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Study South America

South America, the southern continent of the Western Hemisphere, between the Pacific Ocean. in the west and the Atlantic approx. in the east, the Caribbean Sea in the north and the Strait of Magellan. in the south, from 12° 28" N to 53° 55" S. w. Connected by the Isthmus of Panama to the North. America. Square with islands [arch. Tierra del Fuego, Chilean, Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, Galapagos, etc.] 18.28 million km 2. The greatest length is 7150 km, width 5100 km. The relief is distinguished by the powerful mountain belt of the Andes (Aconcagua, 6960 m) in the north and west and the platform, flat-platform east. The uplifts of the platform correspond to the Guiana plateau (Neblina town, 3014 m) in the northeast and the Brazilian plateau (Bandeira town, 2890 m) in the east, separated by a trough occupied by the Amazonian lowland (Amazonia). In the marginal and foothill troughs between the plateaus and the Andes there are plains and lowlands: the Orinoco and Interior Plains (Pantanal, Gran Chaco, Mesopotamia and Pampa); to the south of it, in the southeast, the Patagonian plateau rises to 2200 m. On the plateaus there are large deposits of iron and manganese ores, bauxite, non-ferrous and rare metals; oil and gas in the foothills and intermountain troughs of the Andes; in the mountains there are deposits of copper ores, polymetals, tin, etc.

Climate mostly subequatorial and tropical, in the Amazon it is equatorial, constantly humid, in the south it is subtropical and temperate. The entire northern lowland part of South America to the southern tropics has average monthly temperatures of 20-28 ° C. In summer (in January) they drop south to 10 ° C, in winter (in July) on the Brazilian plateau to 12 ° C, in Pampa to 6 ° C, on the Patagonian plateau up to 1 ° C and below. Largest quantity The windward slopes of the Andes in Colombia and South receive precipitation per year. Chile (5-10 thousand mm), Western. The Amazon and adjacent slopes of the Andes, the eastern slopes of the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus (2-3 thousand mm), in the rest of the east up to 35 ° S. w. 1-2 thousand mm falls per year. Arid (150-200 mm or less) areas west of Pampa, Patagonia, south Central. The Andes and especially the Pacific slope between 5-27°S. w. Most of the rivers belong to the Atlantic basin; the largest are the Amazon, Parana with Paraguay, and Orinoco. The rivers of the plateaus are rapids and, as in the Andes, rich in hydroelectric power. In the lowlands, large rivers are navigable. IN soil cover in the hot zone, lateritic (ferrallitic and ferritic) red soil types predominate, in the subtropics they are reddish-black and gray-brown, in temperate latitudes they are brown (forested in the west and semi-desert in the east). The Amazon, the eastern slopes of the plateaus and the Andes (up to 18° S) are covered with evergreen moist equatorial and tropical forests with valuable species of trees (rubber hevea, mahogany, cocoa, cinchona, etc.), on the remaining plains and plateaus there are savannahs and woodlands; in the subtropics there are prairies, steppes and semi-deserts, in the temperate zone in the west there are evergreen mixed forests with an admixture of deciduous forests, in the east there are shrubby semi-deserts. Very rich and unique fauna of the South. America belongs to the neotropical region of Neogea and is distinguished by a large number of endemics: sloths, anteaters, armadillos, broad-nosed monkeys, puma, jaguar, peccaries, nutria, guinea pigs etc. Birds include rheas, hoatzins, toucans, etc. The fauna of reptiles, fish and insects is diverse. On the territory of South. The states of America are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador, as well as the French possession of Guiana; to the South America includes the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands.

Relief. The relief of South America clearly distinguishes the flat-platform platform extra-Andean East and the mountainous Andean West, corresponding to the mobile orogenic belt. The uplifts of the South American platform are represented by the Guiana, Brazilian and Patagonian plateaus, the troughs - by the lowlands and plains of the Llanos-Orinoco, Amazon, Beni-Mamore, Gran Chaco, Mesopotamia (Parana and Uruguay rivers) and Pampa; from the east. The plateaus are framed by narrow intermittent strips of coastal plains.

The Guiana Plateau rises towards the center (Mt. Neblina, 3014 m), the Brazilian - from the north-west. to the south-east (city of Bandeira, 2890 m), Patagonian - from east to west (up to 2200 m). The relief of the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus is dominated by basement gently undulating plains (up to 1500-1700 m high), within which there are remnant cone-shaped peaks and ridges (for example, Serra do Espinhaço) or table, predominantly sandstone, hills - the so-called chapadas (Auyan-Tepui and Roraima, etc.). The eastern edge of the Brazilian Plateau is divided into separate massifs (Serra da Mantiqueira, etc.), which have characteristic “sugar loaf” shapes (for example, Pan de Azucar in Rio de Janeiro). The troughs and depressions of the Brazilian Plateau in the relief are expressed as monoclinal-layered plains with raised edges-cuestas, accumulative plains (the depression of the São Francisco River, etc.) or a lava plateau (in the middle reaches of the Paraná). The relief of Patagonia is dominated by layered, including volcanic, stepped plateaus, covered by ancient moraine and fluvio-glacial deposits; the plateaus are cut by deep canyons of rivers emerging in the Andes; arid forms of denudation are characteristic.

The Andes ridge system extends over 9,000 km to the north and west of the continent. In the north and northeast, in Venezuela, there are two chains of the Caribbean Andes, deeply dissected by faults and river erosion. The main, meridional system of the Andes, or Andean Cordillera (Cordillera de los Andes), reaching 6960 m (Aconcagua), rises in the west of SA. and is divided into Northern, Central and Southern Andes. The northern Andes (up to 5° S) are distinguished by the alternation of high folded-block ridges and deep depressions. In Ecuador, they consist of the Eastern and Western Cordillera, the depression between which is filled with the products of the activity of the volcanoes Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, etc. In Colombia, there are three main Cordilleras (Eastern, Central and Western), separated by depressions of the river. Magdalena and Cauca. Volcanoes (Hila, Ruiz, Purase, etc.) are concentrated mainly in the Central and Southern Western Cordillera; For the central part of the Eastern Cordillera, ancient lake plateaus are typical, with an altitude of 2-3 thousand m. In the north and west lie the largest lowlands in the Andean west - the Caribbean and Pacific.

The Central Andes (up to 27-28° S) are much wider and more monolithic than the Northern Andes. They are characterized by internal plateaus raised to 3.8-4.8 thousand m, bordered by marginal ridges; the highest mountains bear significant glaciation. The southern part is the Central Andian Highlands - the widest (up to 750 km) section of the Andes; its main element is the Puna plateau with the ancient lake plateau of the Altiplano in the southwest and a number of blocky ridges in the east and south. In the east, Puna is framed by the Cordillera Real, with the volcanic Western Cordillera in the west (the 2nd volcanic region of the Andes with the volcanoes of Misti, Llullaillaco, Sajama, and others), a longitudinal tectonic basin (with the Atacama Desert) and the Coastal Cordillera.

In the Southern Andes in the north (up to 41°30" S) the relief is expressed by: the double Main Cordillera (the city of Aconcagua in the eastern, or Front), to which the Precordillera massifs are attached to the east; the Longitudinal Valley of Chile and the Coastal Cordillera. Between 33-52° S there is another volcanic region of the Andes with a large number of active volcanoes to the west of the Main Cordillera and extinct - to the east of it. In the southernmost segment of the Andes - the Patagonian Andes - the Coastal Cordillera turns into an archipelago of islands, the Longitudinal Valley into a system of straits, and the flooded troughs of the sharply declining Patagonian Cordillera into fjords. Glacial forms dominate. Modern glaciation in Yu.A. occupies an area of ​​25 thousand km 2, of which over 21 thousand km 2 are in the Southern Andes. There are also glaciers in the Western Cordillera, between 9 and 11° S. w. and on the islands of Tierra del Fuego.

Opening. Europeans became reliably aware of the existence of South America after the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1498, who discovered the islands of Trinidad and Margarita and explored the coastline from the Orinoco River delta to the Paria Peninsula.

In 1499-1504, Amerigo Vespucci made three voyages to the South American continent at the head of Portuguese expeditions, discovering the northern coast of South America, the Amazon delta, Rio de Janeiro Bay, and the Brazilian Highlands.

Research. As a result of voyages along the northern and eastern shores of the newly discovered land of UA. Vespucci had the correct idea of ​​it as the southern trans-Atlantic continent, and in 1503, in a letter to his homeland, he proposed to call it continent of the New World. In 1507, the Lorraine cartographer Martin Waldseemuller attributed the discovery of the "fourth part of the world" made by Columbus to A. Vespucci “christened” this continent America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. In 1538, this already recognized name was extended to Mercator's map and to North America.

Vespucci's first voyage

In 1499-1500, Vespucci was a navigator on Alonso Ojeda's expedition (on three ships), commanding two ships equipped at his own expense. In the summer of 1499, the flotilla approached the northern coast of South America at 5° or 6° north latitude, where it split up. Vespucci moved to the southeast, on July 2 he discovered the Amazon delta and its mouth branch, Para, and penetrated 100 km up in boats. Then he continued sailing southeast to San Marcos Bay (44° west longitude), identified about 1200 km of the northern coastal strip of South America, and discovered the Guiana Current. From there Vespucci turned back and in August caught up with Alonso Ojeda near 66° west longitude. Following west together, they discovered more than 1,600 km of the southern coast of the mainland with the Paraguana and Guajira peninsulas, the Triste and Venezuelan bays, the Maracaibo lagoon and several islands, including Curacao. In the autumn, Vespucci again separated from Ojeda, explored the coast of South America 300 km to the southwest and returned to Spain in June 1500.

Second voyage

In 1501-02, Vespucci was in the Portuguese service as an astronomer, navigator and historiographer in the 1st Portuguese expedition of Gonçalo Cuelho on 3 ships. In mid-August 1501, they approached the Atlantic coast of South America at 5° 30" south latitude and traveled to 16°, repeating the discoveries of the Spaniard Bortolome Roldan (1500). On January 1, 1502, the expedition discovered the bay of Rio de Janeiro (Guanabara), traced the coast 2000 km to the southwest (up to 25° south latitude) and, making sure that the earth still stretches in the same direction, turned back. One caravel arrived in Portugal at the end of June, the other with Cuella and Vespucci at the beginning of September (. the third, which had fallen into disrepair, had to be burned).

Third voyage

In 1503-04, Vespucci commanded a caravel in the 2nd expedition of Gonçalo Cuella with six ships. At the beginning of August 1503, near the island of Ascension (8° south latitude) they discovered, one ship sank and 3 were missing. The caravels Vespucci and Quelho reached the bay of All Saints, discovered in a previous voyage at 13°. The detachment that landed on the orders of Vespucci first climbed the steep ledge of the Brazilian Highlands and penetrated 250 km into the interior of the country. In the harbor at 23° south latitude, during a 5-month stay, the Portuguese built a fleet, where they left 24 sailors, and returned to Lisbon with a cargo of sandalwood at the end of June 1504.

As a result of voyages along the northern and eastern shores of the newly discovered land, Vespucci developed the correct idea of ​​it as a southern trans-Atlantic continent, and in 1503, in a letter to his homeland, he proposed calling the continent the New World. In 1507, the Lorraine cartographer Martin Waldseemuller attributed the discovery of the “fourth part of the world” made by Columbus to Vespucci and “christened” this continent America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. In 1538, this already recognized name was extended to Mercator's map and to North America. In 1505, after moving to Spain for the second time, Vespucci received Castilian citizenship. In 1508 he was appointed to the newly created position of chief pilot of Spain and held it until his death.

The Pacific coast of South America was discovered in 1522-58 by Spanish naval expeditions. In 1522 P. Andagoya traced the northwestern coast of South America. up to 4° N. w. In 1526-27 F. Pizarro explored the coast to 8° south. sh., opening the Gulf of Guayaquil on the way, from where he began the conquest of Peru in 1532. After the conquest of the country and the founding of the city of Lima (1535), Spanish sailors became familiar with the coast at least to 12° S. sh., and after campaigns in Chile D. Almagro (1535-37) and P. Valdivia (1540-52) - up to 40° south. w. In 1558, J. Ladrillero discovered between 44 and 47 ° south. w. the Chonos archipelago and the Taytao Peninsula, and P. Sarmiento de Gamboa in 1579-80 - a series of islands between 47 and 52° S. w. In 1616, the Dutch J. Lemer and V. Schouten discovered and rounded Cape Horn (56° S). In 1592, the Englishman J. Davis discovered in the Atlantic Ocean at 52° south. w. “The Land of the Maiden,” R. Hawkins described its northern shores in 1594, taking it as a single landmass, and J. Strong proved that it is divided into two large and many small islands, and called them the Falkland Islands (1690).

In the 15-16th centuries. The greatest contribution to the exploration of the continent was made by the Spanish expeditions of the conquistadors (from the Spanish qoncuista - conquest).

In search of the “golden country - Eldorado”, the Spaniards D. Ordaz, P. Heredia, G. Quesada, S. Belalcazar and agents of the German bankers Welser and Ehinger (A. Ehinger, N. Federman, G. Hoermuth, F. Hutten), who received in 1528 from Charles V a patent for the colonization of the southern coast of the Caribbean Sea, in 1529-46 the Northwestern Andes and Llanos Orinsco were discovered and crossed in all directions, they traced the course of all the large left tributaries of the Orinoco and Magdalena with Cauca. G. Pizarro in 1541-42 went down the river. Napo to the Amazonian lowland, and F. Orellana, who separated from his detachment, in 1541 went down the Amazon to the sea, making the first crossing of South America. In search of silver in the La Plata basin in 1527-48, S. Cabot, P. Mendoza, J. Ayolas, A. Cavesa de Vaca, D. Irala discovered and explored several large rivers system Paraná - Paraguay and crossed the Gran Chaco. The lower reaches of the river's tributaries The Amazon was discovered by the Portuguese expedition of P. Teixeira - B. Acosta 1637-39, which rose from the city of Para to the Equatorial Andes and returned down the river. In the 2nd half of the 16th and in the 17th-18th centuries. Portuguese mestizos (Mamilucas), uniting in detachments to hunt Indian slaves, search for gold and precious stones, crossed the Brazilian plateau in all directions and traced the course of all the great tributaries of the middle and lower Amazon. Upper Amazon system in the 17th century. and in the 1st half of the 18th century. Researched mainly by Jesuit missionaries, including the Czech P.S. Fritz.

In 1520, Ferdinand Magellan explored the Patagonian coast, then went to the Pacific Ocean through the strait later named after him, completing his study of the Atlantic coast.

In 1522-58. Spanish conquistadors explored the Pacific coast of South America. Francisco Pissaro walked along the shores of the Pacific Ocean to 8 S. sh., in 1531-33. he conquered Peru, plundering and destroying the Inca state and founding the City of Kings (later called Lima). Later in 1524-52. Spanish conquistadors organized expeditions along the western coast of South America, conquered Peru and Chile, and waged a fierce struggle against the Araucanians. descended along the coast to 40 S. w.

Extreme southern point The continent of Cape Horn was discovered by Dutch navigators Le Maire Jacob (1585-1616), a Dutch merchant and navigator.

In the 16th-18th centuries. detachments of Portuguese mestizo-Mamiluks, who carried out campaigns of conquest in search of gold and jewelry, repeatedly crossed the Brazilian plateau and traced the course of many tributaries of the Amazon.

Jesuit missionaries also took part in the study of these areas.

Alexander Humboldt explored the Orinoco River basin, the Quito plateau, visited the city of Lima, presenting the results of his research in the book Travel to the Equinox Regions of the New World in 1799-1804.

In 1799-1804, Humboldt, together with the French botanist E. Bonpland, traveled through Central and South America. Returning to Europe with rich collections, he processed them in Paris for more than 20 years together with other prominent scientists. In 1807-34, the 30-volume “Travel to the Equinox Regions of the New World in 1799-1804” was published, most of which consists of descriptions of plants (16 volumes), astronomical, geodetic and cartographic materials (5 volumes), the other part - zoology and comparative anatomy, description of the trip, etc. Based on the materials of the expedition, G. published a number of other works, including “Pictures of Nature”

The first scientists to explore South America were the French participants in the Equatorial Expedition to measure the meridian arc of 1736-43 (leaders C. Condamine and P. Bouguer). At the end of the colonial period, comprehensive scientific research the La Plata basin (Spaniard F. Asara) and the river basin. Orinoco (German A. Humboldt and Frenchman E. Bonpland). The exact outlines of South America were established mainly by an English expedition in the 2nd quarter of the 19th century. (F. King and R. Fitzroy).

The English hydrographer and meteorologist Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865), vice admiral in 1828-30, carried out surveys south coast South America.

In the 19th-20th centuries. exploration of the Brazilian plateau and the Amazonian lowland intensified [German W. Eschwege (1811-1814), Frenchman E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1816-22), participants in the Austro-Bavarian expedition of 1817-20 K. Martius, I. Spix, I. Paul , I. Natterer; participants of the Russian complex academic expedition 1822-28 G.I. Laigsdorf; French complex expedition F. Castelnau (1844-45), British A. Wallace (1848-52), G. Bates (1848-58), W. Chandless (1860-69), J. Wells (1868-84), German K. Steinen (1884 and 1887-88) and the Frenchman A. Coudreau (1895-98)].

The Guiana Plateau and the Orinoco basin were studied: in 1835-44 by Germans in English service, brothers Robert and Richard Schomburgk: in 1860-72 by Pole in English service K. Appun; in 1877-89 the French J. Crevo, A. Coudreau and J. Chaffangeon, who discovered the source of the river. Orinoco (1887). Bass. La Plata was studied by the American hydrographer T. Page (1853-56) and the Argentine topographer L. Fontana (1875-81).

The following people worked in the Northern and Equatorial Andes: the Frenchman J. Boussingault (1822-1828); German geologists A. Stübel and W. Reis (1868-74); English topographer F. Simone (1878-80 and 1884); German geographers A. Getner (1882-84) and V. Sivere, who studied mainly the ridges of the Sierra de Perija, Cordillera Merida (1884-86) and the Maritime Caribbean Andes (1892-93). The Central Andes were explored by naturalists - the German E. Poeppig (1829-31) and the Frenchman A. Orbigny (1830-33); in 1851-69, the Peruvian Andes and the La Montagna region were studied and photographed by the geographer and topographer, an Italian in the Peruvian service A. Raimondi. The Southern Andes - the Chilean-Argentine Cordillera and the Patagonian Andes - were studied in Chile mainly by Europeans who settled there: the Pole I. Domeyko (1839-44), the Frenchman E. Pissy (1849-75), the German botanist R. Filippi (1853-54) . In Argentina, the English sheep breeder J. Master crossed the entire Patagonia from south to north and began the study of the river basin. Chubut (1869-70) Then came the Argentine topographers F. Moreno (1874-97), C. Moyano (1877-1881), L. Fontana (completed the study of the Chubut river basin in 1886-88).

A large amount of research by Yu.A. performed by Russian scientists and travelers: diplomat and geographer A.S. Ionin (1883-92), explorer of Tierra del Fuego, botanist N.M. Albov (1895-96), ethnographer G.G. Manizer (1914-15), botanist and geographer N.I. Vavilov (1930, 1932-33).

Literature

geographical vespucci america swimming

Lukashova E.N., South America, M., 1958

Essays on the geology of South America. Sat. Art., trans. from English, M., 1959

Magidovich I.P., History of the discovery and exploration of Central and South America, M., 1965

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Research of geographical location and natural areas South America. Review of the history of the discovery of the river, the area of ​​the basin and the animal world of the Amazonian jungle. Characteristics of the main features of aquatic inhabitants and river plants, the population of tropical forests.

Goals:

Formation of students’ ideas about the continent’s GPs, the ability to compare the GPs of South America and Africa, introducing students to the history of the discovery and exploration of the continent and its significance for humanity;

Implementation of the educational process: man is part of nature;

Development of skills in working with an atlas, contour map, additional literature, independent work skills, the ability to analyze and draw conclusions.

Method: independent work in groups.

Lesson type: learning new material.

Equipment: Physical map of South America, TSO, additional literature, textbook, atlas, contour map.

Lesson progress

1. Organizational moment.

2. Studying new material.

Guys, today in class we will continue to study the continents. And the continent we will get to know today is South America. I would like to start the lesson with a video clip (overview of South America with comments - 2 minutes).

Geographers call South America the continent of natural records. It is here that you will find: the highest waterfall in the world - Angel (1054 m) and the most beautiful Iguazu; the heaviest and longest snake lives, Anaconda (length - 11 m, weight - up to 230 kg); the largest butterflies and the smallest hummingbirds. And this list can be continued. You can learn about this and much more from the books presented at the stand. The fact that South America is a continent of natural records is also proven by Rozhdestvensky’s poem, which I took as the epigraph for the lesson:

May the Southern Cross shine upon you,
The names are almost like music.
Shacks in the middle of garbage
May the Southern Cross be with you!
The herds, tired of grazing,
Hungry-royal gauchos.
And the birds are smaller than butterflies,
And butterflies - with the scope of birds.

So, the topic of the lesson: "South America. GP. History of discovery and research" What problems should we solve today in class? (Problems on the board). In order to solve the tasks assigned to us, we will split into four groups: “Young Geographers”, “Analysts”, “Discoverers”, “Researchers”. Each group solves a specific problem assigned to it using a hint plan (Appendices 1-4). 10 minutes are allotted for group work. After the time is up, the groups report on their work.

“Young Geographers”:

1. South America, the island of Tierra del Fuego, which is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan; Galapagos Islands, Falkland Islands.

2. Relative to the equator, most of the continent lies in the southern hemisphere; relative to the prime meridian, the continent lies in the western hemisphere.

3. Length from north to south along 70 west - 66 x 111 km = 7326 km.

4. Length from west to east along 10 south - 42x109.6=4603.2 km.

5. The extreme northern point of Cape Galinas 12 n. 72 w.

The southernmost point is Cape Froward 54 S 71 W (Island Cape Horn 56 S 68 W).

Westernmost point Cape Parinhas 5 S 82 W.

The easternmost point is Cape Cabo Branco 7 S 34 W.

6. Separated from North America Panama Canal, from Antarctica - Drake Passage. It is washed in the west by the Pacific Ocean, in the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and in the north by the Caribbean Sea. The coastline is poorly dissected - La Plata Bay. Currents: warm – Brazilian, Guiana; cold - Falkland, Peruvian.

“Analysts”:

Using atlas maps, give a comparative description of the GPs of South America and Africa:

a) South America, like Africa, is crossed by the equator, with the only difference being that Africa is almost in the middle, and South America is in the northern part.

From this it follows that South America is mostly located in the southern hemisphere, and its smaller part is located in the northern hemisphere;

b) South America, like Africa, is located in the equatorial, subequatorial, tropical, subtropical climate zones. However, the ratio of territories within the same belt is different. Thus, the tropical zone of Africa is larger than that of South America, but the South American subtropical zone is larger in area than the African one, and in the south of South America there is a temperate zone, which is absent in Africa.

c) the prime meridian crosses Africa in the western part, therefore it is located in the western and eastern hemispheres. Unlike Africa, South America is entirely located in the Western Hemisphere, as it lies west of the prime meridian.

d) The Atlantic Ocean washes (which?) the eastern coasts of South America and (which?) the western coasts of Africa. From the west, South America is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

e) South America is closest to the North American continent. These continents are connected to each other by the Panama Canal. From other continents: Antarctica - Drake Passage.

"Discoverers":

“Researchers”:

The significance of the history of discovery and exploration

a) Discovery of new, unknown lands - the “New World”;

b) Colonization of lands by Spain and Portugal, which led to the disappearance of Indian civilization, the plunder of Indian peoples and their enslavement.

c) Opening cultivated plants, which are grown today in many countries of the world: corn, potatoes, peanuts, pumpkin, tomatoes, beans, tobacco.

3. Consolidation.

Test. Having answered the test questions correctly, you will recognize the strait named after the traveler who discovered it by the first letters of its names.

1. General name for extreme points (Cape)
2. The heaviest and longest snake. (Anaconda)
3. The northernmost point of the continent. (Gallinas)
4. Complete the statement by N.M. Przhevalsky: “And... life is beautiful because you can travel.” (More)
5. Gulf of South America. (La Plata)
6. Tall grass savannas of the plains of the Orinoco River basin, which were studied by G. Langsdorf. (Llanos)
7. A continent that is separated from South America by the Drake Passage. (Antarctica)
8. The name given to the open lands by A. Vespucci. (New World)
9. An island in the south of the mainland. (Terra del Fuego)
10. Russian botanist who discovered the centers of cultivated plants. (Vavilov)

4. Homework: paragraph 40, prepare reports about travelers and explorers (optional).

The discovery and exploration of South America is closely associated with the name of the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus. It was thanks to him that the world learned about new, previously unexplored lands. However, this discovery turned out to be accidental, since the main task of Columbus's expedition was to search shortcut to India.

History of the discovery of South America

Until the 15th century, the territory of South America was inhabited by indigenous people - Indians, who had their own unique culture, traditions and customs. Their civilization developed in a closed territory, without any outside influence.

The long-term isolation of the American Indians was broken on October 12, 1492, when the expedition of Christopher Columbus accidentally stumbled upon one of the Bahamas. After a month of wandering around the Atlantic Ocean, his ships Santa Maria, Niña and Pinta landed on a land that the navigator mistakenly took for the west coast of India. After a superficial exploration of the islands and coastline the northern coast of South America, the navigator returned to his homeland.

Rice. 1. Christopher Columbus

By reporting his discovery to the King of Spain, Columbus received significant financial support, and with 17 ships returned to the West Indies - the Western Indies - as he continued to count. The purpose of this expedition was simple - to search for gold in new lands. This is how Haiti was conquered and developed. Subsequently, Christopher Columbus made two more expeditions to the shores of South America, but he never realized his mistake.

The real discovery of South America as a new continent occurred in the 16th century thanks to the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci. Having landed on the shores of the West Indies, the experienced sailor quickly realized that Columbus was mistaken.

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Rice. 2. Amerigo Vespucci

Vespucci dubbed the discovered and described lands the New World, and subsequently the continent was christened in his honor - this is how the name “America” appeared. However, Christopher Columbus also did not go unnoticed - one of the South American countries - Colombia - was named after him.

Table “Discoverers of South America”

Geographical exploration of South America

Columbus's discovery of America forever changed people's understanding of the globe. This event became one of the most important in the history of all mankind.

Having learned that new lands had been discovered by the Spanish navigator, a stream of lovers of easy money poured there. Travelers dreamed of the countless treasures that could be found in the New World. Such people - invaders from Portugal or Spain - were called conquistadors.

Rice. 3. Conquistadors

In their blind pursuit of wealth, they mercilessly destroyed local residents, plundered their settlements, devastated the occupied territories. However, along with this barbarism, new lands were explored: maps of the mainland and coast, descriptions of nature and relief were created.

One of the most famous researchers of his time, the German scientist Alexander Humboldt, made a great contribution to the study of the continent. For 20 years he carefully studied South America: its flora and fauna, indigenous people, geological features. The book he wrote subsequently became almost the only complete and reliable source of information about the New World.

What have we learned?

While studying one of the interesting topics in 7th grade geography, we learned who discovered South America, how the process of its conquest and exploration took place, and how the discovery of this continent influenced the idea of ​​​​medieval people about the structure of our planet.

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The discovery of South America is directly related to the name of Christopher Columbus, a famous navigator who searched for India. His search lasted about a month; three ships “Pinta”, “Santa Maria” and “Nina” left Spain in 1492 to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Then Columbus saw the land that is now the Bahamas. Then famous navigator was sure that he was on the territory of Asia, and called the islands Western Indies - West Indies. After that discovery, the navigator made three more sea voyages.

And only in 1498 Columbus visited South America - he landed on the shore located opposite the island of Trinidad. Columbus was sure that he had discovered India.

Real discovery South America happened with the help of another navigator - Amerigo Vespucci. This happened at the beginning of the 16th century, when an Italian took part in a journey to the shores of the West Indies.

Then Vespucci realized that his predecessor had discovered not India, but an unknown continent, which was then called the New World. The name came from the name of Vespucci himself - the territory was called the land of Amerigo, which later turned into America.

The proposal to call the continent exactly this way came from the German scientist Waldseemüller. Subsequently, one of the countries in South America was named after Columbus. The significance of the discovery of the continent of South America is still talked about. Indeed, in those days, the inhabitants of Europe knew nothing about the other part of the world, and Columbus’s bold journey forever changed humanity’s understanding of our planet. This is the biggest geographical discovery.

But after the discovery, a long process of colonization began. After it became known about the discovery of new lands by Columbus, conquerors headed there from Europe who wanted to find incredible treasures, riches and appropriate the lands for themselves. These conquerors were called conquistadors.

But in order to implement their ideas, they needed to exterminate and enslave the indigenous population of South America. This process was accompanied by constant plunder and devastation of the newly discovered territories.

Simultaneously with the conquest, many geographical studies of new lands took place: maps of the coast and long journeys overland were created.

One of important points The expedition of the scientist Alexander Humboldt is considered in the history of the exploration of South America. The German researcher set himself the goal of studying the nature of the continent and studying its indigenous population.

His works are priceless - he described the nature around him, studied about 12 thousand plants and even created a map of South America, which can be called geological.

He conducted such in-depth research for 20 years that the book he subsequently wrote was called almost the second discovery of America.

This work is of particular scientific importance, since the research of the German scientist is extensive and concerns many geographical factors.

Russian scientists also studied South America. For example, the botanist Vavilov studied the origin of many cultivated plants in 1932-1933. The homeland for these plants is South America.

Quite extensive. Who discovered this continent and when? Even a schoolboy junior classes knows that it was Christopher Columbus. But serious scientists have no, no, and doubts arise on this score. Perhaps the fearless sailors of the early Middle Ages, the Normans, reached the island of Greenland and the shores of North America much earlier than Columbus. Or Chinese ships crossed the Pacific Ocean and it was the sailors of the Celestial Empire who were the untitled discoverers of the mainland. In addition, until the end of his life, Christopher Columbus was sure that he had set foot not on a new continent, but on the western coast of India. In this article we will try to understand the numerous researchers of South America. Each of them contributed to the development of the new continent. Russian scientists were also on the list of discoverers.

History of the Western Route

He tops the list of South American explorers and his merits must be appreciated. At that time, Europe experienced difficulties in trade communications with India. The road there for silks and spices was long and dangerous. Based on the postulate about the round shape of the Earth, Columbus hypothesized that it was possible to sail to India from Europe by moving not to the east, but to the west. It was there, beyond the Atlantic Ocean, that the navigator convinced his sponsor, the Spanish king, that the treasured land of sandalwood and spices lay. And yet he begged for money to equip the expedition. In 1492, Columbus crossed the Atlantic and discovered the Great. This success allowed him to equip two more expeditions. In 1498, Columbus discovered that the water in the sea off its shores seemed too salty to the sailors. Only a very large mainland river can carry such freshness, the admiral decided. His ships entered the mouth of the Orinoco and explored the coast of South America all the way to the Paria Peninsula.

Expeditions of Amerigo Vespucci

The Portuguese kingdom, having learned about the success of Spanish explorers of South America (then thought that this was the western coast of India), equipped its three transatlantic expeditions. They were commanded by a navigator. He did not limit himself to sailing along the coast, but made fearless trips inland. As a result, he discovered and described the Brazilian Highlands, the lower reaches of the Amazon River and the bay where the city of Rio de Janeiro now stands. Gradually, Vespucci began to be tormented by doubts. The newly discovered territories were not at all similar to India. He wrote to his homeland in 1503 that this was “a new part of the world.” And this name stuck. North and South America are still called the "Indies" and the "New World".

Amerigo Vespucci's contribution is invaluable. It was he who gave Europeans knowledge of the existence of a new continent. Therefore, both continents are named after him. Already in 1507, the Lorraine cartographer Martin Waldseemüller christened the southern part of the continent "America" ​​(Latinized spelling "Amerigo"). In 1538, this name extended to the northern part of the continent.

The fairy land of Eldorado

Inspired by the success of the Portuguese explorers of South America, whose ships returned loaded with gold, Spanish navigators also flocked to the New World in 1522-58. Under the pretext of converting local tribes to the Christian faith, they began to seize lands. This conquest ("conquest" in Spanish) was accompanied by mass executions at the stake, robbery and other violence. Europeans believed that the new continent was Golden Land, Eldorado. But along with the conquistadors and religious fanatics, real researchers also arrived in South America, drawing up maps describing previously unknown species of plants and animals, studying the customs and culture of local tribes. The Spaniards reached the western coast through the Isthmus of Panama. The expeditions of P. Andagoi (1522), F. Pizarro (1527), D. Almagro (1537), P. Valdivia (1540s), J. Ladrillero (1558), P. Sarmiento de Gamboa (1580) moved along the Pacific Ocean south to Chile.

Discoverers and Explorers of South America

Not only the Spaniards and Portuguese took part in the conquest of new lands. The German bankers Echingers, Welsers and others received permission in 1528 from Emperor Charles the Fifth to colonize the northeastern coast of South America, washing Caribbean Sea. France and Holland also tore off a piece of new land for themselves. British sailors J. Davis, R. Hawkins and J. Strong discovered it, and the Dutch V. Schouten and J. Lemer rounded Cape Horn in 1616. The thirst for profit drew the Spanish conquistadors deeper into the mainland. In search of the legendary gold mines, they crossed the Northwestern Andes and went down to the Spanish and Portuguese explorers and travelers of South America also penetrated the La Plata River basin, described Parana, Gran Chaco, Paraguay. The first to cross the mainland from the Quiet to Atlantic Ocean expedition of F. Orellana in 1541.

Scientific explorers of South America and their discoveries

The main goal of all the expeditions listed above was to capture new lands. Scientific research (mapping, description of what was seen along the way) was carried out only because it helped the advancement of the conquistador team. But with the advent of the Enlightenment, the goals of the discoverers changed. The first serious scientific explorers of South America are considered to be the German Alexander Humboldt and the Frenchman Aimé Bonpland. They spent five years (from 1799 to 1804) on the mainland, collecting a collection of plants, animals and minerals. After this, A. Humboldt devoted about thirty years to writing the grandiose 30-volume work “Journey to the Equinox (i.e., equatorial) lands of the New World.”

Other scientific research

We owe an accurate map of the mainland to the English expedition of R. Fitzroy and F. King. In the nineteenth century, when the northern part of the American continent had already been developed, the southern part - due to impenetrable jungle and high mountains- remained unknown. And “terra incognita” attracted scientists from different countries. IN XIX century famous explorers of the mainland of South America are the Germans W. Eschweg K. Steinen, the French J. Saint-Hilaire and A. Coudreau, the Austrians and Bavarians I. Natterer, I. Pohl, I. Spix and K. Martius, the English J. Wells , W. Chandless, G. Bates, and A. Wallace. Charles Darwin made an invaluable contribution to the study of the new land. It was the nature of South America that prompted the scientist to think about the evolutionary development of life on Earth.

Russian expeditions to the mainland

The first trip took place in 1822-28. The Russian academic complex expedition was led by G. I. Langsdorf. Its members studied the interior regions of Brazil. Scientific research on the mainland did not end there. Such Russian explorers of South America as A. S. Ionin, N. M. Albov, G. G. Manizer, A. I. Voeikov described the geography, climate, tribal culture, flora and fauna of Tierra del Fuego. Biologist N.I. Vavilov visited the mainland in 1932-33. and established the sources of origin of various agricultural plants.