Daniella lives in Colombia.
She is a tour guide on her family’s farm that grew coffee.
Caribbean South America is a region that is made up of the
countries that are near the Caribbean Sea, along the northern coast of South
America. The countries are Colombia,
Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. Also
included in this region is French Guiana, which is an overseas territory of
France.
The geography of Caribbean South America is diverse. It has mountains, plains, river valleys, and
coastlines. It also has different kinds
of climate and vegetation.
In Colombia, the Andes Mountains, split into three chains of
mountain ranges, known as cordilleras.
Because the central range is volcanic, its fertile soil is good for
coffee plants.
Because part of the region is on the equator, temperatures
are hot everywhere. Heavy rains often
lead to flooding and mudslides.
Much of Colombia has a tropical wet climate, especially along the west coast and in the southeast.
The climate changes in the Andes according to
elevation. The higher up you go, the
cooler and wetter it gets.
In Colombia, 80 % of the population lives in the higher,
cooler elevations of the Andes. Here you
can find Colombia’s three largest cities – Bogota (7.5 million), Medellin (2.5
million), and Cali (2.5 million). The country’s Caribbean coast has many busy
ports.
Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, is the largest city in
the country. Most people in Guyana,
Suriname, and French Guiana live in the lowlands and along the coast.
Indigenous peoples – the original inhabitants of a land:
The Chibcha lived in the high valleys of Colombia and
practiced agriculture. Smaller groups
such as the Arawak and the Carib lived near the coast and depended on the sea
for survival.
Beginning in 1492 with the arrival of Christopher Columbus,
the Spanish, Dutch, English and French came to this region in search of gold,
silver, and cotton as well as land in which to extend their empires. The Spanish took over parts of this region
that are now Colombia and Venezuela.
Indigenous peoples were deeply affected by this period of
colonization. For hundreds of years,
Europeans claimed land and resources and fought with local populations. The Europeans used their military power to
force the Indigenous peoples to work in mines and on plantations, and European
missionaries felt it was their duty to impose their religion and way of
life. Indigenous populations were almost
entirely wiped out by disease, violence and slaver. Indigenous languages were lost.
The long- term effect s of this period of colonization
included political turmoil, territorial disagreements, poverty and civil wars.
Many of these problems continue today.
Today, the majority of the population of Caribbean South
America is a mixed European and Indigenous ancestry know as Mestizos. Spanish is the dominant language. Roman Catholic is the dominant religion. Baseball, soccer, and cricket are popular
sports, and some cities have bullfighting rings.
Power – the ability to exert control over people or
situations: power can be in the form of force, authority, or influence.
Revolutionary groups began to form in hopes of overthrowing
the government. They kidnapped wealthy
and powerful people, including government officials. Revolutionary groups began selling illegal
drugs to finance their operations.
Authority power that is recognized by both those who have it
and those who are influenced by it; exercised through legal appointment,
particular knowledge or education, employment status, or expertise.
Influence is when you change someone’s behaviours to get
favourable treatment or to improve a situation.
Power as force is when someone uses threats or physical
action to get their way.
Gangs are organized groups that use fear and violence. Gangs
often use force to keep their members loyal, to carry out criminal activity,
and to protect their so-called territory.
Elections and job appointments are common ways in which we
give authority to people who have power over us. We usually elect people based on their ideas
and what we expect them to do one in power.
Many of our daily interactions at home, in school, and in
the community are based on influence.
Good leaders should have a vision, be passionate, be
decisive, and collaborate with others, be respectful, show good character and
demonstrate personal qualities such as honesty, patience, confidence, optimism,
humour, fairness, efficiency, and in-depth knowledge of their field.
Democracy – a system of government in which the citizens
have power through their elected representatives.
Peer pressure – Individuals and groups may try to influence
you to join them or to do certain things. Sometime they may put pressure on you
to make choices that you are not sure about or that you do not like.
Cliques a group of people that follows the decisions made by
one or two leaders. The leaders decide
who gets to be in the group and who has to stay out. A clique is different from a group of
friends. Friends support each other’s differences.
