South America | History, Capital, Language, Flag, Facts & Geography of South America

by

History of South America:

South America is the fourth largest continent and the fifth largest continent. It is mainly in the Southern Hemisphere. It faces the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The geography of South America is dominated by the Andes Mountains and the Amazon, her second longest river in the world. The Amazon rainforest is one of the world’s most important natural resources, supplying about 6 percent of the world’s oxygen.

The Inca civilization was a powerful empire that controlled much of western South America. The beautiful mountain town of Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, was born. In the 16th century, Spain and Portugal colonized much of South America. With the help of leaders like Simon Bolivar and José de San Martin, the colony gained independence in his 19th century. Most of South America still speaks Spanish or Portuguese as their primary language. The largest country in South America, Brazil is one of the world’s largest economies and plays an important role in world politics.

Information about South America:

Population 440,190,753 (Source: 2023 worldometer)
Major Countries
  • Brazil (3,287,086 square miles)
  • Argentina (1,073,234 square miles)
  • Peru (496,093 square miles)
  • Colombia (440,715 square miles)
  • Bolivia (424,052 square miles)
  • Venezuela (353,748 square miles)
  • Chile (291,855 square miles)
  • Paraguay (157,006 square miles)
Total Size of South America 17.84 million km²
Ranking It is the fourth largest and fifth most populous continent

The Geography of South America:

Major Biomes of South America: rainforest, savanna, grassland

Major Rivers and Lakes of South America: Amazon River, Parana River, Orinoco River, Tocantins River, Strait of Magellan, Lake Titicaca, Lake Maracaibo

Major Geographical Features: Andes Mountains, Amazon Basin and Rainforest, Brazilian Highlands, Pampas plain, Patagonia, Guiana Highlands, Pantanal wetlands

Bordering Bodies of Water: Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea

Countries of South America

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
French Guiana
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela

Interesting Facts about South America:

The highest mountain in South America is Cerro Aconcagua in the Andes Mountains of Argentina.

The largest country in South America in terms of area and population is Brazil. The largest city is São Paulo, Brazil, which is also one of the ten largest cities in the world.

North and South America are named after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.

The highest waterfall in the world is Santo del Angel (also known as Angel Falls). Elevation is nearly 1000 meters!

Chile’s Atacama Desert is considered one of the driest places on earth.