South America

South America

is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere.

It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. It includes twelve countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil,Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and French Guiana. Also, there you will find the Falkland Islands that is a British Overseas Territory (though disputed by Argentina).

In addition to this, the ABC islands of the Netherlands and Trinidad and Tobago may also be considered part of South America. South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometres. Brazil is by far the most populous South American country, with more than half of the continent’s population, followed by Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela and Peru. The geography of western South America is dominated by the Andes mountains; in contrast, the eastern part contains both highland regions and large lowlands where rivers such as the Amazon, Orinoco, and Paraná flow.

Most of the continent lies in the tropics. The continent’s cultural and ethnic outlook has its origin with the interaction of indigenous peoples with European conquerors and immigrants and, more locally, with African slaves. Given a long history of colonialism, the overwhelming majority of South Americans speak Portuguese or Spanish, and societies and states commonly reflect Western traditions.

Database: Wikipedia