Embark on a voyage through all the countries of South America, with Nellie B. Allen as your guide, pointing out interesting sights along the route and sharing stories about them. In that way you will learn about such activities as the tapping of rubber trees in the Amazon rain forest, the picking of coffee berries in Sao Paolo, and the harvesting of cacao beans in Ecuador as well as getting to know something about the workers involved in their production. You will observe the crafting of Panama hats and the spinning of yarn and weaving of ponchos. You will wonder at all the mining activities: nitrate and guano on the coast and gold and other metals in the interior. And you will hear stories of the discovery of the continent by Europeans, how Magellan sailed through his strait and Pizarro conquered the Incas in Peru. Embark on a voyage through all the countries of South America, with Nellie B. Allen as your guide, pointing out interesting sights along the route and sharing stories about them. In that way you will learn about such activities as the tapping of rubber trees in the Amazon rain forest, the picking of coffee berries in Sao Paolo, and the harvesting of cacao beans in Ecuador as well as getting to know something about the workers involved in their production. You will observe the crafting of Panama hats and the spinning of yarn and weaving of ponchos. You will wonder at all the mining activities: nitrate and guano on the coast and gold and other metals in the interior. And you will hear stories of the discovery of the continent by Europeans, how Magellan sailed through his strait and Pizarro conquered the Incas in Peru. More than anything you will come to appreciate that South America is a land of contrasts with moist rain forests and well-watered plains east of the Andes and desert areas to the west. But you must stay on your toes for the author will ask you why one side is wet, the other dry, which products are best cultivated in what environments, and where else in the world you have seen the same crops grown or minerals mined. Questions and activities at the end of each chapter help the reader strengthen his understanding of the material, while the conversational style makes the book a thoroughly enjoyable read. Questions and activities at the end of each chapter help the reader strengthen his understanding of the material, while the conversational style makes the book a thoroughly enjoyable read.