Northwest South America
CaribbeanGulf of Darien
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COLOMBIA
VENEZUELA
GUYANA
SURINAME
BOLIVIA
PERU
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(claimed by Suriname)
(claimed by Suriname
)
(Venezuela claims all
of Guyana west of Essequibo River)
AngelFalls
Nevado Pupuya19,088ft (5818m) NevadoSajama21,391ft(6520m)
Nevado Ampato20,702ft (6310m)
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Caucasia
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Guaviare
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Punto Fijo
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Puerto Inírida
Puerto Carreño
Valle dela Pascua
Anaco
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MatthewsRidge
NewAmsterdam
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San Fernando
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Tulcán
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HuánucoCerro de Pasco
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Barrancabermeja
ManizalesTuluá
PortoviejoMachala Piura
Chiclayo
Esmeraldas
Santo Domingode los Colorados
Cuenca
Ambato
Ibarra
Ica
Iquitos Huancayo
Oruro
Loja
Cusco
Cochabamba
Arequipa
Riobamba
Pucallpa
Ayacucho
Manta
Milagro
Puerto La Cruz
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Chimbote
El Tigre
PuertoAyacucho
Juliaca
Potosí
Coro
Florencia
Cali
Cartagena Medellín
Barranquilla
Maracaibo
Barquisimeto
Valencia
Guayaquil
Callao
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Trujillo
Santa Cruz
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LA PAZ
SUCRE
LIMA
QUITO
BOGOTÁ
CAYENNE
PARAMARIBO
GEORGETOWN
CARACAS
Tropic of Capricorn
Equator
Equator
(^8910111213141516)
(^8910111213141516)
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ANGEL FALLS
Each year thousands of
tourists visit the spectacular
Angel Falls on the River
Churún in eastern Venezuela. The Falls were spotted by an American pilot, Jimmy Angel,
in 1935, and later named
after him. The water drops
for 2,648 ft (807 m), making
Angel Falls the highest uninterrupted waterfall
in the world.
MACHU PICCHUThe conquering Spaniards never found the remains of this important Inca city—it remained a secret until Hiram Bingham, an American archaeologist and explorer, discovered its ruins hidden in the forest in 1911. Situated on a high ridge northwest of Cusco, this magnificent ruined city covers 5 sq miles (13 sq km), and has small houses, temples, and stairways built around a central square.
LIFE ON THE HIGH PLAINSThe Altiplano is a cold plateau at high altitude between two ranges of the Andes Mountains in southwest Bolivia and southern Peru. The native peoples who live here graze sheep and llamas on the windy plains. They have generally retained their own language and customs.
THE INCAS
The Incas first lived in the mountainous area near Cusco in Peru. By the time of
the Spanish invasion, the Inca Empire
extended north into southern Colombia and south through Bolivia and into
Argentina and Chile. The Quechua
Indians were the most powerful group in the empire, and theirs was the
official language. The Quechua and Aymara peoples now live on
the high plains in the Andes.
Quechua woman in Peru
MINERALSMany countries in this area have extensive reserves of gold, silver, copper, and gems. Colombia produces more than half the world’s emeralds. The Incas made good use of these resources and created many beautiful golden objects, such as this llama.
LAKE TITICACAAt 12,507 ft (3,812 m), Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is also South America’s largest lake. The Uru people live here in houses built on huge, floating reed islands. They grow potatoes, hunt birds, and catch fish, using boats made from tightly bundled reeds.
0 km1002003004000 miles100200300400
The railway
from Lima climbs
15,807 ft (4,818 m) into the Andes and
is the highest in
the Americas.
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US_026_027_nth_west_sth_america_MAP.indd 27 21/02/17 1:10 pm