Page 28 - Key to Social Studies 6

Let’s Observe Let’s Connect

Prominent Features in South America South America before vs. after European Colonization

The Brazilian Jungles South America before European Colonization

The Brazilian jungles are known to South America was the home of many civilizations before it was discovered by the Europeans, and some

have a huge variety of plants and of these civilizations can still be traced to date. For example, Norte Chico, Cañari, and Muisca are
animals that cannot be found civilizations that lived on agriculture, hunting, and also gold extraction.

anywhere else, for which it is It is known that settlers of South America were travelers from Eastern Asia who used the Bering Land

considered to have the greatest Bridge and traveled to North America and then moved south.

biodiversity in the world. South America after European Colonization

Brazil has almost 60% of the In 1494, both Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, giving them the right to take

Amazon Rainforest, which o ers it a possession and control of newly discovered lands. In addition, the Europeans mistreated the natives

diverse ecosystem. and imposed their beliefs and cultures on the whole continent.
Brazil’s jungles have 1,622 di erent

bird species, 70 of which are just Old illustration of Native Americans and Europeans
Jungle view from Serra dos Órgãos National Park,
parrots. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Patagonia Desert

The Patagonian Desert is Argentina’s

largest desert extending to around
2
673,000 km . It is surrounded by the
Andes Mountains to the west and

the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

A small part of the desert stretches

into parts of Chile.

Desert Patagonia, Argentina
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