Everything about South American totally explained
South America is a
continent occupying the southern part of the supercontinent of
America. It sits entirely in the Western Hemisphere, and mostly in the
Southern Hemisphere with a small portion in the
Northern Hemisphere. It is bordered on the west by the
Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the
Atlantic Ocean.
North America and the
Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest.
South America was named in 1507 by cartographers
Martin Waldseemüller and
Matthias Ringmann after
Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first European to suggest that the Americas were not the
East Indies, but a
New World unknown to Europeans.
South America has an
area of 17,780,000
square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi), or almost 3.5% of the
Earth's surface. As of 2005, its
population was estimated at more than 371,090,000. South America
ranks fourth in area (after
Asia,
Africa, and
North America) and fifth in population (after
Asia,
Africa,
Europe, and
North America).
Geography
South America occupies the major southern portion of the
landmass generally referred to as the
New World, the
Western Hemisphere,
the Americas, or simply America (which is sometimes considered a single
continent and South America a
subcontinent). It is south and east of the
Colombia-
Panama border according to most authorities or, according to a few, the
Panama Canal which transects the
Isthmus of Panama. Almost all of mainland South America sits on the
South American Plate.
Geopolitically and geographically, all of
Panama – including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus – is generally considered a part of North America alone and among the
countries of Central America.
Many of the islands of the
Caribbean (or West Indies) – for example, the Leeward and
Lesser Antilles – sit atop the
Caribbean Plate, a tectonic plate with a diffuse topography. The islands of
Aruba,
Barbados,
Trinidad, and
Tobago sit on the northerly South American
continental shelf. The
Netherlands Antilles and the
federal dependencies of Venezuela lie along the northerly South American. Geopolitically, the island states and overseas territories of the Caribbean are generally grouped as a part or subregion of North America. The South American nations that border the Caribbean Sea – including
Colombia,
Venezuela,
Guyana,
Suriname, and
French Guiana – are also known as
Caribbean South America. Other islands are the
Galápagos,
Easter Island (in Oceania but belongs to Chile),
Robinson Crusoe Island,
Chiloé Island, and the
Tierra del Fuego
South America is home to the world's highest
waterfall,
Angel Falls in Venezuela, the largest river (by volume), the
Amazon River, the longest mountain range, the
Andes (whose highest mountain is Aconcagua at 6,962 m (22,841 ft)), the driest desert, the
Atacama Desert, the largest rainforest, the
Amazon Rainforest, the highest capital city,
La Paz, Bolivia, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world,
Lake Titicaca, and the world's southernmost town,
Puerto Toro,
Chile.
South America's major mineral resources are
gold,
silver,
copper,
iron ore,
tin, and
oil. The many resources of South America have brought high income to its countries especially in times of war or of rapid economic growth by industrialized countries elsewhere. However, the concentration in producing one major export
commodity often has hindered the development of diversified economies. The inevitable fluctuation in the price of commodities in the international markets has led historically to major highs and lows in the economies of South American states, often also causing extreme political instability. This is leading to efforts to diversify their production to drive them away from staying as economies dedicated to one major export.
South America is home to many interesting and unique species of animals including the
llama,
anaconda,
piranha,
jaguar,
vicuña, and
tapir. The Amazon rainforests possess high
biodiversity, containing a major proportion of the
Earth's
species.
The largest country in South America by far, in both area and population, is
Brazil, followed by
Argentina. Regions in South America include the
Andean States, the
Guianas, the
Southern Cone, and
Brazil.
History
The rise of agriculture and domestication of animals
South America is thought to have been first inhabited by people crossing the
Bering Land Bridge, which is now the
Bering Strait. Some archaeological finds don't fit this theory, and have led to an alternative theory
Pre-Siberian American Aborigines. The first evidence for the existence of agricultural practices in South America date back to circa 6500 BC, when
potatoes,
chillies and
beans began to be cultivated for food in the highlands of the
Amazon Basin. Pottery evidence further suggests that
manioc, which remains a staple foodstuff today, was being cultivated as early as 2000 BC.
By 2000 BC many agrarian village communities had been settled throughout the Andes and the surrounding religious regions. Fishing became a widespread practice along the coast which helped to establish fish as a primary source of food. Irrigation systems were also developed at this time, which aided in the rise of an agrarian society.
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| align="right" |
| align="right" | 191,908,598
| align="right" | 22.0/km² (}}/sq mi)
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Brasília
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| align="right" |
| align="right" | 16,454,143
| align="right" | 21.1/km² (}}/sq mi)
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Santiago
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| align="right" |
| align="right" | 45,013,674
| align="right" | 37.7/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Bogotá
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| align="right" |
| align="right" | 13,927,650
| align="right" | 47.1/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Quito
|-
| ignore="text-align:left;" | }} (
UK)
| align="right" | | align="right" | 2,967
| align="right" | 0.24/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Stanley
|-
| ignore="text-align:left;" | }} (
France)
| align="right" | | align="right" | 209,000
| align="right" | 2.1/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Cayenne
|-
| ignore="text-align:left;" | }}
| align="right" |
| align="right" | 770,794
| align="right" | 3.6/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Georgetown
|-
| ignore="text-align:left;" | }}
| align="right" |
| align="right" | 6,347,884
| align="right" | 15.6/km² (}}/sq mi)
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Asunción
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| align="right" |
| align="right" | 27,925,628
| align="right" | 21.7/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Lima
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South Georgia and
South Sandwich Islands (UK)}}
| align="right" | | align="right" | 20
| align="right" | 0/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Grytviken
|-
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| align="right" |
| align="right" | 438,144
| align="right" | 2.7/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Paramaribo
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| ignore="text-align:left;" | }}
| align="right" |
| align="right" | 3,477,778
| align="right" | 19.4/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Montevideo
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| align="right" |
| align="right" | 26,414,815
| align="right" | 27.8/km² (}}/sq mi)
| ignore="text-align:left;" |
Caracas
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See Also:
List of South American countries by population
Economy
Due to histories of high inflation in nearly all South American countries, interest-rates and thus investment remain high and low, respectively. Interest rates are usually twice that of the United States. For example, interest-rates are about 22% in Venezuela and 23% in Suriname. The exception is Chile, which has been implementing free market economic policies since establishing military dictatorship in 1973 and increased its social spending since the return of democratic rule in the early 1990s. This has led to economic stability and interest rates in the low single digits.
The
Union of South American Nations is a planned continent-wide
free trade zone to unite two existing
free-trade organizations –
Mercosur and the
Andean Community.
The
economic gap between the rich and poor in most South American nations is considered to be larger than in most other continents. In
Venezuela,
Paraguay,
Bolivia and many other South American countries, the richest 20% may own over 60% of the nation's wealth, while the poorest 20% may own less than 5%. This wide gap can be seen in many large South American cities where makeshift shacks and slums lie adjacent to skyscrapers and upper-class luxury apartments.
Culture and language
Portuguese and
Spanish are the most spoken languages in South America, each spoken by around 90% of the continent's population.
Portuguese is the official language of
Brazil, which holds nearly 50% of the South American population.
Spanish is the official language of most countries of the continent.
Dutch is the official language of
Suriname;
English is the official language of
Guyana, although there are at least twelve other languages spoken in the country such as
Hindi,
Arabic, and various indigenous
dialects. English is also spoken in the
Falkland Islands.
French is the official language of
French Guiana.
Indigenous languages of South America include, among several others,
Quechua in
Ecuador,
Peru, and
Bolivia;
Guaraní in
Paraguay and, to a much less extent, in
Bolivia;
Aymara in
Bolivia,
Peru and less often in
Chile, while
Mapudungun is spoken in certain pockets of southern
Chile and, more rarely,
Argentina. At least three South American indigenous languages (
Quechua in
Ecuador,
Peru and
Bolivia,
Aymara also in
Bolivia, and
guarani in
Paraguay) are recognized along with
Spanish as national languages.
Other languages found in South America include
Hindi and
Indonesian in
Suriname;
Italian in
Argentina,
Brazil,
Peru,
Uruguay,
Venezuela, and
Chile; and
German in certain pockets,
Argentina,
Chile,
Venezuela,
Peru and
Paraguay and in many regions of the southern states of
Brazil (
Riograndenser Hunsrückisch is the most widely spoken German dialect in the country; among other Germanic dialects, a Brazilian form of
Pomeranian is also well represented and is experiencing a revival).
Welsh remains spoken and written in the historic towns of
Trelew and
Rawson in the Argentinean
Patagonia. There are also small clusters of
Japanese-speakers in
Brazil,
Bolivia,
Colombia,
Paraguay,
Peru and
Ecuador.
Arabic speakers, often of
Lebanese,
Syrian or
Palestinian descent, can be found in Arab communities in
Brazil,
Ecuador,
Chile,
Argentina, and less frequently in
Colombia and
Paraguay.
In most of the continent's countries, the upper classes and well-educated people regularly study English, French, German or Italian. In those areas where tourism is a significant industry, English and some other European languages are often spoken. There are small
Spanish speaking areas in Southernmost Brazil, due to the proximity of
Uruguay.
South Americans are culturally enriched by the historic connection with Europe, especially
Spain and
Portugal, and the impact of
mass culture from the
United States of America.
South American nations have a rich variety of
music. Some of the most famous genres include
cumbia from
Colombia,
samba and
bossa nova from
Brazil, and
tango from
Argentina and
Uruguay. Also well known is the non-commercial folk genre
Nueva Canción movement which was founded in Argentina and Chile and quickly spread to the rest of the Latin America. People on the
Peruvian coast created the fine
guitar and
cajon duos or trios in the most
mestizo (mixed) of South American rhythms such as the Marinera (from Lima), the
Tondero (from Piura), the 19th century popular Creole Valse or Peruvian Valse, the soulful Arequipan Yaravi and the early 20th century
Paraguayan
Guarania. In the late 20th century,
Rock en Español emerged by young hipsters influenced by British pop and American rock in
Argentina,
Chile,
Colombia,
Peru and
Uruguay.
Brazil has a Portuguese-language pop rock industry as well a great variety of other music genres.
The
literature of South America has attracted considerable critical and popular acclaim, especially with the
Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s, and the rise of authors such as
Gabriel García Márquez in novels, and
Pablo Neruda and
Jorge Luis Borges in other genres.
Because of South America's broad ethnic mix, South American
cuisine takes on African, American Indian, Asian and European influences.
Bahia,
Brazil, is especially well-known for its West African-influenced cuisine. Argentines, Chileans and Uruguayans regularly consume wine, while Argentina along with
Paraguay,
Uruguay and people in southern
Chile and
Brazil enjoy a sip of
Mate a regional brewed herb cultivated for its drink, the paraguayan version,
Terere, differing from the others in that it's served cold.
Pisco is a liquor distilled from grapevine produced in
Peru and
Chile, however, there's a recurring dispute between those countries regarding its origins. Peruvian cuisine mixes elements from Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, African, Andean and Amazonic food.
Demographics
Descendents of
Indigenous peoples, such as the
Quechua and
Aymara, make up the majority of the population in
Peru and
Bolivia, and are a significant element in most other former
Spanish colonies. Exceptions to this include
Argentina and
Uruguay where
Southern European
descent make up the majority of the population.
Mestizo (mixed white and amerindian) are the largest ethnic group in
Chile,
Paraguay,
Venezuela,
Colombia and
Ecuador.
Suriname is the only country in South America where
Asians form the majority of the population. Creoles are the largest ethnic group in
French Guiana but they also form a large part of the population in Guyana, Venezuela, Suriname, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.
Brazil is the South American country with the biggest ethnic diversity, with large numbers of
Blacks,
Whites and
mulattoes, and also with significant number of
Asians and
Amerindians.
Indigenous peoples
Alacalufe
Atacameños
Aymara
Awá
Banawa
Cañaris
Caiapos
Chibcha
Cocama
Diaguitas
Chayahuita
Enxet
Gê
Guaraní
Juris
Mapuche
Matsés
Pehuenche
Quechuas
Shipibo
Shuar
Tupi
Xucuru
Urarina
Yagua
Yąnomamö
Zaparos
Arawaks
Wai WaiFurther Information
Get more info on 'South American'.
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