South America

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"Southern America" redirects here. For the region of the United States of America, see Southern United States. For the botanical continent defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, see Southern America (WGSRPD).
South America
South America (orthographic projection).svg
Area 17,840,000 km2
(6,890,000 sq mi)
Population 410,013,492 (2015, 5th)
Population density 21.4/km2 (56.0/sq mi)
Demonym South American
Countries 12
Dependencies 3
Languages Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Quechua, Caribbean Hindustani, and many other native languages
Time zones UTC-2 to UTC-5
Largest cities List of cities in South America







A composite relief image of South America

South America occupies the southern portion of the Americas. The continent is generally delimited on the northwest by the Darién watershed along the Colombia–Panama border, although some may consider the border instead to be the Panama Canal. Geopolitically and geographically[5] all of Panama – including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus – is typically included in North America alone[6][7][8] and among the countries of Central America.[9][10] Almost all of mainland South America sits on the South American Plate.





Outlying islands[edit]




Map of South America according to Köppen climate classification















Pre-Columbian civilizations[edit]










European colonization[edit]











Slavery in South America[edit]

A slave owner punishes a slave in 19th-century Brazil.




Independence from Spain and Portugal[edit]

The proclamation of the Independence of Brazil by Prince Pedro in 7 September 1822.
Coronation of Pedro I as 1st Emperor of Brazil.
Bernardo O'Higgins swears officially the independence of Chile.





Nation-building and fragmentation[edit]

The Thirty-Three Orientals proclaimed the independence of Cisplatine Province.


The first separatist attempt was in 1820 by the argentine province of Entre Ríos by a caudillo.[23] In spite of the "Republic" in its title, General Ramírez, it' caudillo, never really intended to declare an independent Entre Rios. Rather, he was making a political statement in opposition to the monarchist and centralist ideas that back then permeated Buenos Aires politics. The "country" was reincorporated at the United Provinces in 1821.




Wars and conflicts[edit]

The Imperial Brazilian Army during a procession in Paraguay, 1868

The South-American history in early 19th century was built almost exclusively in wars. Despite the Spanish American wars of independence and the Brazilian War of Independence, quickly the new nations began to suffer with internal conflicts and wars among themselves.

In 1825 the proclamation of independence of Cisplatina led to the Cisplatine War between the historical rivals Empire of Brazil and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, Argentina's predecessor. The result was a stalemate by the British with the independence of Uruguay. Soon after, the another Brazilian province proclaimed its independence leading to the Ragamuffin War which Brazil won.


Meanwhile the Argentine Civil Wars beat Argentina since its independence. The conflict was mainly between those who defended the centralization of power in Buenos Aires and those who defended a confederation. During this period it can be said that "there were two Argentines"; the first was the Argentine Confederation, and the second the Argentine Republic. At the same time the political instability in Uruguay led to the Uruguayan Civil War among the main political factions of the country. All this instability in the platine region interfered with the politics and goals of other countries such as Brazil, which was soon forced to take sides and intervene to put an end to this situation. In 1851 the Brazilian Empire supporting the centralizing unitarians and the uruguayn government invaded Argentina in what was known as the Platine War and deposed the caudillo Juan Manuel Rosas that ruled the confederation with iron hand, which although it did not put an end to the political chaos and civil war in Argentina, but brought temporary peace to Uruguay where the Colorados faction supported by the Brazilian Empire, British Empire, French Empire and the Unitarian Party of Argentina won.[26]

A peace that lasted little, because in 1864 the Uruguayan factions faced each other again in the Uruguayan War. The Blancos supported by Paraguay start to attack Brazilian and Argentine farmers in the borders. The Empire made an initial attempt to settle the dispute between Blancos and Colorados without success. In 1864 after a Brazilian ultimatum was refused the imperial government declared that Brazil's military would begin exacting reprisals. Brazil declined to acknowledge a formal state of war, and for most of its duration, the Uruguayan–Brazilian armed conflict was an undeclared war which led to the deposition of the Blancos and the rise of the pro-Brazilian Colorados to power again, which angered the Paraguayan government, which even before the end of the war broke out and invaded Brazil, beginning the biggest and deadliest war in both South American and Latin American histories: the Paraguayan War.

The Paraguayan War begin when the Paraguayan dictator Francisco Solano López ordered the invasion of the Brazilian provinces of Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul. His attempt to cross Argentinian territory without the Argentinian approval led the pro-Brazilian argentine government into the war. Also the pro-Brazilian Uruguayan government show its support by sending troops. In 1865 the three countries signed the Treaty of the Triple Alliance against Paraguay. At the beginning of the war, the Paraguayans took the lead with several victories, until the Triple Alliance organized to repel the invaders and fight effectively. This was the second total war experience in the world after the American Civil War, was also demanded the greatest war effort in the history of all participating countries and took almost 6 years in duration with the complete devastation of Paraguay at the end of the war. The country lost 40% of its territory to Brazil and Argentina and had 60% of its population dead, including 90% of the men. The dictator Lopez was killed in battle and a new government was instituted in alliance with Brazil, which maintained occupation forces in the country until 1876.[27]

The last war to break out in this century was the War of the Pacific with Bolivia and Peru on one side and Chile on the other. In 1879 the war began with Chilean troops occupying Bolivian ports followed by Bolivia declaring war on Chile which activated an alliance treaty with Peru. The war lasted for 4 years until 1883 with the War of the Pacific defeating completely the Bolivians in 1880 and occupying Lima in 1881. The peace was signed with Peru in 1883 while a truce was signed with Bolivia in 1884. Chile annexed territories of both countries leaving Bolivia with no way out for the sea.[28]

In the new century, as wars became less violent and less frequent. Brazil entered into a small conflict with a Bolivia for the possession of the Acre, which was acquired by Brazil in 1902. In 1917 Brazil declared war on the Central Powers and join the allied side in the World War I, sending a small fleet to the Mediterranean Sea and some troops to integrate the British and French troops. It was the only South American country to fought this war.[29][30] Later in 1932 Colombia and Peru entered a short armed conflict for possession in the Amazon. In the same year Paraguay declared war on Bolivia for the possession of the Chaco, in a conflict that had three years later with a victory of Paraguay. Between 1941 and 1942 Peru and Ecuador fought decisively for territories claimed by both that were annexed by Peru, removing from Ecuador its frontier with Brazil.[31]

Also in this period the first naval battle of the World War II was fought on the continent, in the River Plate, between British forces and the German submarines.[32] The Germans still made numerous attacks on Brazilian ships on the coast, causing Brazil to declare war on the Axis powers in 1942, being the only South American country to fight in this war and in both World Wars. Brazil has sent naval and air forces to combat German and Italian submarines off the continent and throughout the South Atlantic, in addition to sending a expeditionary force to fight in the Italian Campaign.[33][34][33]

The last war to be fought on South American soil was the Falkland War between Argentina and the United Kingdom for the possession of the islands of the same name, with Argentina defeated in 1982.

Rise and fall of military dictatorships[edit]

Argentine soldiers during the Falklands War



Argentina and Britain fought the Falklands War in 1982.



Revolutionary movements and right-wing military dictatorships became common after World War II, but since the 1980s, a wave of democratization came through the continent, and democratic rule is widespread now.[37] Nonetheless, allegations of corruption are still very common, and several countries have developed crises which have forced the resignation of their governments, although, in most occasions, regular civilian succession has continued.


Countries and territories[edit]

Arms Flag Country or
territory with flag
(km²)[39] (sq mi)
(July 2015 est.)[39]
Population density
per km2 (per sq mi)
Insigne Argentinum.svg Argentina Argentina 2,766,890 km2 (1,068,300 sq mi) 43,417,000 14.3/km² (37/sq mi) Buenos Aires
Insigne Bolivicus.svg Bolivia Bolivia 1,098,580 km2 (424,160 sq mi) 11,410,651 8.4/km² (21.8/sq mi) La Paz and Sucre[40]
Coat of arms of Brazil.svg Brazil Brazil 8,514,877 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi) 206,440,850 22.0/km² (57/sq mi) Brasília
Roundel of Chile.svg Chile Chile[41]   756,950 km2 (292,260 sq mi) 18,006,407 22/km² (57/sq mi) Santiago
Insigne Columbum.svg Colombia Colombia 1,141,748 km2 (440,831 sq mi) 49,034,411 40/km² (103.6/sq mi) Bogotá
Insigne Aequatorium.svg Ecuador Ecuador   283,560 km2 (109,480 sq mi) 16,144,000 53.8/km² (139.3/sq mi) Quito
Insigne Falklandiae.svg Falkland Islands Falkland Islands (United Kingdom)[42]    12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi) 3,140[43] 0.26/km² (0.7/sq mi) Stanley
BlasonGuyane.svg French Guiana French Guiana (France)    91,000 km2 (35,000 sq mi) 250,109[44] 2.7/km² (5.4/sq mi) Cayenne (Préfecture)
Insigne Guianae.svg Guyana Guyana   214,999 km2 (83,012 sq mi) 735,909 3.5/km² (9.1/sq mi) Georgetown
Coat of arms of Paraguay.svg Paraguay Paraguay   406,750 km2 (157,050 sq mi) 6,783,272 15.6/km² (40.4/sq mi) Asunción
Insigne Peruviae.svg Peru Peru 1,285,220 km2 (496,230 sq mi) 31,151,640 22/km² (57/sq mi) Lima
Insigne Georgiae Australis et Insularum Sandvich Australium.svg South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (United Kingdom)[45]     3,093 km2 (1,194 sq mi) 20 0/km² (0/sq mi) King Edward Point[46]
Insigne Surinamiae.svg Suriname Suriname   163,270 km2 (63,040 sq mi) 573,311 3/km² (7.8/sq mi) Paramaribo
Insigne Uraquariae.svg Uruguay Uruguay   176,220 km2 (68,040 sq mi) 3,427,000 19.4/km² (50.2/sq mi) Montevideo
Insigne Venetiolae.svg Venezuela Venezuela   916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi) 31,416,930 30.2/km² (72/sq mi) Caracas
Total 17,824,513 410,013,492 21.5/km²


Headquarters of the UNASUR in Quito, Ecuador
South American flags

Historically, the Hispanic countries was founded as Republican dictatorships led by caudillos, while Brazil was the only exception, being a constitutional monarchy for its first 67 years of independence, until a coup d'ètat proclaim the republic. In late 19th century, the most democratic countries were Brazil,[47] Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.[citation needed]

In the interwar period, nationalism grown stronger in the continent influenced by countries like Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. A series of authoritarian rules broke out in South American countries with views bringing the closer to the axis power,[48] like Quasi-Fascist Brazil of Getúlio Vargas or the Perón's Argentina. In the late 20th century, during the Cold War, many countries became military dictatorships in attempts avoid communism. The most prominent dictator was Augusto Pinochet of Chile.[49] After the fall of the communism, these countries became democratic republics.


All South American countries are presidential republics with the exception of Guyana, which is a semi-presidential republic. French Guiana is a French overseas department, while the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are British colonies. It is currently the only continent in the world without monarchies, although there existed during the 19th century the Empire of Brazil and an attempt to establish a so-called Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile, without success. Also in the twentieth century, Suriname was established as the Kingdom of the Netherlands constituent kingdom and Guyana remained as a Commonwealth Realm for 4 years after its independence.

Recently, an intergovernmental entity has been formed which aims to merge the two existing customs unions: Mercosur and the Andean Community, thus forming the third-largest trade bloc in the world.[50] This new political organization known as Union of South American Nations seeks to establish free movement of people, economic development, a common defense policy and the elimination of tariffs.


Satelite view of South America at night from NASA.

South America has 410 million inhabitants and a rate of population growth of about 0.6% per year. There are several demographics such as tropical forests, the Atacama Desert and the icy portions of Patagonia. On the other hand, the continent presents regions of high population density, such as the great urban centers. The population is formed by descendants of Europeans (mainly Spaniards, Portuguese and Italians), Africans and indigenous. There is a high percentage of mestizos that vary greatly in composition according to each place. There is also a minor population of Asians, specially in Brazil. The two main languages are by far Spanish and Portuguese, followed by French, English and Dutch in smaller numbers. Economically, Brazil, Argentina and Chile are the wealthiest and most developed nations in the continent.


Languages in South America





An estimated 90% of South Americans are Christians[53] (82% Roman Catholic, 8% other Christian denominations mainly Traditional Protestants and Evangelicals but also Orthodoxy), accounting for ca. 19% of Christians worldwide.



Japanese Buddhism, Shinto-derived Japanese New Religions are common in Brazil and Peru. Korean Confucianism is especially found in Brazil while Chinese Buddhism and Chinese Confucianism is spread throughout the continent.

Kardecist Spiritism can be found in several countries.

Part of Religions in South America (2013):[54]

Religion in South America
 Argentina 88 % 77 % 11 % 11 %
 Bolivia 96 % 74 % 22 % 4 %
 Brazil 86 % 64 % 22 % 9 %
 Chile 70 % 57 % 13 % 25 %
 Colombia 92 % 80 % 12 % 7 %
 Paraguay 95 % 85 % 10 % 2 %
 Peru 94 % 81 % 13 % 3 %
 Surinam 51 % 29 % 22 % 5 %
 Uruguay 58 % 47 % 11 % 41 %
 Venezuela 88 % 71 % 17 % 8 %

Ethnic demographics[edit]

Former president of Brazil Lula and members of the Italo-Brazilian community during the Grape Festival at Caxias do Sul
A Japanese-Brazilian Miko during a festival in Curitiba
Peruvian woman and her son of indigenous descent
Indigenous village in Paraguay

Genetic admixture occurs at very high levels in South America. In Argentina, the European influence accounts for 65%–79% of the genetic background, 17%–31% of the Amerindian and 2%–4% of sub-Saharan African. In Colombia, the Sub-Saharan African genetic background varied from 1% to 89%, while the European genetic background varied from 20% to 79%, depending on the region. In Peru, European ancestries ranged from 1% to 31%, while the African contribution was only 1% to 3%.[55] The Genographic Project determined the average Peruvian from Lima had about 28% of European ancestry, 68% of native American, 2% of Asian ancestry and 2% of sub-Saharan Africa.[56]

Descendants of indigenous peoples, such as the Quechua and Aymara, or the Urarina[57] of Amazonia make up the majority of the population in Bolivia (56%) and, per some sources, in Peru (44%).[58][59] In Ecuador, Amerindians are a large minority that comprises two-fifths of the population. The native European population is also a significant element in most other former Portuguese colonies.

People who identify as of primarily or totally European descent, or identify their phenotype as corresponding to such group, are more of a majority in Argentina,[60] and Uruguay[61] and are about half of the population of Chile (52.7%)[62] and Brazil (48.43%).[63][64][65] In Venezuela, according to the national census 42% of the population is primarily native Spanish, Italian and Portuguese descendants.[66] In Colombia, people who identify as european descendant is about 37%.[67][68] In Peru, European descents are the third group in importance (15%).[69]

Mestizos (mixed European and Amerindian) are the largest ethnic group in Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia[67] and Ecuador and the second group in Peru.

South America is also home to one of the largest populations of Africans. This group is also significantly present in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Venezuela and Ecuador.

Brazil followed by Peru also have the largest Japanese, Korean and Chinese communities in South America.[70] East Indians form the largest ethnic group in Guyana and Suriname.[71]

Ethnic distribution in South America[72][73]
Country Amerindians White people Mestizos Mulatos Black people Zambos Asian people
 Argentina 1.0% 85.0% 14.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
 Bolivia 55.0% 12.0% 30.0% 2.4% 0.1% 0.5% 0.0%
 Brazil 0.4% 47.7% 22.9% 20.1% 7.6% 0.0% 1.1%
 Chile 3.2% 52.7% 44.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
 Colombia 1.8% 37.0% 49.0% 8.2% 2.3% 0.1% 0.0%
 Ecuador 39.0% 9.9% 41.0% 5.0% 5.0% 0.0% 0.1%
 Paraguay 3.0% 20.0% 75.0% 3.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
 Peru 45.0% 15.0% 35.0% 2.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.0%
 Uruguay 0.0% 88.0% 8.0% 4.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
 Venezuela 2.7% 42.7% 49.7% 7.7% 2.0% 0.0% 0.8%

Indigenous people[edit]



The most populous country in South America is Brazil with 207.3 million persons. The second largest country is Colombia with a population of 49,034,411. Argentina is the third most populous country with 43,417,000.

While Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia maintain the largest populations, large city populations are not restricted to those nations. The largest cities in South America, by far, are São Paulo and Lima. This cities are the only cities on the continent to exceed eight million, and two of four in the Americas. Next in size are Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Caracas, Buenos Aires and Salvador. Cities in the sunbelt regions of the United States, such as those in Southern California and Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, and Las Vegas, are experiencing rapid growth. These causes included warm temperatures, retirement of Baby Boomers, large industry, and the influx of immigrants. Cities near the United States border, particularly in Mexico, are also experiencing large amounts of growth. Most notable is Tijuana, a city bordering San Diego that receives immigrants from all over Latin America and parts of Europe and Asia. Yet as cities grow in these warmer regions of North America, they are increasingly forced to deal with the major issue of water shortages.

Five of the top ten metropolitan areas are located in the Brazil. These metropolitan areas all have a population of above 4 million and include the São Paulo metropolitan area, Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, Belo Horizonte metropolitan area. Whilst the majority of the largest metropolitan areas are within Brazil, Argentina is host to the second largest metropolitan area by population in South America: Buenos Aires metropolitan region is above 13 million inhabitants.

Soth America has also been witness to the growth of megapolitan areas. In Brazil exists four megaregions inluding the Expanded Metropolitan Complex of São Paulo with more than 32 million inhabitants. The other are the Greater Rio, Greater Belo Horizonte and Greater Porto Alegre. Colombia also has four megaregions which comprises 72% of it's population, followed by Venezuela, Argentina and Peru which are also the home of megaregions.


Metro Area Population Area Country
São Paulo 21,090,792 7,947 square kilometres (3,068 sq mi)  Brazil
Buenos Aires 13,693,657 3,830 square kilometres (1,480 sq mi)  Argentina
Rio de Janeiro 13,131,431 6,744 square kilometres (2,604 sq mi)  Brazil
Lima 9,904,727 2,819 square kilometres (1,088 sq mi)  Peru
Bogotá 9,286,225 4,200 square kilometres (1,600 sq mi)  Colombia
Santiago 6,683,852 15,403 square kilometres (5,947 sq mi)  Chile
Belo Horizonte 5,829,923 9,467 square kilometres (3,655 sq mi)  Brazil
Caracas 5,322,310 4,715 square kilometres (1,820 sq mi)  Venezuela
Porto Alegre 4,258,926 10,232 square kilometres (3,951 sq mi)  Brazil
Brasilia 4,201,737 56,433 square kilometres (21,789 sq mi)  Brazil

‌2015 Census figures.


Trading panel of the São Paulo Stock Exchange is the 2nd biggest in the Americas and 13th in the world.
Financial center of Santiago, Chile
Refinery of Brazilian state-owned Petrobras in Cochabamba, Bolivia


The continent experienced, since 1930, a remarkable growth and diversification in most of the economic sectors. Most agricultural and livestock products are destined for local consumption and for the domestic market. However, the export of agricultural products is essential for the balance of trade in most countries.[76]




Since the end of the economic crisis in Brazil and Argentina that occurred in the period from 1998 to 2002, which has led to economic recession, rising unemployment and falling population income, the industrial and service sectors have been recovering rapidly, mainly in Chile, In Argentina, and in Brazil, which grow at an average of 5% per year. All of South America after this period has been recovering fast and showing good signs of economic stability, with controlled inflation and exchange rates, continuous growth, a decrease in social inequality and unemployment, factors that favor the industry.[76]

The main industries are: electronics, textiles, food, automotive, metallurgy, air, naval, clothing, beverage, steel, tobacco, timber, chemical, among others. Exports reach almost US$400 billion annually, with Brazil accounting for half of this.[76]

The economic gap between the rich and poor in most South American nations is larger than in most other continents. The richest 10% receive over 40% of the nation's income in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay,[77] while the poorest 20% receive 3% or less in Bolivia, Brazil, and Colombia.[78] This wide gap can be seen in many large South American cities where makeshift shacks and slums lie in the vicinity of skyscrapers and upper-class luxury apartments; nearly one in nine in South America live on less than $2 per day (on a purchasing power parity basis).[79]

Country GDP (nominal)
in 2017
in 2017
per capita
in 2017

($bn), 2011[75]
in 2014

Percent with
less than
$2 (PPP)
per person
per day[79]
 Argentina 628,935 912,816 20,707 83.7 0.836 2.6
 Bolivia 39,267 83,608 7,552 9.1 0.662 24.9
 Brazil 2,140,940 3,216,031 15,485 250.8 0.755 10.8
 Chile 251,220 455,941 24,796 86.1 0.832 2.7
 Colombia 306,439 720,151 14,609 56.5 0.720 15.8
 Ecuador 97,362 184,629 11,004 22.3 0.732 10.6
 Falkland Islands[82] (UK) 165 165 55,400 0.1
 French Guiana[83] (France) 4,456 4,456 19,728 1.3
 Guyana 3,591 6,398 8,306 0.9 0.636 18.0
 Paraguay 28,743 68,005 9,779 9.8 0.679 13.2
 Peru 207,072 429,711 13,501 46.3 0.734 12.7
 Suriname 3,641 7,961 13,934 1.6 0.714 27.2
 Uruguay 58,123 77,800 22,271 8.0 0.793 2.2
 Venezuela 251,589 404,109 12,856 92.6 0.762 12.9
Total 3,836,569 6,642,623 17,852 669.1 0.729 11.3

Economically largest cities 2014[edit]

Rank City Country GDP in Int$ bn[84] Population (mil)[85] GDP per capita
1 São Paulo  Brazil $430 20,847,500 $20,650
2 Buenos Aires  Argentina $315 13,381,800 $23,606
3 Rio de Janeiro  Brazil $176 12,460,200 $14,176
4 Lima  Peru $176 10,674,100 $16,530
5 Santiago  Chile $171 7,164,400 $23,929
6 Bogotá  Colombia $159 9,135,800 $17,497
7 Brasília  Brazil $141 3,976,500 $35,689
8 Belo Horizonte  Brazil $84 5,595,800 $15,134
9 Porto Alegre  Brazil $62 4,120,900 $15,078
10 Campinas  Brazil $59 2,854,200 $20,759



In 2016 Brazil hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Iguazu Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil, is one of the New Seven World Natural Wonders.


Tango show in Buenos Aires, typical argentine dance.
Carmen Miranda, Luso-Brazilian Actress helped popularize samba internationally.
Teatro Solis, Uruguay.





Plastic arts[edit]

Bird (Singapore), sculpture of Fernando Botero

The artist Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919 - 1999) from Ecuador, represented with his painting style the feeling of the peoples of Latin America[90] highlighting social injustices in various parts of the world. The Colombian Fernando Botero (1932) is one of the greatest exponents of painting and sculpture that continues still active and has been able to develop a recognizable style of his own.[91] For his part, the Venezuelan Carlos Cruz-Diez has contributed significantly to contemporary art,[92] with the presence of works around the world.

Currently several emerging South American artists are recognized by international art critic: Guillermo Lorca Chilean painter,[93][94] Teddy Cobeña Ecuadorian sculptor (international sculpture award in France)[95][96][97] or Argentine artist Adrián Villar Rojas[98][99] Zurich Museum Art Award among many others.







South America is home to the longest running international football tournament; the Copa América, which has been regularly contested since 1916. Uruguay have won the Copa América a record 15 times, surpassing hosts Argentina in 2011 to reach 15 titles (they were previously equal on 14 titles each during the 2011 Copa América).





The Brazilian Highlands has a much higher hydroelectric potential than the Andean region and its possibilities of exploitation are greater due to the existence of several large rivers with high margins and the occurrence of great differences, forming huge cataracts, such as those of Paulo Afonso, Iguaçu and others little. The Amazon River system has about 13,000 km of waterways, but its possibilities for hydroelectric use are still unknown.




Stretch of the Pan-American Highway in Argentina
The Port of Callao in Peru
Santiago metro in the capital of Chile








See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

Content notes[edit]

^ Continent model: In some parts of the world South America is viewed as a subcontinent of the Americas[103] (a single continent in these areas), for example Latin America, Latin Europe, and Iran. In most of the countries with English as an official language, however, it is considered a continent; see Americas (terminology).


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  42. ^ Claimed by Argentina.
  46. ^ [2]
  47. ^ Lira 1977, Vol 2, p. 9.
  53. ^ Christians – Pew Research Center
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  69. ^ "LA Road Show". Retrieved 2010-10-24. 
  74. ^ Indigenous peoples of South America. Retrieved on 2015-10-20.
  76. ^ a b c d e f O SISTEMA ECONÔMICO / AMÉRICA DO SUL. In: Atlas Mundial. São Paulo: Cia. Melhoramentos de São Paulo, 1999, p. 26-27, 88-107 ISBN 85-06-02889-2
  82. ^ "Falkland Islands". The World Factbook. CIA. 2011. 
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  84. ^ "Global Metro Monitor". Brookings Institution. Retrieved 19 April 2017. 
  85. ^ "Global Metro Monitor". Brookings Institution. April 2017. 
  89. ^ Backpackers destination.
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  102. ^ "Metro - Passengers" [Passenger demand] (in Portuguese). Companhia Do Metropolitano De São Paulo. 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-14. 


External links[edit]