Section 1
Which country has the highest point in the Caribbean South America region, and is larger than California and Texas combined?
Colombia
Some of the Guiana Highlands' steep-sided plateaus are capped by erosion-resistant sandstone layers. These strange flat-topped structures are known as what?
Tepuís
Which area receives year-round rain, feeding the forest's massive trees and generating a canopy so dense that sunlight hardly penetrates to the jungle floor?
Amazon Basin
What is the name of the colonial city that served as a key naval and commercial port for the Spanish Empire?
Cartagena
Which nation has the most population in Caribbean South America?
Colombia
Venezuela was originally the home of many small tribes of South American Indians. Those groups were conquered by the who in the early 1500s?
Spanish
Most Venezuelans are Spanish-speaking Roman Catholics, but the country’s Indians speak how many different languages and follow the religious practices of their ancestors?
25
Venezuela is the only South American member of the what?
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
A what is a group of workers stopping work until their demands are met?
Strike
What does Guyana mean?
Land of Waters
Which location within western Colombia has an elevation of 18,000 feet (5,490 meters)?
Andes
Venzuela's elevation drops between the highlands and the Andes. This area of plains is largely grassland with a few trees. These plains are prone to flooding due to their low elevation and lack of vegetation. What is this area known as?
Llanos
What are the principal crops grown in the Caribbean and South America?
rice, coffee, bananas, and sugarcane
People in Central and South America began fighting for independence from Spain in the late 18th century. What resulted after achieving independence?
The Republic of Gran Colombia
What is the name of the capital of Colombia, which is perched high in the eastern Andes?
Bogotá
What is a plant used to make a deep blue dye?
Indigo
Venezuela’s national dance, the what, is a lively foot-stomping couples’ dance?
Joropo
The what in the southeast are rich in other minerals, such as iron ore for making steel. Gold is also mined in remote areas of these areas?
Guiana Highlands
What is a direct vote by the public?
Referendum
What is the capital of Guyana?
Georgetown
What is the name for a mountain system composed of generally parallel ranges?
Cordillera
What is the name of the region's longest river, which flows roughly 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers)?
Orinoco River
What are the names of the valuable resources of the Caribbean South America?
oil, iron ore, and coal
Which nations were part of Gran Colombia?
Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela
What is the name of a traditional Chibcha ring-toss game?
Tejo
who helped lead the fight against Spanish rule?
Simon Bolívar
Many Venezuelans make a living by farming and ranching. However, most wealthy Venezuelans have made money in the country’s what industry. In addition, Venezuela’s government has also benefited from this wealth?
Oil
What is Venezuela’s capital and the economic and cultural center of the country. It is a large city with a modern subway system, busy expressways, and tall office building?
Caracas
When did Hugo Chavez die?
March 5, 2013
The resources and economy of what are similar to those of Guyana. Like Guyana, this has a diverse population?
Suriname
Which country on the Caribbean coast is located in the midst of the South American region?
Venezuela
The Orinoco and its tributaries drain the Andean plains and highlands. What are the names of those tributaries?
The Cauca and the Magdalena
What other title did El Dorado's mythology go by?
Golden One
What resulted with the dissolution of the Republic of Gran Colombia in 1830?
New Granada
What do members of an irregular military unit go by?
Guerrillas
However, Venezuela did not officially become independent until when?
1830
What are Venezuelan cowboys?
Llaneros
After years of suffering under military dictatorships, the people of Venezuela elected their first president in what year?
1959
The countries of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana are together known as the what?
Guianas
What is the capital of Suriname?
Paramaribo
Where is Venezuela's highest elevation located, which extends into Guyana and Suriname?
Guiana Highlands
What's the name of a landscape that thrives in southern Colombia's humid tropical climate?
Rain forests
The legend of El Dorado revolved around a gold-rich land. What culture in Colombia originated this myth?
Chibcha
Which nations were part of New Granada?
Colombia and Panama
The majority of guerrillas cultivate illegal crops. What is the name of the plant that produces the hazardous narcotic cocaine?
Coca plant
Throughout the 1800s these people suffered from dictatorships and civil wars. what military leaders ran the country?
Venezuela
As you can see on the map on the next page, the Orinoco River basin and what are rich in oil?
Lake Maracaibo
In 2002 Venezuela’s president, who?, started to distribute the country’s oil income equally among all Venezuelans
Hugo Chavez
What is the Indian word that means "land of waters?"
Guyana
What is a territory of France and sends representatives to the government in Paris?
French Guiana