Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 9: Food and Agriculture

GE Exercise: Cerrado, Brazil

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Overview: Cerrado, Brazil, p. 179

These fields near Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul province are probably growing soy beans. This is the heart of the Cerrado, or savanna, which has become the world's leading producer of soy. The Cerrado is roughly the same size as the American Midwest, and while it generally has a warmer climate, the topography and rainfall are similar in the two areas. As the opening case study for this chapter points out, Brazil now produces about 50 million metric tons of soy annually and has passed the United States not only in soy production but also in beef, corn (maize), oranges, sugar, and coffee. This is good for world food supply, but it probably threatens much of the rich biodiversity of the Cerrado.

1
What appears to be the dominant type of landscape seen in this region?
A)This region shows some evidence of farmland beginning to encroach on the natural grasslands.
B)The region has been almost completely converted to cropland.
C)Natural grasslands are the dominant landscape, but some settlements are visible.
D)This is a predominantly urbanized region.
E)A relatively even mix of natural vegetation and cropland
2
Zoom out until you can see north to the Amazon River. Cargill has built a port at Santarem on the Amazon to load soybeans onto ocean-going cargo ships. This terminal makes shipping cheaper, makes soy farming much more profitable, and thus encourages clearing of the Amazon basin and the Cerrado. How far is it from this area of the Cerrado to the Amazon?
A)About 100 km
B)About 500 km
C)About 1000 km
D)About 2000 km
E)About 5000 km
3
What other countries lie directly to the west of the Cerrado?
A)Uruguay and Paraguay
B)Argentina and Uruguay
C)Chili and Ecuador
D)Peru and Paraguay
E)Paraguay and Bolivia
4
In which direction is Curitiba, the city discussed in chapter 22?
A)NE
B)NW
C)SE
D)SW
E)West
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