The map is a map of Venezuela and its major cities. I included this map because I want you to be familiar with Venezuela’s cities while you are traveling in it. The next picture shows a large jaguar that lives in Venezuela’s Amazon Rainforest. The jaguar looks very hungry! The last picture shows a small stream that runs through a heavily forested area in the rainforest. Two people are riding in a canoe, maybe to catch some fish.
Here is some additional information that will help you to answer the questions.
According to http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20venezuela.htm, “Venezuela, one of the ten most bio-diverse countries on Earth, is home to extensive rainforests that are increasingly threatened by development. Each year, roughly 287,600 hectares of forest are permanently destroyed, while other areas are degraded by logging, mining, and oil extraction. Between 1990 and 2005, Venezuela officially lost 8.3 percent of its forest cover, or around 4,313,000 hectares.”
“[A] significant threat to the rainforests of Venezuela is the mining industry. Informal or wildcat gold and diamond miners are particularly active in the southern state of Bolivar where they have a history of violent conflicts with local indigenous people—including the Yanomani—as well as a role in the environmental degradation of the region through pollution of local rivers and deforestation. Over the past decades, successive Venezuelan governments have taken steps to control mining in the region but have made relatively little long-term progress and have made some questionable decisions like granting 40 percent of the 8.6-million-acre (3.4-million-ha) Imataca Reserve to industrial miners and loggers in 1997.”
You are done traveling the 8 South American countries! Finish up your questions and lets head home! Once you are home, read “Wait there is more… Materials Referenced”, which includes the websites I used to provide you with information about the Amazon. Then read “Websites- Additional Information on the Amazon”; providing you with a list of six additional websites and descriptions that you can check out to learn more about the rainforest. Finally read, “XYZ- The End”, that reflects on your trip and includes incredible pictures from the Amazon Rainforest.
