South America (continent)

South America (continent)
by Luan · CC BY 3.0 · source
Name	South America
Area km2	17840000
Highest point	Aconcagua
Population	430000000
Countries	Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Dependencies	Falkland Islands, French Guiana, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Timezone	Time in Brazil, Time in Chile

South America (continent) South America is the fourth-largest continent by area and the fifth by population, spanning from the Caribbean Sea in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south. It contains vast plains, the Amazon basin, the Andes cordillera, and major river systems, and hosts diverse peoples, states, and institutions. Influential capitals and cities include Brasília, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Lima, Santiago, and Caracas, each connected to regional blocs and global networks.

Geography

South America's geography is dominated by the Andes Mountains, the world's longest continental mountain range, running through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina and culminating at Aconcagua. East of the Andes lies the Amazon Basin, drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries such as the Negro River, Madeira River, and Tapajós River, flowing through Brazil and Peru into the Atlantic Ocean. The Gran Chaco, Pantanal, and Pampas are major lowland plains spanning Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil. Coastal regions include the Atacama Desert in Chile and the Caribbean littoral of Colombia and Venezuela. Island and overseas territories include Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago's proximate archipelagos. Tectonic activity along the Nazca Plate and South American Plate produces earthquakes and volcanism, influencing the Ring of Fire and features like Cotopaxi and Ojos del Salado.

History

Pre-Columbian civilizations such as the Inca Empire, the Moche culture, the Chavín culture, the Tiwanaku, and the Mapuche developed complex societies across the Andes and Amazon. European contact began with voyages by Christopher Columbus's contemporaries and was followed by conquest campaigns led by Francisco Pizarro and Hernán Cortés's analogues, resulting in Spanish and Portuguese colonial systems exemplified by the Viceroyalty of New Granada, the Viceroyalty of Peru, and the Captaincy General of Brazil. Independence movements in the early 19th century were shaped by leaders including Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín, Bernardo O'Higgins, and events such as the Battle of Carabobo, the Battle of Maipú, and the Guayaquil Conference. The 19th and 20th centuries brought state formation, wars like the War of the Pacific and the Falklands War, resource booms tied to rubber boom, guano trade, and nitrate mining, and political episodes involving Getúlio Vargas, Juan Perón, Hugo Chávez, and military juntas exemplified by the Coup d'état in Chile (1973). Regional integration initiatives include the Union of South American Nations and Mercosur.

Demographics and Society

Populations reflect indigenous groups such as the Quechua people, Aymara, Guarani, and Yanomami, Afro-descendant communities tied to the Atlantic slave trade, and descendants of European settlers from Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. Major urban agglomerations include the São Paulo metropolitan area, Buenos Aires Greater Area, and Rio de Janeiro. Languages with national status include Spanish language and Portuguese language, alongside co-official indigenous languages like Quechua in Peru and Bolivia, and creoles in Suriname and Guyana. Health and education systems vary across states such as Chile and Uruguay with higher human development indices, and nations struggling with poverty and informal labor markets in regions of Bolivia, Venezuela, and Paraguay. Social movements have mobilized around land rights exemplified by conflicts involving the Landless Workers' Movement (MST) in Brazil and indigenous rights claims litigated before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Politics and Economy

States employ diverse political systems from federal republics like Argentina and Brazil to unitary republics like Chile and Uruguay. Regional diplomacy is conducted through organizations such as Organization of American States, Union of South American Nations, Mercosur, and Pacific Alliance. Economies rely on commodities: soybeans and iron ore exports from Brazil, oil reserves in Venezuela and Ecuador, copper mining in Chile at sites like Escondida mine, and lithium deposits in the Lithium Triangle of Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. Financial centers include São Paulo's B3 and Buenos Aires's markets. Trade links to China, the United States, and European Union shape fiscal and monetary policies alongside debt negotiations with institutions like the International Monetary Fund. Political cycles have alternated between populist administrations such as Peronism and Chavismo and neoliberal reforms epitomized by the Chicago Boys's influence in Chile.

Environment and Biodiversity

South America hosts megadiverse ecoregions: the Amazon Rainforest, the Atlantic Forest, the Pantanal, and the Andean montane forests. Iconic fauna includes jaguar, giant otter, harpy eagle, anaconda, and llama; flora includes emergent canopy species in the Amazon and endemic cacti in the Atacama Desert. Deforestation driven by agricultural expansion, cattle ranching, and logging threatens carbon stocks and biodiversity, prompting policy debates involving Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), conservation initiatives by World Wildlife Fund, and indigenous stewardship. Climate phenomena such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation affect rainfall, agriculture, and fisheries from Peru to Chile, while glaciers in the Patagonia and tropical Andes are retreating under global warming concerns addressed in multilateral climate forums like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Culture and Languages

Cultural expressions include literary figures such as Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and Pablo Neruda; musical genres like salsa, samba, tango, bossa nova, and cumbia; and visual arts tied to movements represented by Diego Rivera and Fernando Botero. Festivals and religious traditions blend indigenous, African, and European elements found in celebrations like Carnival (Brazil), Inti Raymi in Peru, and patron saint festivals across Colombia and Ecuador. Languages reflect colonial and indigenous legacies: dominant use of Spanish language and Portuguese language coexists with indigenous tongues such as Quechua language, Aymara language, Guarani language—official in Paraguay—and lesser-known languages like Warao language and Huitoto languages. Culinary diversity ranges from ceviche in Peru to asado in Argentina and feijoada in Brazil, illustrating regional ingredients and migration histories.

Category:Continents