How many countries are in South America?

YearMaps maps 15 countries and territories in South America: Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriname, and others.

What is the largest country in South America?

Brazil is the largest by area at 8.52M km². Brazil has the largest population, about 212.81 million.

What is the largest city in South America?

São Paulo is the largest city recorded for South America, with a metropolitan population of about 18.84 million.

What is the highest mountain in South America?

Cerro Aconcagua is the highest summit recorded for South America in YearMaps, at 6,959 m.

What is the largest lake in South America?

Lake Maracaibo is the largest lake recorded in South America, at about 10,367 km².

What is the tallest dam in South America?

Itaipu Dam is the tallest dam recorded in South America, at 196 m.

Map of South America — Countries, Cities & Geography

Interactive Map of South America

2.6

About South America

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. 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. South America 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 of the population lives 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.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: South America (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Visiting South America

South America is part of the Americas and a continent of superlatives.

The world's biggest rainforest and the largest river by discharge (Amazon), the highest mountain range outside Asia (the Andes), remote islands (Galapagos Islands, Easter Island and Fernando de Noronha), heavenly beaches (such as in Brazil's Northeastern region), wide deserts (Atacama), icy landscapes (Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego), the world's tallest waterfall (the 979-m Angel Falls, in Venezuela) and one of the largest (Iguaçu Falls, Argentina and Brazil), as well as several other breathtaking natural attractions.

Humans have left their mark on the continent too: from ancient ruins (Machu Picchu and other Inca cities; the Moai in Easter Island) and the oldest rock paintings in the Americas (at the Serra da Capivara) to world-class metropolises (São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Caracas, Santiago, Lima and Rio de Janeiro), outstanding modern and European architecture (Brasilia, Buenos Aires), and charming cities built in the Andes (Caracas, Medellín, Quito, Santiago).

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: South America (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Countries in South America

Ranked by population. Each links to that country's own map.

Countries in South America
#	Country	Population	Area	Capital
1	Brazil	212.81 million	8.52M km²	Brasília
2	Colombia	53.43 million	1.14M km²	Bogotá
3	Argentina	45.85 million	2.78M km²	Buenos Aires
4	Peru	34.58 million	1.29M km²	Lima
5	Venezuela	28.52 million	912,050 km²	Caracas
6	Chile	19.86 million	756,102 km²	Santiago
7	Ecuador	18.29 million	257,204 km²	Quito
8	Bolivia	12.58 million	1.10M km²	Sucre
9	Paraguay	7.01 million	406,756 km²	Asunción
10	Uruguay	3.38 million	176,215 km²	Montevideo
11	Guyana	835,986	214,970 km²	Georgetown
12	Suriname	639,850	163,270 km²	Paramaribo
13	French Guiana	293,996	83,534 km²	Cayenne
14	Falkland Islands	4,550	12,200 km²	Stanley
15	South Georgia and the Islands	35	4,066 km²	King Edward Point

Largest Cities in South America

Top 15 of 1,051 recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in South America
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	São Paulo	18.84 million	São Paulo	Admin-1 capital
2	Buenos Aires	12.79 million	Ciudad de Buenos Aires	National capital
3	Rio de Janeiro	11.75 million	Rio de Janeiro	Admin-1 capital
4	Lima	8.01 million	Lima	National capital
5	Bogota	7.77 million	Bogota	National capital
6	Santiago	5.72 million	Región Metropolitana de Santiago	National capital
7	Belo Horizonte	5.58 million	Minas Gerais	Admin-1 capital
8	Porto Alegre	3.92 million	Rio Grande do Sul	Admin-1 capital
9	Brasília	3.72 million	Distrito Federal	National capital
10	Recife	3.65 million	Pernambuco	Admin-1 capital
11	Fortaleza	3.60 million	Ceará	Admin-1 capital
12	Salvador	3.48 million	Bahia	Admin-1 capital
13	Medellín	3.30 million	Antioquia	Admin-1 capital
14	Curitiba	3.08 million	Paraná	Admin-1 capital
15	Caracas	2.98 million	Distrito Capital	National capital

Highest Mountains in South America

Top 15 of 52 recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in South America
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Cerro Aconcagua	6,959 m	22,831 ft	South America
2	Nevado Ojos del Salado	6,880 m	22,572 ft	South America
3	Nevado Huascarán	6,768 m	22,205 ft	South America
4	Volcán Llullaillaco	6,739 m	22,110 ft	South America
5	Cerro Tupungato	6,550 m	21,490 ft	South America
6	Nevado Sajama	6,542 m	21,463 ft	South America
7	Nevado Coropuna	6,425 m	21,079 ft	South America
8	Nevado Illimani	6,402 m	21,004 ft	South America
9	Nevado Auzangate	6,372 m	20,906 ft	South America
10	Chimborazo	6,267 m	20,561 ft	South America
11	Aucanquilcha	6,176 m	20,262 ft	South America
12	Pico Cristóbol Colón	5,775 m	18,947 ft	South America
13	Ritacuba Blanco	5,410 m	17,749 ft	South America
14	Nevado del Ruiz	5,311 m	17,425 ft	South America
15	Pico Bolívar	4,980 m	16,339 ft	South America

Major Dams in South America

Top 5 of 5 recorded. Ranked by structural height.

Major Dams in South America
#	Name	Height	River	Capacity	Completed
1	Itaipu Dam	196 m	Paraná	14,000 MW	1984
2	Guri Dam (Simón Bolívar)	162 m	Caroní	10,235 MW	1986
3	Belo Monte Dam	90 m	Xingu	11,233 MW	2019
4	Tucuruí Dam	78 m	Tocantins (Amazon Basin)	8,370 MW	1984
5	Yacyretá Dam	21 m	Paraná	3,200 MW	1998

Largest Lakes in South America

Top 15 of 49 recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.

Largest Lakes in South America
#	Name	Surface Area	Type
1	Lake Maracaibo	10,367 km²	Tidal Lake / Estuary
2	Represa de Sobradinho	9,063 km²	Reservoir
3	Lago Titicaca	8,135 km²	Lake
4	Lagoa Mirim	3,845 km²	Alkaline Lake
5	Represa de Tucuruí	3,606 km²	Reservoir
6	Represa Itaipu	2,418 km²	Reservoir
7	Mar Chiquita	2,102 km²	Alkaline Lake
8	Lago Buenos Aires	1,895 km²	Lake
9	Represa Furnas	1,873 km²	Reservoir
10	Professor Doctor Ingenieur W. J. Van Blommestein Meer	1,855 km²	Reservoir
11	Kabalebo Dam	1,652 km²	Reservoir
12	Lago Rincon del Bonete	1,563 km²	Reservoir
13	Lago Poopó	1,558 km²	Alkaline Lake
14	Repressa de Jupia	1,500 km²	Reservoir
15	Lago Argentino	1,450 km²	Lake

Ports in South America

Top 15 of 165 recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in South America
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Puerto Chacabuco	56.7 m	Very Small	Pacific Coast of South America	large vessels
2	Puerto Gallegos	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels
3	Port de Aracaju	56.7 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels
4	Ushuaia	56.7 m	Small	Pacific Islands & Hawaii	medium vessels
5	Camocim	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	medium vessels
6	Colonia	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	medium vessels
7	Moengo	56.7 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels
8	Cabedelo	53 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels
9	Colon	53 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	point_of_interest
10	Paranam	53 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels
11	Degrad Des Cannes	53 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels
12	Puerto Sauce	53 m	Very Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	point_of_interest
13	Belem	53 m	Minor	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels
14	Santa Fe	53 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels
15	Paramaribo	53 m	Small	Atlantic Coast of South America	large vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South America

Top 15 of 76 recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South America
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Galapagos Islands	1978	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
2	Historic Center of Quito	1978	Cultural	(ii) (iv)
3	Historic Town of Ouro Preto	1980	Cultural	(i) (iii)
4	Los Glaciares National Park	1981	Natural	(vii) (viii)
5	Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda	1982	Cultural	(ii) (iv)
6	Historic centre of Cusco	1983	Cultural	(iii) (iv)
7	Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu	1983	Mixed	(i) (iii) (vii) (ix)
8	Jesuit missions among the Guaraní	1983	Cultural	(iv)
9	Sangay National Park	1983	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
10	Iguazú National Park World Heritage Site	1984	Natural	(vii) (x)
11	Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena	1984	Cultural	(iv) (vi)
12	Chavin de Huantar	1985	Cultural	(iii)
13	Historic Centre of Salvador da Bahia	1985	Cultural	(iv) (vi)
14	Huascarán National Park	1985	Natural	(vii) (viii)
15	Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos	1985	Cultural	(i) (iv)

Largest Islands of South America

Top 14 of 14 recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.

Largest Islands of South America
#	Name	Area	Type
1	ArchipiéLago de ColóN	68,353 km²	Island group
2	FALKLAND Islands	28,361 km²	Island group
3	Islas Juan Fernandez	13,230 km²	Island group
4	Darien Gap	8,704 km²	Island
5	East Falkland	8,599 km²	Island
6	West Falkland	5,733 km²	Island
7	South Georgia	5,004 km²	Island
8	Isabela	4,646 km²	Island group
9	Tierra del Fuego	2,548 km²	Island
10	Isla de Chiloé	983 km²	Island
11	Santa Cruz	961 km²	Island group
12	Islas Desventuradas	875 km²	Island group
13	Isla Wellington	348 km²	Island
14	Ilha de Marajó	15 km²	Island

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of South America

Top 15 of 52 recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of South America
#	Name	Area	Type	Region
1	South America	17.91M km²	Continent	South America
2	Amazon Basin	4.65M km²	Basin	South America
3	Gran Chaco	690,714 km²	Plain	South America
4	Brazilian Highlands	607,538 km²	Plateau	South America
5	Andes	549,211 km²	Range/mtn	South America
6	Planalto Central	484,289 km²	Plateau	South America
7	Llanos	383,090 km²	Plain	South America
8	Guiana Shield	348,461 km²	Plateau	South America
9	Altiplano	339,339 km²	Plateau	South America
10	Cord. Central	207,175 km²	Range/mtn	South America
11	Yungas	166,334 km²	Foothills	South America
12	Planalto Do Mato Grosso	162,718 km²	Plateau	South America
13	Entre Rios	159,767 km²	Wetlands	South America
14	Cordillera Occidental	153,080 km²	Range/mtn	South America
15	Pantanal	129,097 km²	Wetlands	South America

South America: Quick Answers

How many countries are in South America?: YearMaps maps 15 countries and territories in South America: Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriname, and others.
What is the largest country in South America?: Brazil is the largest by area at 8.52M km². Brazil has the largest population, about 212.81 million.
What is the largest city in South America?: São Paulo is the largest city recorded for South America, with a metropolitan population of about 18.84 million.
What is the highest mountain in South America?: Cerro Aconcagua is the highest summit recorded for South America in YearMaps, at 6,959 m.
What is the largest lake in South America?: Lake Maracaibo is the largest lake recorded in South America, at about 10,367 km².
What is the tallest dam in South America?: Itaipu Dam is the tallest dam recorded in South America, at 196 m.