NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA, VENEZUELA, GUYANA

The countries of northern South America are shaped like an arch around the rain forests of the Amazon River. The Andes Mountains are the main feature of these countries. The Inca Empire used to live in the mountains that run from Venezuela to Ecuador and then through Chile. In the 1600s, the Spanish invaded in search of wealth and made a huge empire. The British, the French, and the Dutch all set up colonies in the northeast. All of these countries are now independent, except for French Guiana. However, they still face problems. Most of the countries in this area have big differences between rich and poor, cities that are too crowded, and an illegal drug trade.

THE ANIMALS OF THE ANDES

The Andeans have used many different kinds of mammals for food and clothing for hundreds of years. The wool and meat of wild guanacos and vicuas, as well as llamas and alpacas that have been tamed, are very valuable. Llama wool is coarse and is used to make blankets, ropes, and other things. Vicua wool is as fine as silk.

People are farming in the Andes.

In the Andes, there is so little fertile land that every bit of soil that is there must be used. Farmers often cut terraces into the slopes of their land to get the most out of it. Crops are grown to fit the weather, which is hot and humid on the lower slopes near the water and cooler as you go higher up the mountains. On the high plains past the Andes, only the potato will ripen properly. This piece shows a part of the Andes Mountains between Peru and Bolivia.

THE DRUG TRADE

People in this area have been chewing coca leaves to stop feeling hungry for a long time. Cocaine is an illegal drug that is made from the leaves of the coca plant. It is very popular in North America and Europe. Coca bushes can grow in less-than-ideal conditions and don't need much care, unlike food crops, which do. Growing cocaine also makes more money than growing food. Because of this, a lot of coca is grown in remote parts of the Andes. After the drug is turned into cocaine, it is sold outside of the region.

ANGEL FALLS

Angel Falls is the name of the tallest waterfall in the world. In 1935, the discovery was made by an American pilot named Jimmy Angel. He was looking for a river in Venezuela where he had once looked for gold. Instead, he went over a large waterfall that drops 3,215 feet (980 meters) into the Churn River.

Lost Worlds

More than 100 sandstone hills with flat tops, called tepuis, stand tall over Venezuela's rain forests. Some of these hills are 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) high. These tepuis used to be part of a large plateau that was worn away by wind and rain over millions of years. Many strange plants and animals have grown up in these "lost worlds."

THE CARIBBEAN COASTLINE

The majority of South America's people are a mix of European immigrants and people who were born there. But most of the people who live on the Caribbean coast and islands are black, including these Colombians. They are the children and grandchildren of African slaves who were brought to the US to work on sugar plantations. Many have stayed among the poorest people in society.

BORDER DISPUTES

No country in South America has never fought with its neighbors over its borders, and some of these borders are still a point of contention today. In the 1930s, Bolivia and Paraguay went to war with each other. In the 1940s, Ecuador and Peru went to war with each other. This picture shows a checkpoint at the border between Bolivia and Chile.

VENEZUELA

Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer, was the first person to visit the southern coasts of the Caribbean Sea in 1499. He called Venezuela "Little Venice," which means "Little Venice." He thought of the homes and canals of the Italian city of Venice when he saw the native Indian cottages on the lake. After being a part of the Spanish Empire for 300 years, Venezuela became free in 1811. Today, it is a country with a lot of stark differences. The oil industry brings in a lot of money, but many people live in shanties. Most people live in cities, but the tribes in the middle of the country haven't changed at all.

HIGH-RISE CARACAS

Caracas was a quiet village for most of its 400-year history. It was about 2,950 feet (900 meters) up in the hills near the Caribbean coast. When oil was found, the number of people quickly grew from a few thousand to almost 4 million. Caracas is now a modern city with buildings made of steel and glass, a big road, and a subway.

SLASH AND BURN AGRICULTURE

Farmers in the Amazon rainforest of Venezuela use a farming method called "slash and burn." Here, virgin rainforest is burned down and cleared so that farms can be built. Because the area can't be farmed for a long time, more trees have to be cut down every few years so that farmers can keep growing crops there.

RAINFOREST TRIBES

Few indigenous peoples remain in Venezuela. Those who do reside in the rural interior of the country, along the border with Brazil. The Yanomami are the largest group, numbering approximately 10,000. The Yanomami are hunters and gatherers who reside in large thatched yanos in forest clearings. In addition to infectious diseases such as measles, their way of life is challenged by logging firms and mineral prospectors who wish to exploit the region's richness.

OIL WEALTH

The discovery of oil in Lake Maracaibo in 1917 transformed Venezuela from one of the poorest nations in South America to one of the wealthiest. The reserves beneath Lake Maracaibo are the most extensive outside the Middle East. Along the Orinoco River are oil-bearing tar deposits that contribute to the country's prosperity. Even with these reserves, there are still many people living in poverty. People have not given enough attention to public services and agriculture, and the increase and fall of oil prices have had a negative impact on the economy.

CABLE CAR

The highest cable car system in the world is located high above the city of Mérida. It transports city dwellers to an elevation of 15,600 feet (4,765 meters) above sea level. The journey consists of four steps and takes over an hour.

YOUNG VENEZUELA

More over 7 million of Venezuela's 25 million inhabitants are under the age of 15. The majority of them reside in the cities in the north. Many enjoy American activities such as playing baseball (which was introduced by oil workers) and listening to rock music.

GUYANA

About 765 thousand Guyanese call the coastal plain home, particularly in and around the capital city of Georgetown. Given that several rivers in Guyana flow northward into the Atlantic Ocean, the country was given the name "Land of Many Waters" by its indigenous people. For a long time, Guyana was a British colony. However, in 1966, the country finally won its freedom. Present-day exports include sugar and bauxite, and the country also boasts an abundance of natural resources like timber and mineral deposits.

THE POPULATION

Almost everyone in Guyana is descended from people who were transported there to work on sugar plantations, either as free laborers or as slaves. Africans were brought here as slaves between the 17th and 19th centuries. People from the Indian Subcontinent arrived in the British Empire after slavery was abolished in 1833 to fill the void. There are probably less than 50,000 Carib Indians, the original inhabitants.

SUGAR PLANTATIONS

In 1615, the Dutch arrived in Guyana and established a colony on the Essequibo River. Slaves were imported from West Africa to work on the plantations that grew sugar cane, cocoa, and other tropical crops. When the British took over in 1814, sugar production became their top priority. As of now, sugar, rice, bauxite, and gold are the main commodities shipped out.

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