Chapter 13, Section 2The Andean Countries

7.2.8.A Explain the characteristics of places and regions.Anchor: CC8.5.6-8.D: Determine the meaning of words as they are used in text.

STARTING OBJECTIVE: Students will explain how the physical geography of the Andean countries has affected the people who live there.

4.1.15 AGENDA:PDNFinish Section 1Begin Section 2

Introduction• The Andes form the backbone of Ecuador, Peru,

Bolivia, and Chile. • It is the longest unbroken mountain chain in the

world, soaring higher than any range except the Himalayas (S. Asia).

Physical Characteristics• The Andes stretch some 5,500 miles all the way

from the Caribbean Sea to the southernmost tip of S. America.

• In Peru and Bolivia, mountain range extends 500 miles wide.

• It’s rocky walls divide the Andean nations into three distinct environments:– Coastal Plains– Highlands– Forest

Coastal Plain• Between the mountains and the sea, a narrow

plain stretches along the entire Pacific coast from Colombia to the southern end of Chile.

• Atacama Desert occupies the coastal plain in northern Chile.

• To the north, along the coast of Ecuador, lie hot and humid rain forests.

• South, lies area of Mediterranean climate of hot,dry summers and mild, rainywinters.

Highlands• Inland from the coastal plain, the peaks of the

Andes rise skyward to incredible heights. • Between the cordilleras lie highland valleys and

plateaus. – Plateaus range from 6500-16000 ft. above sea level. – Plateau regions are known by different names in

different countries:• Altiplano or “high plain” in Peru and Bolivia• Paramos in Ecuador.

Highlands continued…• Climate in the Andes varies with elevation. • At very high elevations, the vegetation is known

as alpine tundra. – Grows above the timber line or boundary above

which continuous forest vegetation cannot grow.

Highlands Continued…• Only plants that can survive cold temps, gusting

winds, spotty precipitation, and short growing seasons grow in the alpine tundra (Midsection of Mountain).

• The rest of the Andes can vary in temps., with warmer temperatures, frequent rain and thick and lush rain forests.

Tropical Forests• Inland, the eastern slopes of the Andes descend to

forested tropical lowlands. • In Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, these forested regions

are called the selva.• The rain forests of the Amazon River basin begin in

the selva. • Jaguars, hummingbirds, monkeys and toucans inhabit this ecosystem, but not many people do.

People and the Environment• People have always been drawn to Andes due to its

natural resources. – Rich Soil suited for growing crops (depends on elevation)– Mountains contain Gold, Silver, Tin, Copper and other

minerals. – On the other hand, the mountains also are a barrier for

trade.

Economic Activities• Vertical trade– In a typical Andean market town, people from villages

at different elevations meet to trade their crops. – Tropical foods such as bananas and sugar cane, grown

in the tierra caliente, may be traded for the potatoes and cabbage that grow in the tierra fria.

– Village farmers, highland cheesemakers, coastal fisherman and peddlers all meet in the Andean market town.

Physical Effects• Original inhabitants of the highlands, before the

Spanish arrived in the 1500s, were groups of Native Americans.

• Indians still make up 25-55% of population of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.

• Andean Indians, who have lived for centuries at altitudes up to 17,000 feet have developed unusual physical characteristics, such as larger hearts and lungs, that let them live and work in the thin, oxygen-poor air.

OBJECTIVE REVIEW

• HOW HAS THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE ANDEAN COUNTRIES AFFECTED THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE?

NEW OBJECTIVE

• STUDENTS WILL COMPARE THE ECONOMIES OF ECUADOR AND PERU.

Ecuador• Ecuador = Equator • ¼ of 12.9 million Ecuadoriansare of Indian Descent. • They speak Quechua, the language of the Incas. • Traditional lifestyle– Subsistence farming

Ecuador Continued…• People of European background make up only

10% of Ecuador’s population. – Own the largest farms and factories.– Have most political influence.

• Half of Ecuador’s pop. are mestizos. – Speak Spanish.– Live in highland cities/towns.– Some work in Urban factories.– Others work as tenant farmers on plantations.

Ecuador Continued…• 1960s, Ecuadorians discovered Oil in the selva

lowlands. • Petroleum became one of Ecuador’s most

important exports.• 1990s, fluctuating oil prices and government

mismanagement hampered Ecuador’s economic growth.

Peru• Heart of the Inca Empire (fell to Spaniards in 1500s).• 45% of Peru’s population are Indians who speak

Quechua or Aymara.• Most live by subsistence farming or herding llamas

and alpacas in the highlands.

Peru Continued…• Machu Picchu, Incan capital city of Cuzco are

magnificent ruins showing examples of Incan architecture.

• Most other Peruvians are mestizos who live in urban areas or near the coastal plain.

• Work for low wages in factories that produce fish meal for animal feed or on plantations (sugar cane, rice, cotton).

• Poverty and unemployment ^^^^^^

Peru Continued…• As in Ecuador, a minority of people of European

descent control most of the country’s wealth and are government and army leaders.

• High Asian immigration (Ex. Pres. Fujimori).

OBJECTIVE REVIEW• ARE PERU’s and ECUADOR’s economies alike?

Different?

• On a separate sheet of paper, make a venn diagram and compare the two. Please understand that it is ok if there are no similarities, the point of a venn diagram is to compare and contrast, you won’t always have comparisons.

NEW OBJECTIVE

• STUDENTS WILL DESCRIBE HOW CLIMATE AFFECTS THE PEOPLE OF BOLIVIA AND CHILE.

Bolivia• Landlocked• Lake Titicaca, the world’shighest navigable lake flowsAlong the Peru/Bolivia border.• Bolivia has many minerals,but the best ores have already been removed.

Bolivia Continued…• Most people are Indian• Subsistence farmers who live in the highlands. • Bolivian farm families grow potatoes, wheat and

barley.• Higher elevations – herd alpacas and llamas.

Bolivia Continued…• Children assist in herding. • Climate varies with the altitude, from humid

and tropical to cold and semiarid.• Cold thin air of the high plateau makes

physical activity difficult for nonnative-born people.

Chile• Name means “end of the land.”• Edges west coast of S. America like a long, narrow

ribbon. • 2,700 miles long, but at the most 100 miles wide.• 2/3 of 15 million pop. Are mestizos. • ¼ of Population is of European descent.– Spanish– British– German

Chile Continued…• The barren Atacama Desert in the north is

uninhabited. • ¾ of Chilean people live in the Central Valley.– Region of fertile river basins between the Andes and

the coastal ranges. • Fruit, vegetables and wine grapes grow there in abundance.

Chile Continued…• Chile’s productive summer season comes during

the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, its products find good markets in the US and Europe.

• Santiago, the capital, 1/3 of pop. Lives here. – New residents are from countryside. – Lack skills and are illiterate. – High unemployment and poor– Crowded