South America
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South America can be called the continent of superlatives:
The world's largest rainforest, the most extensive river (Amazon), one of the highest mountain ranges (the Andes), and the world's tallest waterfall (the 979m tall Angel Falls) are all located here.
Amongst other breathtaking natural attractions, you can explore the remote islands of the Galapagos Islands and Easter Island, vast deserts like the Atacama, and icy landscapes in Patagonia.
South America is the southern subregion of the continent called America.
Area of South America
17.84 million km²
Population of South America
422.5 million people
Facts about South America
- that there is another river, namely Hanza, flowing 4 kilometers below the Amazon River?
- that the Amazon forest is home to tribes that have never been in contact with modern civilization before?
- South America
Geography of South America
South America, the world's fourth-largest continent, can be divided into three physical regions: highlands, river basins, and coastal plains.
South America's primary mountain system, the Andes, is also the world's longest one, about 8,850 kilometers.
In general, the weather in South America is hot and humid.
The average daytime temperature is 32-35º C.
South America is bordered by the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. In the northwest, it is joined to North America by a land bridge narrowing to about 50 miles (80 km) at one point. The Drake Passage, south of Cape Horn, separates South America from Antarctica.
Present Day South America
The four main demographic groups that have contributed to the present-day inhabitants of South America:
- The American Indians,
- Spanish and Portuguese conquerors, who dominated South America until the beginning of the 19th century,
- Africans, who were forcefully brought over as enslaved people by the colonizers;
- And, lastly, immigrants from overseas in recent years.
Except for Ecuador, all states in South America use their own currencies, while Ecuador uses the US dollar.
The countries of South America: are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay.