Download Southern Grassland Countries

Warm ups 11.03.2016
*What are the major economic activities in the
Andean Region of South America?
*How would you describe the ethnic breakdown of
the population?
Lesson Objective:
*describe physical characteristics of southern
grassland countries
*explain recent changes in political conditions in
these countries
Major Contrasts with South America
*Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina are very
different than the rest of South America
*they are more wealthy than other countries, and
ethnically, they have more in common with Europe
Physical Characteristics
*this region has a great river system
*these wide and flat rivers have made trade and shipping
easier than in other areas of the continent
*the capital cities of Argentina and Uruguay are located
on the Rio de la Plata
Physical Characteristics: Rivers
*Andean
Region: the
Andes
Mountains
give way to a
piedmont, or
a foothills
region
Physical Characteristics: Tropical Lowlands
*savannah and
dense shrub;
temperatures
change little, it is
very dry during
the winter, and
turns into mud
during the
summer rains
Physical Characteristics: Grasslands
*the pampas,
or temperate
grasslands are
incredibly vast,
and produce
around 80% of
Argentina’s
grain, and 70%
of its meat
*the majority of
the population
are mestizos
who speak
Guarani (a
local
indigenous
language) as
well as
Spanish
Paraguay
That’s the president
of Paraguay, to give
you an idea of what
someone from there
may look like.
Paraguay
*their economy is based mostly on agriculture:
cotton, grains, and livestock
*they were ruled by a military dictator for 35 years,
until 1989, and they have been having free
democratic elections since 1993
Uruguay
*nearly the whole country is
rolling grasslands, and 75%
of the land is used for
livestock grazing, and
another 10% to raising feed
grains!
*there is a large
middle class
and few slums
*most people
are of European
descent, mainly
Italian and
Spanish
Uruguay
Uruguay
*was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1973 until 1985
*now they have free elections, and citizens are required to
vote, or they have to pay a fine
*Do you think that in the United States people should be
required to vote? Why or why not?
Argentina
*most of Argentina’s people
are also descended from
Spanish and Italians
*nearly 90% of their citizens
live in cities
Argentina
*has the highest GDP per
capita of any South
American country
Argentina
*from the mid-1940s until 1983, Argentina was controlled
by a series of military dictators
*all of them censored newspapers, closed down
universities, and imprisoned political opponents
*What effects do you think that would have on the
country?
Argentina
*in the 1970s, many people “disappeared”
*people regularly gathered at the capitol to demand to
know what happened to their missing family members
*after going to war with Great Britain in 1982 over the
Falkland Islands, the military agreed to allow free
elections