South America

Climate
South America Climate is predominantly wet and hot. However the large size of the continent makes the climate of
South America varied with each region having its own characteristic weather conditions.
The other factors influencing the climate of South America are the geographical location, ocean currents and winds.
South America Climate differs from one region to another. The Amazon river basin has the typical hot wet climate
suitable for the growth of rain forests. The temperatures in the Amazon basin 70 to 90 degrees F. The Andes
Mountains, on the other hand, remain cold throughout the year. The temperatures of the mountains is always very low.
The desert regions of Chile is the driest part of South America. The westerly winds carrying moisture shed their
moisture on the western parts of the Andes, thus the eastern portions of the mountains receive very little rainfall. The
cold Peru Current is responsible for the dry coastal parts of Peru as well as northern Chile. The cold current is unable
to hold much moisture.
The highest temperatures of South America have been recorded in Gran Chaco in Argentina, with temperatures going
up to 110 degrees F. The wettest place is Quibdo in Columbia. It receives an annual rainfall of 350 inches(890
centimeters).
The four parts of South America which experience heavy rainfall are the Amazon River Basin, coastal parts of French
Guiana, Guyana and Suriname, the southwestern parts of Chile and Columbia and Ecuador coasts.
A unique feature of South America Climate is the El Nino. Every two to seven years the cold dry Peru Current
weakens and warm waters from the south rush along the coast in a southward direction. The El Nion affects the
Climate of South America and causes heavy rainfall in the dry parts of South America.
Natural Resources
Africa has a large quantity of natural resources including diamonds, salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite,
silver, petroleum and cocoa beans, but also woods and tropical fruits. Much of its natural resources are undiscovered
or barely harnessed. Having a low human density, for a long period of time Africa has been colonized by more
dynamic groups, exploiting African resources. Some economists[who?] have talked about the 'scourge of raw
materials', large quantities of rare raw materials putting Africa under heavy pressures and tensions, leading to wars
and slow development. Despite these abundance of natural resources, claims suggest that many Western nations like
the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom as well as emerging economic powerhouses like China
often exploit Africa's natural resources today, causing most of the value and money from the natural resources to go to
the West and East Asia rather than Africa, further causing the poverty in Africa.
African oil takes growing importance, mainly after the 2003 oil crisis and recent oil reserves discoveries. Sudan and
Nigeria are two of the main oil producers. China owns 40% of Sudan's oil production. Oil is provided by both
continental and offshore productions. Sudan's oil exports in 2010 are estimated by the United States Department of
State at $9 billion with United States dollars.