over 1,000 tributaries, this river is the largest river in the world, located in Brazil |
Parana River | travels through Paraguay and Argentina then turns into an estuary called the Rio de la Plata |
Rain Forest | are dense forests made up of different species of trees, where the climate is hot and rainy year round |
Slash-and-burn | cutting trees, brush, and grasses and burning the debris to clear the fields |
Terraced farming | is an ancient technique for growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes |
Push factors | are factors that "push" people to leave rural areas |
Pull factors | are factors that "pull" people toward cities |
Infrastructure | includes things as sewers, transportation, electricity, and housing. things needed in order for a city to function properly |
Mestizo | population of people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage |
Maquiladoras | are factories in Mexico that assemble imported materials into finished products that are then exported, mostly to the US |
NAFTA | (north american free trade agreement) has created a huge zone of cooperation on trade and economic issues, import tariffs on manufactured goods are being slowly reduced and eventually will disapoear |
Cultural Hearth | is a place from which important ideas spread, a heartland or place of origin of a major culture |
Informal Economy | jobs that take place outside official channels, without benefits or protection for workers |
Treaty of Tordesillas | two european powers of Portugal and Spain reached an agreement to divide South America. Portugal got Brazil and Spain received the rest |
Biodiversity | wide range of plant and animal species |
Deforestation | cutting down and clearing away of trees in the rain forest |
Global Warming | carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere, which prevents heat from escaping into space, the temperature of the atmosphere begin to rise and change weather patterns |
Debt-for-nature swap | paying off government debt in order to protect a certain portion of the rain forest |
Oligarchy | government run by a few, usually have the military to back their power |
Land Reform | the process of breaking up large landholdings and giving portions of the land to land-poor peasant farmers |