Click Here For Integrated Guidance Programme http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/integrated-free-guidance-programme Geography CHAPTER - 3 SOUTH AMERICA Introduction Latitude : 12028'N to 55059'S Longtitude : 28051'W to 920W Area: 1,7835,000-sq. km (approximately) Size and Shape : Fourth largest continent and roughly triangular in shape. Situation : Situated to the south of North America, mostly in the Southern Hemsphere. It is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea in the north, Atlantic Ocean in the east, Antarctic Ocean in the south and Pacific Ocean in the west. Extent : North-South : 7640 km East-West : 4990 km South America as well as Mexico, Central America and West Indies are collectively known as Latin America. PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, Venezuela and French Guiana (of France). Greatest extent, North-South : 7640 km Greatest extent, East-West : 4990 km Click Here to Buy Full Study Kit in Hard Copy © WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/study-kit-for-ias-pre-gs-paper-1-2012 Click Here For Integrated Guidance Programme http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/integrated-free-guidance-programme Geography Important Gulfs, Peninsulas and Straits NAME INFORMATION Gulf of Guayaquil • West of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. Gulf of Penas • Southern Chile in the Pacific Ocean. Gulf of San Jorge • East of Argentina in the Atlantic Ocean. Gulf of San Matias • North of Valdes Peninsula (Argentina) in the Atlantic Ocean. Taitao Peninsula • Surrounded by Gulf of Penas and the Pacific Ocean in Southern Chile. Valdes Peninsula (Argentina) • Lowest part of South America surrounded by Gulf of San Matias (North), Gulf of San Jose (West), Gulf of Nuero and the Atlantic Ocean. Magellan’s Strait • Separates southern end of South America, the Tierra Del Fuego. Drake Passage • Strait between South America and Antarctica. Important Lakes and Islands NAME LOCATION Lake Maracaibo (12,950 sq. km) • North of Venezuela, is one of the major oil producing region. • Largest lak of South America. Lake Titicaca (12,500 feet above sea level) • Situated between Bolivia and Peru. • Highest navigable lake in the world. Lake Popo • Lies in the Altiplano (high Plateau between the Andes mountain chain) in Bolivia. Galapagos Islands • Home of many unique species of reptiles (turtles), birds and fishes. Click Here to Buy Full Study Kit in Hard Copy © WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/study-kit-for-ias-pre-gs-paper-1-2012 Click Here For Integrated Guidance Programme http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/integrated-free-guidance-programme Geography Important River Basin of South America Amazon River Basin Orinoco River Source : Andes Mountain, Peru Basin Mouth : Macapa Source : Guiana highlands. (Brazil) in the Atlantic Ocean Mouth : Enters the • 6,500 km long river flowing through Peru and Brazil to the Atlantic Atlantic Ocean via huge Ocean. delta. • World’s second longest river after Nile and has the greatest volume. • The river basin is • Madeira is the largest tributary of the Amazon River. covered with Llanos, Savanna like • The river basin is covered with dense equtorial firest which are locally vegetation. called Selvas. • Angel Falls, the • Rubber was first discovered in its wild state as Para rubber in the highest in the world Amazon basin. is located on the • Guicas practice subsistence agriculture in the river basin. river. Parana River Basin Magdalena Source : Brazilian Highlands. River Basin Outflow : Rio-de La Source : Andes Plata. Mountain. • It flows through Mouth : Brazil, Paraguay and Caribbean Sea at Argentina and forms the Colombian the boundary City of between Paraguay Barranquilla. and Brazil. • It flows • World’s largest through the waterfall (in terms of rift valley volume) Iguazo between located on Parana. cordillera • Serves as an outlet Oriental and to the sea for the Cordillera Paraguay. Occidental of • Itaipu, the largest the Andes dam of South mountain. America, is located • Oil is found on the river. in the La Plata Caribbean coastal • Nearly 30 km long lowlands of estuary which looks river basin. like a river, lies between Urugay and Argentina. • An estuary into which Parana and Uruguay River fall. Click Here to Buy Full Study Kit in Hard Copy © WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/study-kit-for-ias-pre-gs-paper-1-2012 Click Here For Integrated Guidance Programme http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/integrated-free-guidance-programme Geography THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS • Forms the second highest mountain system in the world, next to the Himalaya. The Andes Mountain System • Aconcagu (6960 m), an extinct volcano is hte highest peak of Western Hemisphere lies in Argentina. • A part of seven countries; Venezuela, Colombia, Ecador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. • The Andes range is widest in Bolivia (640 km) and comprises two chain (Cordillera Occident al and Oriental); the Altiplano (high plateau) lies between these two chains. (i) Cordillera Occidental (ii) Cordillera Central (iii)Cordillera Oriental • Three parallel north-south ranges of the Andes dominate the western part of Colombia with altitudes between 3,000 m and 5,000m. • The two parallel north-south ranges of the Andes dominate the Central Ecuador. Chimborazo (6,310 m) is the highest peak of Ecuador and Mt Ojas del Salado the highest active volcano in the world, is in Argentina. GUIANA HIGHLANDS • Located in the northern part of Brazil and extending into Guyana, Surinam and French Guina. • Highlands upto 5,000 m high is the densely forested region. • Picoda Neblina (3,014m), the Brazil’s highest peak, is in the highlands. BRAZILIAN HIGHLANDS • Rising from Brazil’s Atlantic coast and levels off into high towards the western side of Brazil. • Rich in mines, coffee plantation, and cattle ranches. • Highland region is characterized by coniferous forest while the drier region is covered with Savanna-like grassland (Campos). Click Here to Buy Full Study Kit in Hard Copy © WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/study-kit-for-ias-pre-gs-paper-1-2012 Click Here For Integrated Guidance Programme http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/integrated-free-guidance-programme Geography BOLIVIAN PLATEAU OR THE ALTIPLANO • An example of intermontane plateau which lies between the two chains of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia. • Region with rich deposits of tin. PLATEAU OF MOTO GROSS • Highlands of Brazil. GRAN CHACO • A great lowland centred on western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and south eastern Bolivia. • It has warm temperate forest and grassland to the south of Selvas. • Dry scrubland used mainly for cattle rearing. • It means ‘The Hunting Land’ in the local language. ATACAMA DESERT • A coastal desert in Chile. • The world’s driest desert. • It contains a number of salt lakes. • Rich in gold, nitrate (caliche), copper and sulphur. PAMPA • Vast monotonous temperate grassland that covers about 20% area of Argentina’s heartland. • One of the world’s greatest agricultural PATAGONIA PLATEAU regions for grain and beef. • Alfa-Alfa, a nutritious leguminous grass is • Piedmont plateau of the grown for commercial grazing. Southern Argentina, rain shadow region with little rain called {atagonia desert. • Grazing land for sheep and cattle. Click Here to Buy Full Study Kit in Hard Copy © WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/study-kit-for-ias-pre-gs-paper-1-2012.