South America
South America is also a subregion of the South American continent.
South America is a continent in the Southern Hemisphere, and part of the Western Hemisphere. To the west it borders the Pacific Ocean, to the east it borders the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea and North America are northwest of it.
Together with North America it forms the Americas, and it was named after Amerigo Vespucci. It is the fourth largest continent by area at 17,840,000Â km2 (6,890,000 sq miles), and covers almost 3.5% of the earth's surface.
Its population in 2005 was 371 million, the fifth-largest of the continents.
Countries
Land
Topography
The main mountain range of South America is the Andes Mountains, which go from Venezuela to the southern part of Chile.
Climate
The climate of the region is very diverse, having a tropical climate in the countries that have access to the Amazon rainforest, also the Chaco region between Bolivia and Paraguay and Misiones in Argentina. Western Peru, western Bolivia and northern Chile have a desert climate, being one of the most arid on Earth in the Atacama Desert of Chile. East Patagonia has a desert climate as well. The central part of Chile has a Mediterranean climate which allows good wine to be made, as well as the Cuyo Region in Argentina. South Chile has non-tropical forests, reaching tundra climate in the fjords of Chilean Patagonia.
Drainage
Flora
The flora is as diverse as the climate, having native trees such as Araucaria in southern Chile.
Fauna
Large felines can be found, such as pumas, and also the famous llamas and alpacas in the Andean region.
Resources
The region has lithium in the lithium triangle between Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, a lot of copper and saltpeter in the north of Chile, oil in Venezuela and Guyana, as well as the Argentinian Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. The Amazon forest has natural rubber, and a lot of cocoa is found in the forest.
Arable land
Argentina has a lot of arable land, being the farm of the world in the 20th century; also southern Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and eastern Bolivia do.
People
Ethnic groups
Languages
The main languages spoken are Spanish and Portuguese in Brazil. On the northeast coast, Guyana is English, Suriname is Dutch and French Guiana is French. The most spoken native languages are Quechua in Peru and Bolivia and Guaranà in Paraguay. Mapudungun exists in the southern part of Chile but is not spoken by a majority.
Religion
The region is historically and culturally Catholic, however in recent decades Evangelicalism has been on the rise, especially in Brazil and Chile, as well as atheism. Chile, Argentina and Uruguay are the most secular countries of the region.
Peru remains one of the most religious countries of the continent, being strongly Catholic with a tradition in the indigenous people that goes back to the Spanish Empire. Cuzco city has a religious painting style that is unique and incorporates Andean elements into the paintings.
Education
The Spanish Empire built universities in the region which still exist today, as well as new ones.
Health
Demography
The region has mostly mestizos, which are the combination of Amerindians with Spaniards, as well as castizos, which are the same but with more European heritage. The northern part of South America historically has more black people as slave plantations were implemented (against the law of the Empire). Some communities have immigrated to the region, such as Welsh people to Chubut Province in Argentina; Germans in the Llanquihue zone and Valdivia in Chile, southern Brazil and Paraguay. There were mass migrations of Italians and French people to Argentina in the first part of the 20th century. There were also Italians in Peru and Croats in the Magallanes Region of Chile. There is also a group of American descendants who came from the Confederacy to Brazil.
Economy and Commerce
Industry
Agriculture
Forestry
Fishing
Transportation
Chile has the best metro system of the region.