World Cultures 11

Unit Latin America

Name:________________________
Block:_______
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. Vast. This relates to the image because the rainforest is so big. There is so much
wildlife and vegetation in the Amazon rainforest.
2. Click on Overview and review the information, including the visuals. List the 8 nations that the
Amazon rainforest is located in.
- Brazil
- Coliumbia
-

Bolivia

- Venezuela

Peru

Ecuador

- Guyana
- 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
- Local soil
-

Rainfall

- Temperatures

4. What makes rainforests special?

They are essential for life on earth. 300 million people live in rainforests as well.
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 to 58 million square miles of forests are lost due to this problem.
b. Amazon About 17 percent of the amazon has been lost in the past half century due to this.
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. 80 percent of the worlds vegetation and animals species can be found in forests.
b. People rely on forests for medicine, hunting, and gathering.
c. Trees and plants soak up a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it away as the
grow.
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
insects
Poisonous insects, tarantulas, other poisonous spiders and insects
monkeys
Chimpanzees, different types of monkeys
snakes
Large anacondas, very poisonous snakes, boa constrictor

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?
300 million people live in the Amazon rainforest. They are organized by living near necessities such as food and
water.
9. To what extent have they had contact with outsiders? Explain your response.
They have little to no contact with the outside world. They only see few tourists and people they live near.
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.
People in America have electricity, buy our food, and by our water.
People in the Amazon do not have electricity, only sunlight. They also do not buy their food and water, they
hunt for it and provide for themselves.

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.
Land rights are important because the people in the Amazon need access to their food and materials that are
essential for life in the Amazon and the land for that is very important.

12. Do you think most Americans agree with the viewpoint expressed by the woman in the video clip? Explain.
Yes, because it is hard for some people to find food and materials so I do agree with her viewpoint.
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
Less trees provide less oxygen. They are
Stop cutting them down. People need to
Mining/Drilling
Crime

needed for human survival.

respect the environment better.

This creates more materials for them to use.

Do it in a modified form. There must be a

This has a big impact on their lives.

way for it to be the best of both worlds.

There are many deaths of innocent people.

Destroy the cartel. This would help save

This is due to the cartel.

many innocent people. Maybe America can

help.

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?

They built a 300 million dollar stadium in the rainforest that would be used for 4 games. It is not easy to
play soccer in constant pouring rain.

15. How did the regions emphasis on environmental protection influence the stadium project?
People realized that the rainforest is very important and should be treated much better.