Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Adams says of this archirectural wonder, “The structures and carvings at Machu Picchu were designed to
complement all this sacred geography.”
In 2007, Yale University agreed to return to Peru many of the objects and artifacts, including human re-
mains, that Professor Bingham had brought to Yale from his excavations. Now a UNESCO World Heritage
site, Machu Picchu was also placed on a list of UN Endangered Sites because of environmental degrada-
tion, largely due to the large numbers of tourists it attracts every year.
Located on the northwest coast, Peru is today the third-largest South American republic. Once the prin-
cipal source of Spain's gold and silver in South America, Peru was largely stripped of its wealth and today
its economy struggles. Because of the Andes, only 3 percent of the land is arable, and communication and
transportation are also made difficult by the terrain, a perfect example of the negative interaction between
geography and a nation's economy. Although commercial fishing is a significant part of the Peruvian eco-
nomy, overfishing of its coastal waters has caused a steep decline in the catch.
South America's other most extraordinary feature is Brazil's Amazon rain forest and its river. Nearly
half of South America is covered by Brazil, and its heavily wooded Amazon basin covers half the country.
The largest country in South America and the fifth-largest in the world, Brazil is larger than the contiguous
forty-eight American states. But the vast Amazon river basin holds only a tiny population. Ten percent of
Brazil's 140 million people live in two cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and almost half the population
lives in the south-central region, which is responsible for 80 percent of the nation's industrial output and
75 percent of its farm products. One of the world's leading debtor nations, Brazil is in the midst of a major
economic makeover that is attempting to break decades of unimaginable inflation rates.
Among its other geographical wonders, South America is also home to the world's highest waterfall,
Angel Falls (Salto Angel), in southeast Venezuela (“Little Venice,” a name given by Amerigo Vespucci,
who was struck by the sight of native huts perched above the coastal waters). Hidden in Venezuela's remote
forests, the falls drop 3,212 feet from the side of a twenty-mile-long flat-topped mountain, or mesa, known
as Auyán-tepuí (Devil Mountain). That is thirteen times higher than Niagara Falls and more than double
the size of the Sears Tower in Chicago, the world's tallest building (1,454 feet; 443 meters). Almost totally
inaccessible, Angel Falls can be seen fully only from the air, which is how it was first seen and then got
its name. It would be logical to think that the waterfall, unlike the nearby mountain named for the devil, is
named for celestial messengers. The image certainly applies, as the white water sails through the air from
such great heights. But the falls are actually named for an American flier and prospector, Jimmy Angel,
who discovered them in 1935 (and crashed his plane nearby in 1937). The falls were not reached by foot
and accurately surveyed until 1949, when an American team confirmed their height.
What's the Difference Between a Rain Forest and a Jungle?
“Out of the Jungle” was the cover-story headline of the
New York Times Magazine
early in 1992. The
article reported on the political truce and end of a long civil war in the Central American nation of El Sal-
vador. The former rebels had traded their combat fatigues for three-piece suits. So why didn't the headline
read “Out of the Rain Forest”? And what's the difference between these geographic terms anyway?
In a word, marketing. At least that is what language maven William Safire believed. In these days of
environmental awareness and ecological political correctness,
rain forest
has displaced
jungle
because it
sounds a lot more attractive. As Safire wrote in his
New York Times
column in 1991, “Because a jungle
was fearsome, nobody would want to preserve it. But a
forest
has a nice ring to it—there was Robin Hood
with his merry men robbing the rich in Sherwood Forest—and the word lent itself to persuasion for preser-
vation. If a pollster asks, 'Is it O.K. to mow down the
jungle
?' the answer will be 'Sure, who needs it?'; if
