Exploring Our World: People, Places, and Cultures Grade 6

Chapter 4: Physical Geography of South America

Chapter Overviews

The continent of South America has two large landforms—the Andes and the Amazon Basin. The Andes extend along the western coast of South America, from Venezuela to Chile. They are the world’s longest mountain system, stretching for about 5,500 miles (8,851 km). The Andes are a group of mountain chains that run side by side. Between the mountains lie plateaus and valleys. Located east of the Andes is the Amazon Basin. The Amazon Basin is a low-lying area covering 2.7 million square miles (7.0 million sq. km). Smaller highland and lowland areas border the Andes and the Amazon Basin.

South America’s river system is extensive. It includes the Amazon River, which begins in the Andes and flows to the Atlantic Ocean. Another major river system is made up of the Paraná, Paraguay, and Uruguay Rivers. People use the waterways of South America as sources for food and energy and for transportation.

South America’s resources include minerals, forests, farmlands, and water. These resources, however, are not evenly distributed throughout the region. Brazil, for example, possesses a great amount of resources, including timber, rubber, palm oil, Brazil nuts, gold, iron ore, and manganese, but it does not have enough oil and natural gas reserves to support its population. In contrast, Venezuela has, by far, the largest amount of oil and natural gas reserves in South America. It uses this supply for its own energy needs and for export. In addition to the uneven distribution of resources, other problems, such as lack of money and political unrest, prevent some South American countries from mining their resources.

South America is located mainly in the Tropics. Much of the continent has warm temperatures and heavy rainfall. This tropical wet climate has created the world’s largest rain forest in the Amazon Basin. A rain forest is a dense region of trees and plants. The Amazon Basin rain forest contains more types of vegetation and animals per square mile than anywhere else on Earth. In addition to tropical climates, South America also has temperate and dry climates. Even though South America is located primarily in the Tropics, however, altitude, or the height above sea level, also influences the continent’s climate. Climates at higher altitudes tend to be drier and cooler. As a result, different types of vegetation grow at different altitudes.