World Cultures 11

Unit Latin America

Name: Joshua Kunicki

Block: 2
The Amazon Rainforest Internet Assignment

Purpose: This assignments goal is to expose you to basic facts about the Amazon rainforest as well as
introduce you to some of the wildlife and people that live inside it. You will also understand how the rainforest
affects the nations and people of South America and how it is facing unique challenges in the modern world.
Part I (Overview): Use www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon and follow the directions carefully to
complete this assignment.
1. Review the photograph. Choose one descriptive word (adjective) that comes to mind and explain how it
relates to the image.
Beautiful- In the picture the land looks healthy and the way the river cuts through the trees.
2. Click on Overview and review the information, including the visuals. List the 8 nations that the
Amazon rainforest is located in.
- Brazil
- Venezuela
-

Bolivia

- Guyana

Peru

- Suriname

Ecuador

- French Guiana

3. Click on Forest Habitat and review the information there, including the visuals. A forest can vary based
on several factors. What are these four factors?
- latitude
- rainfall
-

local soil

- prevailing temperatures

4. What makes rainforests special?

Rainfall is abundant and is always warm
5. Worldwide, how quickly is deforestation occurring? How quickly is it occurring in the Amazon? Use
statistics from the reading to explain your answer.
a. Worldwide 46-58 million square miles each year
b. Amazon 17% in the last half century
6. Scroll down to the Why They Matter section. Scroll through the three images and review the captions.
List and explain why rainforests matter.
a. They matter because people rely on them to live.
b. Forest trees soaks up tons of carbon dioxide
c. Forests are home to 80% of the Earths known plant and animal species
7. Return to the main page (www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon) and scroll down to the Species section.
Choose three animals found in the Amazon and describe them in the chart.
Animal
Description
poison dart frog
uses brightly colored skin to warn predators that it is poisonous
jaguar

they are strong swimmers and climbers

macaw

They are highly intelligent, mate for life, and can live for 60 years.

Part II (Native Peoples): Use www.survivalinternational.org/about/amazontribes to learn about the native

peoples of the Amazon rainforest.
8. How many people live in the Amazon rainforest, and how are they organized?
1 million people are divided into tribes by language, culture, and territory
9. To what extent have they had contact with outsiders? Explain your response.
some have contacted for over 500 years others have never contacted anyone else.
10. Create a t-chart that compares and contrasts your daily life with that of the people of the Amazon. Include
at least four points of comparison.
Daily life
Me
grows fruit and vegetables
Buys food
lives in western health care and education

People of the amazon

grows fruit and vegetables
hunt for food
has access to western health care and
education

11. Why are land rights so important to the Amazon tribes? Read the text and watch the video clip in the Land
= Life section to answer this question.
Their land is their home and they can thrive if their land is respected
12. Do you think most Americans agree with the viewpoint expressed by the woman in the video clip? Explain.

Part III (Current Challenges): Use www.theguardian.com/environment/amazon-rainforest to research

some of the current challenges facing the Amazon rainforest. Please be mature in handling photographs of
native people, as their dress is quite different from ours!
13. Choose articles that interest you about each of the topics in the chart. Read them and complete the chart.
Challenge
Impact (2 sentences)
Possible Solutions (2 sentences)
Deforestation
The deforestation rate has dropped by 18%. They need to better monitor deforestation.
This is helpful but they need to do better.

They need to imprison anyone who

deforests too much of this beautiful
rainforest.

Mining/Drilling

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2
014/may/23/ecuador-amazon-yasuninational-park-oil-drill

Crime

14. Go to edition.cnn.com/2013/07/25/sport/football/football-brazil-world-cup-manaus/index.html and

review the article there. What challenges did the rainforest pose for Brazil in its efforts to prepare for the
2014 World Cup?

15. How did the regions emphasis on environmental protection influence the stadium project?