Pacific South America stretches along the Pacific Ocean from the equator to the Arctic Circle. It contains several countries with high Andes Mountains that experience frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Climate and vegetation vary widely by elevation, from tropical rainforests to cold deserts. Early cultures like the Incas built extensive empires before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors. Today, the region contains diverse countries with varying levels of development, democratic governments, and economies based on natural resources like minerals, oil, and agriculture.

1. Pacific South America

2. Physical Geography

3. Physical Features
 Stretch along Pacific Ocean from the equator to almost
the Arctic Circle
 All countries have high Andes mountains

4. Mountains
 Andes run through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, & Chile
 Some rise more than 20,000 feet
 Earthquakes & volcanoes are constant (two tectonic
plates meet in region)
 Some earthquakes cause glaciers to send ice & mud rushing
down mts.
 Landscapes differ from north to south
 Rugged peaks to rounded peaks
 In the north Andes split into two ranges
 Peru & Bolivia ridges are far apart
 altiplano: broad, high plateau lies between the ridges

5. Water & Islands
 Andean glaciers
 Source of tributaries of Amazon River
 Few major rivers
 Water has no outlet to the sea
 Forms two large lakes
 Lake Titicaca: highest lake in the world
 Strait of Magellan
 Links Atlantic & Pacific Oceans
 Tierra del Fuego
 Large island south of the strait
 Chile & Ecuador control large islands in Pacific
 Galapagos Islands have wildlife not found anywhere else in the
world

6. Climate & Vegetation
 Vary widely
 Mostly effected by elevation
 5 climate zones in the Andes
 1st Zone
 Hot & humid near sea level; sugarcane & bananas
 Humid tropical: part of Amazon basin; thick rain forests
 2nd Zone
 Cooler air; moist climates w/ mt. forests; coffee; largest cities
 3rd Zone
 Cooler zone w/ forests & grasslands; potatoes & wheat are grown
 4th Zone
 Above the tree line; alpine meadows w/ grasslands & hardy shrubs
 5th Zone
 Highest elevation; very cold; no vegetation; ground almost always
covered w/ snow & ice

7.  Deserts
 Atacama Desert
 600 miles long
 Rain falls less than five time a century
 Fog & low clouds are common
 Some rivers bring snowmelt to dry coastal region
 Sometimes only appear certain times of the year

8. El Nino
 An ocean and weather patter that affects the Pacific
coast
 Every 2-7 years
 Cool Pacific water near the coast warms
 May cause extreme ocean & weather events that can
have global effects
 Warm water cause fish to leave
 Affects fishers
 Heavy rains
 flooding

9. Natural Resources
 Valuable natural resources
 Forests: provide lumber
 Coastal waters: rich in fish
 Valuable oil & minerals
 Tin, gold, silver, lead, zinc, & copper
 Do not have much good land for farming
 Difficult to produce large crops for export

10. Section 2

11. Early Cultures
 900 B.C.
 Peru’s f1st advanced civilization
 Built stone terraces into mts. to raise crops
 In coastal areas they created irrigation systems to store water &
control flooding
 Agriculture
 Supported large populations, towns, & culture
 Tiahuanaco
 Made huge stone carvings
 Nazca Lines
 Scratched outlines of animals & other shapes into surface of
Peruvian desert

12. The Inca Empire
 Controlled an area that stretched from northern Ecuador
to central Chile
 Home to 12 million people
 Empire was highly organized
 Irrigation projects turned deserts into farmland
 Stone-paved roads connected empire
 Rope suspension bridges used to cross steep valleys
 No wheeled vehicles or horses
 Relay teams of runners carried messages (up to 150 miles in one day)
 Did not carry written messages because they had no written
language

13. Spanish Rule
 Spanish captured new Inca ruler on his way to be crowned
king
 Demanded enough gold & silver to fill a room
 Killed king instead of setting him free
 Fighting broke out
 By 1535 the Spanish had conquered the Inca Empire
 Spanish rulers
 Were harsh to South American Indians of Inca Empire
 Had to work in gold or silver mines or on plantations
 Spanish viceroy (governor) was appointed by king of Spain to
ensure Indians followed Spanish laws & customs

14. Independence
 Early 1800s
 Revolts began against Spanish rule
 Creoles (American-born descendants of Europeans)
were the main leaders of revolts
 1825
 Chile, Ecuador, Peru, & Bolivia became independent

15. Culture
 Spanish & native cultures have left their mark
 Most speak Spanish
 Many maintain native culture
 Speak native languages
 Spanish & Indian heritage also present
 Bolivia: highest % of South American Indians on any country
in South America
 Follow customs & lifestyles that existed centuries ago
 Spanish & Indian influence in religion
 Roman Catholicism
 Some practice ancient religious customs

16. Pacific South America Today

17. Ecuador Today
 Faced recent instability
 Widespread poverty (factor that threatens stable gov’t)
 Government
 Democracy, but 9 presidents in 10 years
 2005 President fired judges of supreme court
 People were not happy (thought he was trying to gain too
much power)
 Also not happy w/ recent economic reforms to improve
housing, medical care, and education had failed
 People & gov’t forced president from power as a result

18. Economic Regions
 3 economic regions
 Coastal lowlands: agriculture & industry
 Andean region: poorer; capital located here; open-air
markets & Spanish colonial buildings attract tourists
 Amazon basin: valuable oil deposits (provides jobs that
bring people to region); economy suffers if world oil
prices drop; harmful to rain forest

19. Bolivia Today
 Poor country & political unrest recently
 Government
 Democracy now after years of military rule
 Gov’t divided between two capital cities
 2000s
 People disagreed with gov’t plans for use of country’s
resources & how to fight poverty
 National protests forces several presidents to resign
 2005
 Indigenous leader was elected (Evo Morales)
 Worked to improve lives of the poor

20. Economy
 Poorest country in South America
 Few roads & little investment money in eastern Bolivia
 Foreign aid has allowed some development
 Has valuable resources like metals & natural gas

21. Peru Today
 Largest & most populous
 Making progress against political violence &
poverty
 Lima
 Capital of Peru
 1/3 of people live here
 Has industries, universities, & gov’t jobs
 Big urban areas where people live in poverty
 Few slum areas though (poor claim land on outskirts of
city)
 Build their own houses often out of poor building
materials
 Settlements of new self-built houses are called young

22. Government
 1980s & 1990s
 Terrorist group Shining Path carried out deadly attacks
because it opposed the gov’t policies
 70,000 people died
 Economy suffered
 Group leaders were arrested & gov’t began making
progress against political violence & poverty
 Has an elected president & congress

23. Resources
 Key factors in economic progress
 Mineral deposits near coast
 Hydroelectric projects provide energy
 Highland are less developed
 Indians grow potatoes & corn here

24. Chile Today
 Has ended long violent period
 Stable gov’t & growing economy
 Government
 1970: president w/ communist ideas was elected
 Overthrown & died in a U.S. backed military coup (a sudden
overthrow of a gov’t by a small group of people)
 Military rulers gained power & crushed political enemies
 Gov’t was harsh & violent (thousands were imprisoned or killed)
 1980s
 People rejected military rule after 15 years
 Created democratic gov’t
 People enjoy many freedoms
 One of most stable countries in South America

25. Resources & Economy
 Economy is strongest in region
 Poverty rates have decreased
 Small businesses & factories are growing
 Many people are finding work & wages are rising
 1/3 of people live in central Chile
 Mild climate allow farmers to grow many crops
 Grapes & fruits
 Farming, fishing, forestry, & mining foundation of
economy
 Copper mining is especially important
 International trade is also key
 Free trade agreement w/ U.S.