South America: Economic Activities and Social Life

Introduction

Before the invasion by the Europeans, South America was flourishing with organised Inca civilization from 1400 to 1500 AD. Later in the 15th century, the Spanish and Portuguese colonization led to the end of this civilization. South America became the colony of Spanish and Portuguese. Many Spanish and Portuguese started to migrate to South America. Natural resources and valuables things were exploited and taken back to their countries. Again during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, South America (especially Brazil) became the home of millions of people brought from Africa. The different countries of the continent are inhabited by the descendent of Spanish, Portuguese and African people. At present, people from Italy, Germany, Japan, India, China, etc are also found living in different parts of this continent. South America is rich in its economic resources but they are not fully utilized. This is mainly due to the lack of technical knowledge in people. 

The major resources and economic activities of South America are:

1. Forest: 

The Selvas of the Amazon region is among the densest and largest rain forests of the world. It is rich in large varieties of plant and animal life. Commercially, this forest provides several varieties of hardwood and other trees. Vanilla and rubber trees are found here. Mahogany, ebony, etc. are hardwood for furniture which is also found here. Wax used in furniture, shoe polish and candles are obtained from the Carnauba palm trees grown here. Quinine is extracted from cinchona tree found here.

2. Minerals: 

Oil and natural gas are found in Venezuela, Ecuador, Columbia, Argentina and Brazil. Brazil also leads in the production of iron, bauxite and tin. Chile is the largest producer of copper and nitrates. Silver, copper,
lead and zinc are mined in Peru. The slopes of Andes Mountains have rich reserves of gold and copper. There is an extensive gold mine in Atacama Desert. Brazil is also known for its water resource and hence, produces the largest amount of hydroelectricity in South America.

3. Agriculture: 

About one-eighth of South America’s land is used for agriculture or grazing. Agriculture is chiefly done in the pampas in Argentina and Uruguay, parts of Brazilian Highlands, Chile and east coast. South America has some of the largest farms in the world. Argentina is one of the largest producers of wheat in the world. Wheat is grown in the pampas region. Corn (maize) is a native of tropical America and is mostly grown crop throughout the continent. Cocoa and sugarcane are grown abundantly in Brazil. Brazil is also the largest producer of coffee.

4. Animal Rearing: 

South America has extensive grasslands, and hence, animal rearing is an important activity. Cattles are reared for beef, which is exported. Sheep are reared for wool and meat. The indigenous tribes living in Andes Mountains region rear sheep of Llama species. Llamas are reared for carrying loads, meat and wool.

5. Industries: 

Industries are found in small scale in South America. Brazil is the industrial giant of this continent, followed by Argentina, Venezuela and Chile.

6. Fishing: 

South American rivers, especially the Amazon, have abundant fish. Fishing, therefore, is an important industry. Chile has developed a large commercial marine fishing industry. Ecuador is the leader in shrimp exports. Argentina also has some good fishing grounds.

7. Trade: 

The chief exports of South America includes raw materials such as cocoa, banana, meat, sugar, wheat, timber, copper, wood, gold, bauxite, petroleum, etc. The chief imports include medicine, machinery, chemicals, textiles, etc. South American countries have mostly concentrated their trade with European countries. 

There are many countries in South America but the most important are Brazil and Argentina. The distribution of population is quite uneven in Brazil. 

The causes of uneven distribution of population are as follows:

1. Amazon basin: 

Amazon basin is very hot and humid. Floods occur occasionally. The dense tropical rainforest is not easy to clear. Even if the forests are cleared, the decrease in soil fertility due to the heavy convectional rainfalls affects the population distribution. That is why government has not invested much in the development of this region. However Trans Amazon highway is under construction in Brazil. The process of cutting down the trees and mining is going on a very fast rate which may affect the environment and lifestyle of the people who live in Amazon basin.

2. Central Brazil: 

Central Brazil is an extensive plateau area and has uncertain rainfall which leads to severe droughts. Hence, it has less density of population. Some minerals are available. There is no good transportation facility.

3. Coastal Region of South Brazil: 

The southern coastal regions are narrow and lie in the temperate zone. It is greatly influenced by the sea and wind direction. It gets rainfall throughout the year. The coastal plains are favourable and fertile for cultivation. There are many ports and harbours to promote trade and business. Tourism industry is well developed. Government has made a lot of investment for the development of this region.
This has led to high density of population in this region.

4. South East Brazil: 

South East Brazil is also under the influence of the sea. Higher plain areas have the most pleasant climate. Rainfall is regular and is most favourable for coffee production. Minerals are also available. There is a good facility of transportation. This is the most developed region.

5. North East Brazil: 

North-East Brazil is very hot throughout the year with uncertain rainfall. Sometimes this area is affected by terrible storms. There is scarcity of food and has a high birth rate. Agriculture, animal rearing, industry and fishing are the important economic activities of South America depending upon the natural resources available. Agriculture in South America is well developed in Brazilian highland, central Chile and northern part of Argentina. Brazil is the leading producer of coffee in the world. Brazil’s cotton is famous all over the world and is exported to countries of Asia. Argentina exports large quantities of wheat and wheat flour. Animal rearing is important in the tropical and temperate grasslands of South America. Argentina is one of the largest producer and exporter of meat and beef in the world. Here, the cattles are looked after by a group of cowboys called Gauchos. South America does not have much developed and large scale industries. Brazil is the leading industrial country where industries are run on foreign investment. Most of the industries are agro-based and mineral based. Next to Brazil is Argentina. It has industries based on meat packing, flour milling, leather tanning and food processing. There are some oil refineries in Venezuela and Peru. Chile and Peru are famous for fishing industries. Peru alone is one of the most important fishing nations in the world. Petroleum is one of the most important minerals found in South America. Venezuela is the main producer of petroleum. Gold is mined in Guiana highland and plateau of Brazil. Chile is the leading producer of copper while Peru is the third largest producer of silver.
Brazil has large deposits of iron ore and copper. Brazil and Argentina are famous countriesfor football.