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
Who came to Venezuela hoping to find gold and pearls? They forced the native Indians to search for these treasures, but they finally realized there was little gold to be found. Then they turned to agriculture, once again forcing the Indians to do the work.
Spanish
Most Venezuelans are Spanish-speaking Roman Catholics, but the country’s Indians speak how many different languages?
25
Venezuela is the only South American member of the .
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
What is the term for a group of workers stopping work until their demands are met?
Strike
Guyana (gy-ah-nuh) comes from a South American Indian word that means what?
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 the name of a plant that is used to make a deep blue dye?
Indigo
What is Venezuela's national dance?
Joropo
Where in the southeast are rich in other minerals, such as iron ore for making steel? Gold is also mined in remote areas of these highlands. Dams on tributaries of the Orinoco River produce hydroelectricity.
Guiana Highlands
What is the term for a direct vote by the public?
Referendum
What is Guyana’s capital?
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 led the wars of independence throughout the region and also helped win Venezuelan independence from Spain by 1821?
Simon Bolívar
Many Venezuelans make a living by farming and ranching. However, most wealthy Venezuelans have made money in what industry? In addition, Venezuela’s government has also benefited from this kind of 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 buildings.
Caracas
When did Hugo Chavez die?
March 5, 2013
The resources and economy of what country are similar to those of Guyana, and, like Guyana they also have a diverse population? The country’s population includes South Asians, Africans, Chinese,Indonesians, and Creoles—people of mixed heritage.
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
When did Venezuela become officially independent?
1830
What is the term for Venezuelan cowboys that herd cattle on the many ranches of the Llanos region?
Llaneros
When did the people of Venezuela elect their first president?
1959
What are the countries of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana together known as? Dense tropical rain forests cover much of this region, which lies east of Venezuela.
Guianas
What is Suriname's capital?
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 who suffered from dictatorships and civil wars and had their military leaders ran the country? After oil was discovered in the early 1900s, some leaders kept the country’s oil money for themselves. As a result, the people of here did not benefit from their country’s oil wealth.The people are descended from native Indians, Europeans, and Africans. The majority of them are of mixed Indian and European descent. Indians make up only about 2 percent of the population. People of European descent tend to live in the large cities. People of African descent tend to live along the coast.
Venezuela
Along with the Orinoco River, what else is rich in oil?
Lake Maracaibo
Who started to distribute the country’s oil income equally among all Venezuelans?
Hugo Chavez
What population is diverse? About half of its people are descended from people who migrated to from India. These immigrants came to to work on the country’s sugar plantations. Most of these people today farm small plots of land or run small businesses. About one third of the population is descended from former African slaves. These people operate large businesses and hold most of the government positions.
Guyana
What is a territory of France and sends representatives to the government in Paris? Roughly 200,000 people live mostly in coastal areas.
French Guiana