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Greg Coffta Bio190/Costa Rican Adventures 11/30/1999 Part I Banana: Bananas
were most likely picked up by the European traders in Southeast Asia when in
search for spices. Soon, as the discovery of the Tropics arrived, traders took
bananas to Central America. Breadfruit: this fruit commonly grows among the
southern Pacific islands, and it probably found its way to Costa Rica when the
natives started to explore on boat.
Chocolate: as far as I could find, chocolate is native to Central America. It
comes from the fruit of the Cacao Tree, and was traditionally used by the
Aztecs. Coconuts: Coconuts also come from Tropical Pacific islands, and the
actual coconut itself probably floated across the ocean, only to land on the
shores of Costa Rica. Coffee: Coffee is speculated to have grown initially
somewhere around Arabia. Its first recorded use was in 675 B.C., by the Red Sea.
Most likely picked up along spice trading expeditions, the Europeans
once again brought coffee to the Americas. Finding it grows well in that
particular climate, the commercial cultivation began. Mango: Another fruit
Native to the eastern part of the world, traders such as Columbus and Vespucci
also brought this to the Americas. Papaya: During the slave trade, Slave traders
often picked up some of the fruit from southern Africa. Possibly on accident,
this fruit was spread to Central America and is now commercially grown.
Quinine: Being a Tropical country, Costa Rica had its problems with malaria.
One of the drugs used to treat malaria was Quinine, derived from the South
American Cinchona trees. Traded by natives throughout the region, Quinine was
used as a natural remedy before Europeans discovered it. Sugar Cane: Sugar cane
is native to the Middle East, Kazakhstan and India, used by Europeans as a
sweetening agent, it soon was commercially grown and exported from many of the
newly discovered Tropical nations, most likely by slave labor.
Tomatoes: Indigenous to South America, the Tomatoes was once though by the
Patagonians to be poisonous. After discovering they were not, it became a widely
traded commodity throughout the world. Growing best is warm, humid regions of
the earth with sandier soil, there is no doubt as to why tomatoes are cultivated
in Costa Rica.
Material Sited From Includes: Encarta Interactive Encyclopedia 1998, and
various Internet search engine results. PART II Arboreal: Of or living in the
trees. Biome: A major regional biotic community, such as a grassland or desert.
Biodiversity: each biome being different Canopy: the uppermost layer in a forest
Carbon Cycle: only a certain amount of carbon is circulated throughout the
environment, appears in many different forms. Climax Community: An established
ecosystem in which the area allows for the maximum animal occupation. Community:
A group of plants and animals living together in an area.
Consumer: a buyer of goods and services, or crops produced especially for
consumption Decomposer: any organism that breaks down organic matter into its
basic elements. Decomposition: the process of breaking organic matter down into
its basic elements.
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