Central and South America: Environment and Humans-3
Human Environment Interaction
Human environment interaction is one of the 5 themes of geography. Every region of the world presents some natural obstacles for humans to overcome. Some are easily adapted to, while others present greater challenges. Humans ADAPT to the environment in many ways. Sometimes, humans will MODIFY their environment to meet their needs.
ADAPT (change how you respond to the environment)
Clothing
The Caribbean region, as well as the northern part of South America, are tropical regions. This means they lie somewhere between the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn or Tropic of Cancer. The tropics are very warm year round, and can get quite hot in the summer. Clothing for this region is generally light and airy, allowing for tropical breezes to provide some cooling. For this reason it is common for women to wear dresses. Head coverings are also common among both men and women to protect them from the sun.
In the far reaches of southern Argentina and Chile lies a region called Patagonia. This region is known for its bitter cold and tundra-like conditions. A popular winter clothing line has taken the name of this region. The few people who inhabit Patagonia must adapt to nature's cold by dressing warmly.
Housing
Many remote regions in South America and Central America lack the resources to make houses, so homes are built from raw materials provided by nature. Houses built along the rivers of the Amazon basin are subject to severe flooding each year. Homes are built to adapt to the flooding by using wooden poles or other objects to raise the foundation of the home to avoid flooding.
These homes are located in Manaus, Brazil, where people must adapt to annual floods on the Amazon.
Watch this video about Amazon flooding:
MODIFY (change the environment)
DAMS
Brazil is turning more and more to dams in order to generate its electricity needs. Dams on the Amazon River are having unforeseen negative consequences. Watch the video below to understand how.
Mining
We have seen how mining is a big part of the economy in Brazil, Chile and Peru. But at what cost. Mining is a way of modifying the environment (by digging into it, or stripping off layers of soil. Mining produces great economic benefits, but it also does harm to the environment. Illegal mining in the Amazon Rainforest has become a source of conflict, often ending in death, among the people who live there, and those who are exploiting its riches.
Transportation and Infrastructure
Infrastructure refers to things like sewers, telephone poles, roads, parking lots, gas lines, and other things that make our society run smoothly. Infrastructure is considered to be essential to modern lifestyle. Cable TV is an infrastructure item. But with the development of infrastructure comes necessary damage to the environment. South America and Central America were once completely covered by vast forests. Today, the forests are starting to slowly disappear. This comes in large part to how humans modify the environment.
We have already discussed one of the most important infrastructure projects in the world. The Panama Canal. Located in the nation of Panama, which has a small border with Columbia, the canal provides passage for ships to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific without having to pass around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America. Cape Horn is known for its violent weather and severely angry seas. Many lives have been saved due to the Panama Canal. Also, a great deal of time and money has been saved. The Panama Canal also provides an enormous boost to the economy of Panama. The only problem is that the canal today is considered too small to handle the size and quantity of ships that want to pass through.
Agriculture
Farming is perhaps the greatest threat to the Amazon Rainforest. Many small subsistence farmers engage in slash and burn agriculture. Because they have little money for expensive fertilizers, farmers will cut down large patches of trees and burn them in place. The burned wood then seeps into the soil and provides a form of fertilizer that helps crops grow. But the effects do not last forever, and farmers must move on to other areas to 'slash and burn'.
Watch the video. Your goal is to learn from the video three things that farmers can do alternatively to slash and burn agriculture.