South America
Continent · 17.91M km²
South America is a continent in South America, covering an estimated 17.91M km². It extends across Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Suriname, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, France and Peru. It is the 4th-largest of the 231 landforms with a mapped extent in YearMaps.
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and most 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.
South America 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, the Caribbean Sea lying 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; 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, and thus may be considered part of South America as well.
Adapted from Wikipedia: South America (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Continent
- Mapped extent
- 17.91M km²
- Size rank
- #4 of 231 landforms
- Region
- South America
- Countries
- Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Suriname, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, France, Peru
- Coordinates
- -4.1242°, -64.8745°
- Summits:
- Julianatop (1,230 m)
- Ranges:
- Wilhelmina Gebergte (South America), Tumuc-Humac Mountains (South America)
- Settlements:
- Paramaribo (130 km), Cottica (202 km)
More about South America
Geography
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, all of Panama – including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus – is typically included in North America alone and among the countries of Central America. Almost all of mainland South America sits on the South American Plate.
History
South America is thought to have been first inhabited by humans when people were crossing the Bering Land Bridge (now the Bering Strait) at least 15,000 years ago from the territory that is present-day Russia. They migrated south through North America, and eventually reached South America through the Isthmus of Panama.
Amongst the oldest evidence for human presence in South America is the Monte Verde II site in Chile, suggested to date to around 14,500 years ago. From around 13,000 years ago, the Fishtail projectile point style became widespread across South America, with its disappearance around 11,000 years ago coincident with the disappearance of South America's megafauna.
Economy
Since 1930, the continent has experienced growth and diversification in most economic sectors. Most agricultural and livestock products are destined for the domestic market and local consumption. However, the export of agricultural products is essential for the balance of trade in most countries.
The main agrarian crops are export crops, such as soy and wheat. The production of staple foods such as vegetables, corn or beans is large, but focused on domestic consumption. Livestock raising for meat exports is significant in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Colombia. In tropical regions the most important crops are coffee, cocoa and bananas, mainly in Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: South America (CC BY-SA 4.0).
South America: Key Facts
| Area | 17,461,112 km² |
|---|---|
| Highest point | Aconcagua |
| On | Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean |
Facts from Wikidata Q18 (CC0).
