Physical Geography
What is the world’s largest river basin?
The Amazon River Basin
What are the two main ocean currents that influence South America’s climate?
The Peru Current and the Brazil Current
What was the capital city of the Inca Empire?
Cuzco
What 1494 treaty divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal?
The Treaty of Tordesillas
What two crops were most commonly produced by enslaved labor in Brazil?
Sugar and coffee
What mountain range runs almost the full length of South America’s west coast?
The Andes Mountains
Which side of South America is generally warm and humid?
The eastern side, because of the Brazil Current
What farming method did the Inca use on mountain slopes?
Terraced farming
Who conquered the Inca Empire in the 1530s?
Francisco Pizarro
From what continent were most enslaved laborers brought to Brazil?
Africa
What causes the Atacama Desert to be one of the driest places on Earth?
The Andes block moist Atlantic winds from reaching the west coast
What natural event occurs when ocean and wind currents reverse off the Pacific coast of Peru?
El Niño
What engineering structure did the Inca build to cross valleys and rivers?
Suspension bridges
What was the main reason Europeans enslaved Africans in South America?
To provide labor for plantations and mines after native populations died from disease
What natural resource first attracted Portuguese colonists to Brazil?
Brazilwood (used for red dye)
What are the three low-elevation plains of South America?
The Llanos, Pampas, and Gran Chaco
How does the Peru Current affect fishing along the west coast?
It brings nutrient-rich cold water that supports large fish populations
What was the Inca emperor called, and what was his claimed divine connection?
The Sapa Inca; believed to be descended from the sun god Inti
Which country established colonies mainly along the eastern coast of South America?
Portugal
Between 1501 and 1850, what economic pattern can be seen from Brazil’s rising slave imports?
A growing plantation economy and increasing demand for labor
Explain how elevation affects climate and agriculture in South America.
Higher elevations are cooler and drier, limiting crops to terraced farming and herding, while lower plains are warmer and wetter, allowing large-scale agriculture
Describe how mountain rain shadows contribute to South America’s climate diversity.
The Andes cause moisture to fall on the east side, creating rain forests, while the west side stays dry and forms deserts
Name two major achievements of Inca engineering besides terrace farming.
Irrigation canals and the city of Machu Picchu
Explain how the Spanish conquest permanently changed South America.
It destroyed native empires, introduced new diseases and Christianity, and began centuries of European control and slavery
What conclusion can be drawn about Brazil’s economy from its dependence on slave labor?
It relied heavily on resource extraction and plantation exports, making slavery central to its wealth