South America

For other uses, see South America (disambiguation). "Southern America" redirects here. Not to be confused with Southern United States. For the botanical continent defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, see Southern America (WGSRPD).

South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern subregion of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south by the Drake Passage. North America lies to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northwest, and the Antarctic Circle, Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula to the south.

The continent includes twelve sovereign countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It also has two dependent territories, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and one internal territory, French Guiana. The Caribbean South America ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) and Trinidad and Tobago are geologically located on the South-American continental shelf, so they may be considered part of South America too. Panama, Ascension Island (a part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha), and Bouvet Island (a dependency of Norway) may also be considered parts of South America.

South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi). Its population as of 2021 has been estimated at more than 434 million people. The continent ranks fourth in area, after Asia, Africa, and North America, and fifth in population, after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Brazil is by far the most populous South American country, with almost half of the continent's population, followed by Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Peru. In recent decades, Brazil has also generated half of the continent's GDP and has become the continent's first regional power.

Most people live near the continent's western or eastern coasts, while the interior and the far south are sparsely populated. The geography of western South America is dominated by the Andes Mountains. In contrast, the eastern part contains both highland regions and vast lowlands where rivers such as the Amazon, Orinoco, and Paraná flow. Most of the continent lies in the tropics, except for a large part of the Southern Cone, which is located in the middle latitudes.

The continent's culture and ethnic makeup have their origin in the interaction of Indigenous peoples with European conquerors and immigrants and, more locally, with African slaves. Because of a long history of colonialism, the overwhelming majority of South Americans speak Portuguese or Spanish, and its societies and states are rich in Western traditions. Compared with Africa, Asia, and Europe, South America has been a peaceful continent since 1900, with few wars, although high rates of violent crime remain a concern in some countries.

History

Main article: History of South America

South America is thought to have been first inhabited by humans at least 15,000 years ago, when people crossed the Bering Land Bridge from what is now Russia. They moved south through North America and reached South America through the Isthmus of Panama. Over time, people began farming and raising animals such as llamas and alpacas in the Andes. Many civilizations grew, including the Inca civilization, which dominated the Andes from 1438 to 1533 with its capital at Cusco. In 1494, Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Tordesillas to divide the lands outside Europe between them. From the 1530s on, conquerors from these countries claimed the land and its people. Diseases from Europe caused many native people to die, and enslaved Africans were brought to work in the colonies. Many countries kept slavery for a time after independence, and in 1888 Brazil became the last South American nation to end it.

Further information: History of South America § Pre-Columbian era

Main article: Pre-Columbian era § South America

Main articles: Spanish colonization of the Americas and Portuguese colonization of the Americas

See also: European enslavement of Indigenous Americans and Atlantic slave trade

Main articles: Spanish American wars of independence and Independence of Brazil

Napoleon's invasion of Spain and Portugal changed the political situation of their colonies. Leaders such as Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín helped secure independence across South America. Bolívar's forces defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Ayacucho, and in 1822 the Kingdom of Brazil proclaimed its independence. After independence, the new nations fought among themselves and with their neighbors. The Paraguayan War badly damaged Paraguay. In the 20th century, several countries were ruled by military dictatorships, but since the 1980s, democracy has spread across the continent. Countries have also worked together more closely, through groups such as Mercosur.

Geography

Main article: Geography of South America

See also: Arid Diagonal

Main article: Fauna of South America

South America is the southern part of the Americas. Its northwest edge is generally the Darién watershed along the Colombia–Panama border, though some consider the Panama Canal to be the border. Geopolitically and geographically, Panama is usually counted in North America and among the countries of Central America. Almost all of the mainland sits on the South American Plate. The continent has many record holders. It has the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, Angel Falls in Venezuela, and the highest single-drop waterfall, Kaieteur Falls in Guyana. The Amazon River carries the most water, and the Andes are the longest mountain range, with Aconcagua as their highest peak at 6,962 m or 22,841 ft. The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar place on Earth, while López de Micay in Colombia is the wettest. The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest, La Paz, Bolivia is the highest capital city, and Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake. Excluding research stations in Antarctica, the southernmost permanently inhabited community is Puerto Toro, Chile. South America had the highest annual deforestation rate of any region in 2015–2025 (4.22 million ha). This was still a reduction of almost 50% from the rate in 1990–2000 (8.24 million ha). The continent's major mineral resources are gold, silver, copper, iron ore, tin, and petroleum. These have brought high income, especially during wars or fast growth in industrialized countries elsewhere. However, relying on one or a few major export products has often held back development. Commodity prices often rise and fall in international markets, which has caused booms, busts, and political instability. This has led to calls to diversify production and trade more within South America. Brazil is the largest country, covering a little less than half the land and holding about half the population. The other countries and territories fall into four subregions: the Andean states, Caribbean South America, the Guianas, and the Southern Cone.

Some nearby islands are also considered part of the continent's landscape. The Dutch ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao), the islands of Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad Island and Tobago Island, etc.), the State of Nueva Esparta, and the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela sit on the northern continental shelf. Caribbean island countries are usually grouped with North America instead. Aves Island (run by Venezuela) and the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina (San Andrés Island, Providencia Island, and Santa Catalina Island, etc., run by Colombia) belong politically to South American countries but are part of North America geographically. Other islands linked to South America include the Chiloé Archipelago and Robinson Crusoe Island (both run by Chile), Easter Island (culturally part of Oceania, also run by Chile), the Galápagos Islands (run by Ecuador, sometimes considered part of Oceania), and Tierra del Fuego, which is split between Argentina and Chile. In the Atlantic, Brazil administers Fernando de Noronha, Trindade and Martim Vaz, and the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago. The Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are linked to Antarctica in biogeographically and hydrologically terms, are British Overseas Territories under the Crown. Argentina disputes British sovereignty over them. An isolated volcanic island, Ascension Island, sits on the South American Plate and is geologically part of South America. It is a dependency of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha and is geopolitically a part of Africa. Most of the world's major climate zones are present in South America. Average temperatures follow a steady pattern from 30° of latitude south, where the isotherms increasingly match the lines of latitude. Temperate winters and summers are milder than in North America, because most of the continent lies in the equatorial zone. The Southern Cone is therefore more influenced by the ocean, which moderates temperatures year-round. The Amazon basin averages about 27 °C (81 °F) with high rainfall, and an equatorial climate prevails between Maracaibo Lake and the mouth of the Orinoco. The east-central Brazilian plateau has a humid, warm tropical climate, and the Argentine pampas have a humid subtropical climate classed as "Chinese type." The western and eastern ranges have a subtropical climate similar to the Dinaric Alps in Europe. The Andes' highest points are colder than the highest point of the Norwegian fjords. A Mediterranean oceanic climate dominates north of the Andean plateaus up to northern Chile, and a cold "Siberian type" climate persists in Tierra del Fuego. Rainfall follows winds and air masses. Winds from the northeast, east, and southeast bring Atlantic moisture to most of the tropical region east of the Andes. Strong wind shear and a weak Intertropical Convergence Zone make South Atlantic tropical cyclones rare. Sea currents such as the Humboldt Current and the Falkland Current also shape climates, and the Equatorial Current splits off Brazil and Antilles currents that become the Gulf Stream. South America is one of the most biodiverse continents on Earth. It is home to unique animals such as the llama, anaconda, piranha, jaguar, eel, vicuña, and tapir, as well as the Titan beetle, one of the largest known insects. Brazil is estimated to hold 10% of Earth's species, and the Amazon rainforests have high biodiversity. At the end of the Pleistocene, about 11,000 years ago, 83% of South America's large mammals (megafauna) became extinct in the Quaternary extinction event, one of the highest losses of any continent. Among the lost animals were saber-toothed cats, ground sloths, glyptodonts, gomphotheres, the equines Hippidion and Equus neogeus, and all remaining South American native ungulates.

Politics

See also: Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean

In the past, the Spanish-speaking countries were founded as republics led by strong leaders called caudillos. Brazil was a constitutional monarchy for its first 67 years as an independent country, until a sudden takeover of power created a republic. In the late 1800s, the most democratic countries were Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.

Most South American countries are presidential republics. Guyana and Suriname are parliamentary republics. French Guiana is a French overseas department, and the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are British overseas territories. South America is the only inhabited continent in the world without monarchies. The Empire of Brazil existed during the 1800s, and there was an attempt to set up a Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile, but it did not succeed. In the 1900s, Suriname became a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Guyana kept the British monarch as its head of state for 4 years after it became independent.

Recently, a new group of governments was formed to bring together two existing customs unions, Mercosur and the Andean Community. Together they form the third-largest trade bloc in the world. This new organization, called the Union of South American Nations, hopes to allow people to move freely, grow the economy, share a common defense policy, and remove tariffs.

List of states and territories

Main article: List of sovereign states and dependent territories in South America

Economy

Main article: Economy of South America

Since 1930, South America has grown and changed in most economic areas. Most farm and livestock products are used at home, but exporting agricultural products is essential for the balance of trade in most countries. The main export crops are soy and wheat. Livestock raised for meat is important in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Colombia. In warm regions, cocoa and bananas are grown, and in Brazil, sugar cane is also used to make ethanol. Forests cover 51% of the continent's land, and companies have settled in the Amazon rainforest to harvest timber for export. The Pacific coast is the most important area for fishing, and Peru is a major exporter of its catch. Mining is also very important, especially for Chile, Peru and Bolivia.

Industry grew a lot from the 1930s, when the Great Depression boosted industrial production. Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile are the most industrialized countries and together make up more than 80% of the region's economy. Brazil and Argentina are part of the G20 industrial countries, while only Brazil is part of the G8+5. Economic growth slowed in the early 1990s because of political instability and economic crises, but industry and services recovered after the economic crisis of 1998 to 2002. Still, the economic gap between rich and poor is larger than on most other continents. Tourism is also growing, and resorts such as Punta del Este, Florianópolis and Mar del Plata are among the largest in South America.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of South America

See also: List of South American countries by population and List of South American countries by life expectancy

South America has more than 428 million people. Most of them live around the edges of the continent, which is why it is sometimes called a "hollow continent." Some areas, such as tropical forests, the Atacama Desert, and the icy parts of Patagonia, have very few people. Other areas, such as the big cities, are very crowded. Many people are descended from Spaniards, Portuguese, Italians, Africans, and Amerindians. Many others are Mestizos, people of mixed backgrounds. About 5 million people are Asian, mostly East Asians, especially in Brazil, Peru, and Argentina. Spanish and Portuguese are the two main languages, and English, French, and Dutch are spoken by smaller numbers of people.

Spanish is the official language of most countries, and Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. Dutch is the official language of Suriname, and English is the official language of Guyana. Many other languages are also spoken, including Indigenous languages such as Guaraní, Aymara, and Mapudungun, as well as Hindustani, Welsh in Trelew and Rawson, and Arabic spoken by people of Lebanese, Syrian, or Palestinian descent. Most South Americans follow Christian faiths, mainly Roman Catholic, with some Protestants and Evangelicals. African-descendant and Indigenous religions, such as Candomblé and Umbanda, are also common. Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism are found mainly in Brazil and Peru. Hindus make up 25% of Guyana's population and 22% of Suriname's, while Muslims make up 7% of Guyana's and 14% of Suriname's.

Many South Americans have mixed ancestry. In Argentina, most people have European roots, while in Peru, the share of European ancestry varies by region. Descendants of indigenous peoples, such as the Quechua and Aymara, make up most of the population in Bolivia and a large part of Peru. Mestizos are the largest ethnic group in Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. South America has one of the largest populations of Africans in the world, with many living in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Suriname. Some people still follow traditional lifestyles based on farming or hunting and gathering, and there are still uncontacted tribes living in the Amazon Rainforest.

Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia have the largest populations, but big cities are found in many countries. Five of the top ten metropolitan areas are in Brazil, including the São Paulo metropolitan area and the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. Argentina has the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, the Buenos Aires metropolitan region, with more than 13 million people. Brazil also has large megapolitan areas, such as the Expanded Metropolitan Complex of São Paulo, which has more than 32 million inhabitants. Santiago is another major city.

Culture

Main article: Culture of South America

South Americans are shaped by their Indigenous peoples, their historic ties to the Iberian Peninsula and Africa, and waves of immigrants from around the world. The continent has a wide variety of music, including vallenato, cumbia, samba, bossa nova, and tango. Its literature is also highly praised, especially during the Latin American Boom, and authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and Pablo Neruda are well known. The Brazilians Machado de Assis and João Guimarães Rosa are widely regarded as the greatest Brazilian writers.

Main article: Cuisine of South America

South American cuisine mixes African, Mestizo, South Asian, East Asian, and European influences. Many people in the region drink mate, an herb that is brewed, and pisco is a liquor made from grapes in Peru and Chile. South America's artists are also famous. Oswaldo Guayasamín, Fernando Botero, and Carlos Cruz-Diez are among the well-known names. Football is the most popular sport across the continent, while baseball is most popular in Venezuela. South America hosted its first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and the FIFA World Cup has been held there several times.

Main article: Art of South America

Main article: Sport in South America