What if you could visit a country that had rain forests, as well as grassy farmlands and even glaciers? Argentina sits at the very bottom of South America and it has a little bit of everything. In the north, where Argentina meets Brazil, the weather is wet and warm. Cougars, jaguars, alligators, turtles, flamingos and other heat-loving animals live here. Western Argentina is flanked by the Andes Mountains, which forms a natural border with Chile. The Andes Mountains includes the highest peak in the western hemisphere, Cerro Aconcagua, which rises 22,384 feet in the air. In the middle of Argentina lies the Pampas, grassy plains where people grow crops. Cowboys, known as gauchos, have raised and herded cattle here for many years. People tell folk stories about gauchos just as Americans tell stories about our cowboys. To the south, lies Patagonia, a dry, windy area with cold winters. Seals, penguins and sea lions live on the coast of Patagonia.
Argentina is one of the wealthiest countries in South America. Spaniards claimed it in 1516 and ruled it for 300 years. Since it gained its freedom in 1816, it has slowly gained political stability. The people loved Eva Peron, the wife of President Juan Peron, because she took care of the poor. The people were very sad when she died of cancer in 1952. From 1976 through 1983, the country was involved in a civil war, called the “dirty war.” During this time, over 30,000 people were killed or disappeared. Today, the country is a democracy. Fun Facts About
38,592,000 people live in Argentina.
Argentina includes 1,073,518 square miles of land.
The currency in Argentina is the Argentine Peso.
The languages spoken in Argentina are Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Italian. Most people in Argentina are descendants of European settlers. Most of the native people died out.
Peru contains the second largest segment of the Amazon rainforest after Brazil.
The Peruvian Amazon covers 60% of the country.
The large biologically diverse area of Amazon in Peru is home to the most bird species in the world, the third largest number of mammals and a very high number of species of butterflies and orchids.
Peru shares borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Bolivia.
Modern day Peru has been home to many ancient civilizations, the largest and wealthiest of these was the Incas who's empire ruled for over 100 years until the Spanish arrived in the 16th century.
The capital city of Peru is Lima which is home to more than a quarter of Peru's population.
The Inca Empire was centered around highlands of the Andes mountain range and the civilization's capital city Cusco and mountain top citadel Machu Picchu are popular with visiting tourist to this day.
Spanish is the main language in Peru although many also speak the Inca language Quechua. The third official language is Aymara.
The currency of Peru is the Nuevo Sol.
While Peru remains a poor country it is one of the richest in terms of natural resources. It is one of the world's top producers of gold, silver, copper, lead, ironing zinc and also has reserves of oil and natural gas.
Cut (Guinea pig) is a traditional meat used in Peruvian meals, it is estimated that 65 million guinea pigs are consumed in the country each year.
Comment: Watch this four minute video and share what you thought was cool.
Brazil is the largest country in South America.
It is called Brasil in Portuguese, the official language spoken in Brazil.
Brazil is the only country in South America that speaks Portuguese.
Portugal claimed the land of Brazil in the year 1500. Independence was declared in 1822.
Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world by both land area and population.
The capital city is Brasilia, while the largest city is Sao Paulo.
Other major cities include Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Fortaleza.
In Brazil they drive on the right-hand side of the road.
Brazil has a large coastline on the eastern side of South America, stretching 4655 miles.
Brazil shares a border with all South American countries except for Chile and Ecuador.
Brazil covers 3 time zones.
Brazil has one of the largest economies in the world.
Brazil is one of the 77 founding members of the United Nations.
The Amazon River flows through Brazil, it is the 2nd longest river in the world (after the Nile).
The climate in the majority of Brazil is tropical.
Brazil is home to a wide range of animals, including armadillo, tapirs, jaguars and pumas.
Human activities such as logging, mining fishing and agriculture are important to the Brazilian economy but are also a serious threat to Brazil's diverse environment.
Millions of tourists visit Brazil every year.
There are around 2500 airports in Brazil.
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil with the national team consistently among the best in the world, winning the World Cup a record 5 times.
Watch this twelve minute video about Brazil. (Okay, this video might make you a little crazy. Hang in there as it does have good information)
Using this website or another website of your choice tell us something you learned that you found interesting about Brazil. Then make a comment on one of the others student's comments.
The main languages spoken in South America are Portuguese closely followed by Spanish
South America is connected to North America by a narrow strip of land called Isthmus of Panama
The largest South American country in both size and population is Brazil. The largest city is Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is also one of the ten largest cities in the world.
The highest waterfall in the world is Santo del Angel (also called Angel Falls). It is almost 1000 meters high!
More than 30% of South America is covered by rainforests; the largest rainforest is the Amazon forest which is mainly enclosed within Brazil.
The Atacama Desert in Chile is
considered to be one of the driest places on Earth.
The longest river in South America is the Amazon River. Measuring a distance of 4,001 miles. it is considered to be the second longest river in the world after the Nile Africa.
Watch this 5 minute video
And, this 6 minute one
Comment: Do some research on your own and give us three more cool facts about one of the above mentioned facts or places. Choose a different place (or fact) than the other students who have already posted their comments.
The Andes Mountains includes the highest peak in the western hemisphere, Cerro Aconcagua, which rises 22,384 feet in the air.
In the middle of Argentina lies the Pampas, grassy plains where people grow crops. Cowboys, known as gauchos, have raised and herded cattle here for many years. People tell folk stories about gauchos just as Americans tell stories about our cowboys. 
More than 30% of South America is covered by rainforests; the largest rainforest is the Amazon forest which is mainly enclosed within Brazil.
