Page 24 - Key to Social Studies 6

South America Eastern Highlands

The continent of South America might be considered to have the most diverse physical geography • The highlands of the eastern side of South America formed during an older geologic period. The

compared to any other continent. highlands of South America formed around the same time as the Appalachian Highlands in North
South America is the fourth-largest continent and has a great diversity of physical features, varying from America.

the highest snow-covered peaks of the Andes Mountains to the jungles of Brazil, the hot deserts of Chile, • The Eastern Highlands are divided into the Guiana Highlands in the north and the Brazilian Highlands in

and the vastness of Patagonia. the south.

The Amazon Plains

• The northeastern half of South America is covered • The Amazon River and the Paraguay-Parana River supply water to the plains of South America, helping

with huge swaths, which are broad strips of green the growth of crops and allowing the transportation of goods. The plains lie between the Eastern

land, that make an important contribution to world Highlands and the Andes Mountains.

climate. The Atacama

• The Amazon River has the largest amount of water • The Atacama Desert is the driest area on Earth, with very rare rainfalls. It extends around 1,000 km from
compared to other world rivers, moving vast The Amazon River north to south, and its aridity, or dryness, is caused by being located between the Andes and the Chilean

quantities of water thousands of kilometers from the Andes Mountains through South America. Coast Range.

• The Amazon River basin, an area drained by the river, has dense rainforests. Most of the basin is covered

by the Amazon Rainforest, which is also known as "The Lungs of the World" as it produces 20% of the
world's total oxygen. In August 2019, a re started in the rainforest and large areas were burned. This was

declared as a global tragedy. Atacama Desert, Andes, Chile

• Deforestation, or the clearance of large areas of trees, occurs in the Amazon River basin. Valuable

hardwood timber is gathered from the rainforests. Responsible logging helps to support many people in

the area, but many citizens of the world worry about taking too many trees from this important place.

The Andes Mountains
Andes Mountains, Argentina • Along the western coastline of South America lies the longest range
and Chile
of mountains in the world: the Andes, which reaches 7,000 km

in length.

• The Andes Mountains cross through many countries, including

Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
The Andes region is a volcanic belt, which includes the world’s

highest active volcano, Ojos del Salado.
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