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May 29, 2024 · South America, fourth largest continent in the world, the southern portion of the landmass generally referred to as the New World, the Western Hemisphere, or simply the Americas. The continent is compact and roughly triangular in shape. Learn more about South America.
- The People
South America - Indigenous, Cultures, Diversity: Four main...
- Geologic History
South America - Geology, Plate Tectonics, Fossils: The...
- Lakes, Rivers, Wetlands
South America - Lakes, Rivers, Wetlands: Most of South...
- Iberians
South America - Iberians, Indigenous, Colonization: Until...
- Effects of Rapid Population Increase
South America now is one of the most urbanized regions in...
- Cultural Life
South America - Culture, Diversity, Traditions: The rapid...
- The Argentinian Pampas
South America - Plains, Agriculture, Wildlife: The Pampas of...
- Forestry and Fishing
South America - Forestry, Fishing, Biodiversity: Although...
- The People
South America is a continent [h] entirely in the Western Hemisphere [i] and mostly 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 .
- Location
- Naming
- Population
- Scope
- Influences
- Summary
- Infrastructure
- Significance
- Religion
- Assessment
- International
- Organizations
- Festivals
- Tourism
- Participants
- Culture
- Politics
- Background
- Aftermath
- Industry
- Results
- Future
- Effects
- Prevention
- Criticism
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South America, the fourth-largest continent, extends from the Gulf of Darién in the northwest to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in the south. Along with the islands of Tierra del Fuego, the continent includes the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador), Easter Island (Chile), the Falkland Islands (United Kingdom), and the Chiloé and Juan Fernández archipelag...
South America and North America are named after Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first European to suggest that the Americas were not part of the East Indies, but an entirely separate landmass. The portions of the landmass that lie south of the Isthmus of Panama became known as South America.
Today, South America is home to the citizens of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
South Americas physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately.
South Americas human landscape is deeply influenced by indigenous populations and their connection to the physical environment. These deep relationships continue to flourish on the continent through celebration, religion, and political action. In 2006, two indigenous women, Hilaria Supa and María Sumire, became the first two people to be sworn into...
The historic cultures of South America developed in connection with distinct regional landscapes. The three principal regions of early development were the Pacific coast, suited to fishing and trading societies; the major rivers of the Amazon basin, with abundant water, plant, and animal resources; and the Andes, where mountains provided security. ...
In order to communicate throughout this vast region, the Inca built an expansive network of roads. This network was made up of two main north-south roads, one running along the Pacific coast and another through the Andes. Many east-west roads connected the two. The Inca built forts, inns, food storage facilities, and signal towers along this impres...
The importation of African slaves represented a major shift in the cultural landscape of South America. Most slaves were brought to Brazil. Their unique cultural practices were integrated with indigenous Indian beliefs as well as European rituals.
The religious practice of Candomblé, for example, is a uniquely Afro-Brazilian cultural tradition. Candomblé is a combination of traditional beliefs from the Yoruba, Fon, and Bantu cultures of Africa. Priests and other followers of these religions interacted with one another in large Brazilian slave communities. These faiths are polytheistic, meani...
Much like the North American cowboy, the gaucho was praised as free-spirited, strong, and honest. A popular culture of songs, stories, and films developed around the gaucho image. Gaucho culture still persists, especially in Argentina and Uruguay, where gaucho dress, song, and food are used to evoke national pride.
South Americas rich history is explored by contemporary cultures. Organizations are reaching a broader global audience in order to spread social and political messages, and bring in revenue from tourism and investment.
Indigenous societies continue to have a strong presence in South America. COICA, the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin, integrates nine organizations that represent each country of the Amazon region. COICA protects indigenous practices, focusing on sustainable use of resources. The group has worked on issues such as enviro...
The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a festival held every year about 40 days before Easter, is an important example of a religious celebration that has been adopted by secular culture. It is both an important event in the Catholic calendar and one of the largest revenue generators in Rio.
The Rio Carnival is the largest carnival event in the world, attracting millions of Brazilian and foreign tourists. During Carnival season, hotel prices are often four times higher than average. Some tourists pay hundreds of dollars to participate in the parade.
Most participants, however, are Brazilian. The Rio Carnival incorporates two important social groupssamba schools and blocos. Samba schools are large social groups, often with thousands of members, which create elaborate floats and costumes for the Carnival parade. Blocos are smaller groups that often gather in neighborhoods to dance during Carniva...
The dominance of the Spanish and Portuguese languages on the continent is a result of Catholic missionaries educational work. They also developed writing systems for native oral traditions such as Quechua, Nahuatl, and Guarani. Marriages between European colonizers and native populations established the mestizo class. Mestizos are people of mixed i...
Mestizos were at the heart of South Americas revolutionary movement. Inspired by the American and French Revolutions, mestizos fought in several wars of independence from 1806 to 1826. These wars and other regional conflicts established the relatively stable boundaries of South Americas present-day countries. Among the revolutionary leaders were th...
The successful Cuban revolution of 1959 brought communism to Cuba. The United States and other western nations feared that communism would spread throughout Latin America, which includes Central and South America and parts of the Caribbean. Communist leaders did, in fact, gain some power in South America during the 1960s. Hoping to destroy the comm...
These dictatorships detained tens of thousands of political prisoners. Many of them were tortured and killed. These nations current democratic governments continue to investigate the atrocities that occurred during the dictatorship era.
Chile nationalized its copper mines in 1971, for instance. Before nationalization, Chilean copper mines were controlled by large foreign companies. Today, CODELCO, the National Copper Corporation of Chile, is the largest copper company in the world, with more than $16 billion worth of sales in 2010.
Much like nationalization, privatization has had mixed results. Many industries are now more efficient producers of resources such as steel. Services such as water and sewage are also more reliable under private ownership. However, privatization has contributed to higher unemployment rates and increased the costs of goods and services.
Urbanization will define the human geography of South America in years to come. Latin America is the most urbanized of the worlds developing regions. It is the only developing region with more poor people in cities than in rural areas. Individuals and families face increasing job insecurity, lower wages, and a reduction in social services such as e...
South Americas rural areas will suffer as more and more investment is made in the continents cities. In rural areas, poor people face the consequences of geographic isolation and limited public investment in education, health care, and housing. The continents poorest communities are indigenous populations in remote mountain areas in Bolivia, Peru, ...
The regulation or reduction of carbon emissions is perhaps the most important part of reducing global warming, the most recent period of climate change. As part of the 2016 international agreement known simply as the Paris Climate Agreement or Paris Agreement, some South American countries agreed to reduce emissions. Brazil, a rising industrial pow...
In fact, Chávez and his supporters were some of the most vocal critics of international climate agreements like that reached in Paris. They argue that the agreement was drafted by a small group of powerful countries. They say developed countries such as the United States and those in the European Union already developed their industries and infrast...
Learn about the cultural, historic, and political geography of South America, a continent of extremes and diversity. Explore the indigenous, African, and European influences on the continent's societies, religions, and celebrations.
About half is covered by forest, mainly the enormous but steadily diminishing rainforest of the Amazon basin. Almost one-fourth of all the world’s known animal species live in the continent’s rainforests, plateaus, rivers, and swamps. South America has one-eighth of the world’s total deposits of iron and one-fourth of its copper reserves.
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Learn about the continent of South America, its location, area, population, countries, capitals, and major features. Explore maps, flags, history, and more on World Atlas.
South America. South America is a continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the western hemisphere and mostly in the southern 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. The continent was named in 1507 by cartographs ...
Jan 9, 2024 · South America is the region of the Americas that lies south of Central America. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and covers an area of about 6.87 million square miles (17.8 million km 2 ). It has a population of 423 million. The geographic classification of the Americas into three regions ...
