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.
Europe is made up of 46 different countries. The Caspian Sea and the Black Sea as well as the Ural Mountains mark the divide between Europe and Asia. The most visited place in Europe is Disneyland, Paris. Bulgaria is the oldest country in Europe and it hasn’t changed its name since 681 AD. Iceland has no mosquitoes at all. Not even one. Greenland is the biggest island in the world. Europe is home to the Danube, Rhine, and Volga Rivers. Europe is home to the smallest country in the world, the Holy City or the Vatican. Europe is home to the birthplace of democracy and Western culture in the ancient civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Most of Europe now uses the same currency called the Euro. The area of Russia that is west of the Ural Mountains is usually considered part of Europe. The area to the east of the Urals is considered part of Asia. The Industrial Revolution began in Europe in Great Britain.
The warm, sunny climate of Southern Europe creates a vastly different culture than that of Northern or Eastern Europe. Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are just some of the countries of this region, which enjoys a casual, easygoing atmosphere. The majority of these countries speak Romance languages, which are descended from Latin. The cuisine in this region tends to be spicier and makes use of local in-season produce and seafood caught on the coasts of these countries. Most of the residents of this area are Roman Catholic or Orthodox.
England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria are some of the countries that make up Western Europe. Cuisine varies widely from one country to the other and no one dish or one way of cooking symbolizes the entire area. The languages and religions vary greatly as well, making Western Europe more diverse and harder to define by region. Even the currency varies, as the countries of the United Kingdom, except for Ireland, have not followed suit in adopting the euro but have retained their own system.
Several Eastern European countries share a history of Communist rule. While Communism has left its mark in this region, it's now a thing of the past for countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. Most residents of Eastern European countries belong to either the Roman Catholic Church or a variety of Orthodox churches, which play a large part in determining many of their holidays and celebrations. The residents of countries in this region typically speak variations of Slavic languages.
Northern Europe includes the Nordic countries, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The occupants of these countries speak Nordic languages -- also known as North Germanic or Scandinavian languages -- such as FInnish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. These countries offer a wide mix of traditional small towns and modern, big cities. Commercial fishing plays a large part of the cultures of these lands that alternate between long hours or daylight and long hours of dark during the course of the year.
Comment on the Blog and tell us which regions you would prefer to live and why?
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.
