Links Page on South America

Outline

  1. South American Government
  2. South America and the environment
  3. South American Economy

South American Government

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe is the current president of Colombia in South America. He was elected in 2002. At first he did not seem like a likely candidate to win because no more than two percent of the electorate thought of voting for him. But minds began to change as Uribe started to seem like the man that could possibly provide a viable security program in order to face the country’s insurgencies. He is now in office until 2010.

U.S. base in Ecuador in danger President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has rejected U.S. planes on Ecuador’s air force base because he does not want foreign planes and soldiers on their homeland. The American planes intentionally avoid Ecuadorian airspace after they’ve taken off and American operations at Manta contribute seven million dollars a year to the economy. The Bush Administration’s efforts are suffering because of all the left sided president being elected in numerous South American countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia, and now Ecuador.

Cocaine trade Countries of Central and South America are the primary source for America’s consumption of all cocaine, half of its consumption of heroin, and large amounts marijuana. Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru are the biggest producers of cocaine. Coca cultivation in Bolivia has increased eight percent since 2004 and that means that more cocaine can be produced. In 1995 Colombia produced twenty five percent of the U.S.’s cocaine, and now produced ninety percent.

 

South America and the environment

Illegal logging of Brazil's mahogany trees There has been a discovery of a sawmill in the Brazilian Amazon that illegally cut down over 7,000 cubic meters of mahogany wood, which would amount to about $7,000,000. The wood was found inside public land, where logging is prohibited. It was discovered by Brazilian police and workers of Greenpeace.

Preservation of Jaguars in Venezuela This site discusses the issue of killing jaguars in Venezuela. It gives off the impression that although killing 20-30 jaguars per year will not hurt the species in the short term, the long term effects could be more detrimental. Hunting for pure sport of the animals has been illegal since 1992.

The Amazon Rainforest  This website gives some basic facts that everyone should know the Amazon Rainforest. It says that more species of plants and animals live there than any other ecosystem in the world. Most shockingly, it says that an area the size of New Jersey is lost every year to logging and large scale agriculture. The site displays a few maps that show where in South America the rainforests are located.

South America’s Economy

The Colombian peso Peso coins are available in $10, $20, $50, $100, $200, $500, and added in 1996, a $1000 peso coin. The possibility of getting rid of the $1000 coin has come up due to large amounts of counterfeiting. It’s usage has dropped significantly since 2002. The counterfeiting is such a problem that some say the fake ones have outnumbered the real ones. Most businesses will not accept the coins. The site also includes photos of a peso and of a banknote.

Brief History of Economy In the 17th century countries such as Britain, Spain, and the United States have exploited South America’s resources and development of  its industries. Since World War two they have strived for a stronger economy.Their light industries have grown to developing heavy ones. They have relied on their petroleum reserves rather than coal, due to its scarcity. Commercial farming seems to fare better than subsistence farming because of the land differentiations and the technological advanced of the commercial farmers. Exports include, coffee, bananas, tobacco, grains, and sugarcane, along with meat.

Screw Worms An insect called a screw worm that resides in South America has been let loose again. Last year sterilized flies were let loose to kill the worms which killed many farm animals and pets. A plant that breeds these screw worms released fertile ones and attempts to stop the infestation have been put in place.

 

Submitted by Natalie Goergen on 1-31-07.