South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, and mostly the Southern Hemisphere, 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.
Like North America, South America is named 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 ranks fourth in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America).
South America forms the southern portion of the American landmass; south and east of the Panama Canal transecting the Isthmus of Panama. Geologically, almost the entire mainland South America sits on the South American Plate.
Twenty million years ago ocean covered the area where Panama is today. There was a gap between the continents of North and South America through which the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans flowed freely. Beneath the surface, two plates of the Earth’s crust were slowly colliding into one another, forcing the Pacific Plate to slide slowly under the Caribbean Plate. The pressure and heat caused by this collision led to the formation of underwater volcanoes, some of which grew tall enough to break the surface of the ocean and form islands. Over time, massive amounts of sediments peeled away by strong ocean currents and added to the islands until the gaps were completely filled. By about 3 million years ago, an isthmus had formed between North and South America. (An “isthmus” is a narrow strip of land, with water on either side, that connects two larger bodies of land.) With the formation of the Isthmus of Panama South America became attached to North America.
Geopolitically, all of Panama - including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus - is often considered part of North America alone and among the countries of Central America.
South America includes:
12 sovereign states:
The South American nations that border the Caribbean Sea – including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana - are also known as Caribbean South America.
The largest country in South America, 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.
Two dependent territories:
One internal territory
In addition, the ABC Islands (a territory of Netherlands), Ascension Island (a British Overseas Territory), and Bouvet Island (a territory of Norway), Panama and Trinidad and Tobago may also be considered parts of South America.
It also includes various islands many of which belong to countries on the continent. For example,
South America contains the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls; the largest river (by volume), the Amazon River; the longest mountain range, the Andes; the driest desert, Atacama; the largest rainforest, 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 can be divided into three physical regions: mountains and highlands, river basins, and coastal plains. Mountains and coastal plains generally run in a north-south direction, while highlands and river basins generally run in an east-west direction.
South America's major natural resources are copper, iron ore, tin, and oil. It is home to many interesting and unique species of animals including the llama, anaconda, piranha, jaguar, vicuna, and tapir. The Amazon rainforests possess high biodiversity, containing a major species of the Earth's species.
South America is thought to have been first inhabited by people crossing the Bering Land Bridge, which is now the Bering Strait. The first evidence for the existence of agricultural practices in South America dates back to circa 6500 BCE, when potatoes, chillies and beans began to be cultivated for food in the Amazon Basin. By 2000 BCE many agrarian village communities had been settled throughout the Andes and the surrounding 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. South American cultures began domesticating llamas and alpacas in the highlands of the Andes circa 3500 BCE. These animals were used for both transportation and meat.
The rise of agriculture and the subsequent rise of permanent settlements allowed for the beginnings of civilizations in South America. The Muisca were the main indigenous civilization in Colombia. They established a confederation of many clans, or cacicazgos, that had a free trade network among themselves. They were goldsmiths and farmers.
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Chavín civilization spanned 900 BC to 300 BC.
Other main cultures were
Holding their capital at the great city of Cusco, the Inca civilization dominated the Andes region from 1438 to 1533. Known as Tawantinsuyu, or "the land of the four regions," in Quechua, the Inca culture was highly distinct and developed.
In 1494, Portugal and Spain, the two great maritime powers of that time, wanted to discover new lands in the west. They signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, by which they agreed that all the land outside Europe should be an exclusive duopoly between the two countries.
The Treaty established an imaginary line along a north-south meridian 370 leagues west of Cape Verde Islands, roughly 46° 37' W. In terms of the treaty, all land to the west of the line (which is now most of the South American soil), would belong to Spain, and all land to the east, to Portugal.
From 1530s, the people and natural resources of South America were constantly exploited by foreign explorers from Spain and Portugal. These competing colonial nations claimed the land and resources as their own and divided it into colonies.
The Spanish colonies won their independence between 1804 and 1824 in the South American Wars of Independence. The independence struggles were led by Simon Bolivar in Venezuela and Jose de San Martin in Argentina. Bolívar led a great army southward while San Martín led an army across the Andes Mountains, meeting up with General Bernardo O'Higgins in Chile, and marched northward. The two armies finally met in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where they cornered the royal army of Spain and forced its surrender.
In Brazil, a Portuguese colony, Dom Pedro I (also Pedro IV of Portugal), son of the Portuguese king Dom João VI, proclaimed the country's independence in 1822 and became Brazil's first Emperor. This was peacefully accepted by the crown in Portugal. Although Bolivar attempted to keep the Spanish-speaking parts of the continent politically unified, they rapidly became independent of one another as well, and several further wars were fought, such as the War of the Triple Alliance and the War of the Pacific.
A few countries did not gain independence until the 20th century:
Despite being in South America, French Guiana remains part of France. It is classed as an overseas territory; its currency is the euro and its official language is French, although many also speak Creole.
Due to histories of high inflation in nearly all South American countries, interest rates remain high and investment low. Interest rates are usually double that of the United States.
The South American Community of 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.
Portuguese and Spanish are the primary languages of the continent. Spanish is the most widespread language of the continent, as Spanish is the official language of most South American nations. However, the majority of South Americans speak Portuguese, the official language of Brazil. Dutch is the official language of Suriname, English the official language of Guyana, and French the official language of French Guiana.
Just a few of the many indigenous languages of South America include:
The culture of South America today stems from a diverse set of cultural traditions, dating back to those pre-columbian civilizations and indigenous tribes, which have mixed with those of African slaves as well as Asian and European immigrants. This vibrant and unique cultural mix is reflected not only in popular culture, but food, architecture, religion and music across the continent.
The present-day population of South America comprises four main components:
American Indians (Amerindians), are also known as indígenas or pueblos indígenas (lit. indigenous peoples), pueblos nativos or nativos (lit. native peoples). The term 'aborigen' (lit. aborigine) is used in Argentina and pueblos aborigenes (lit. aboriginal peoples) is commonly used in Colombia. The English term "Amerindian" (short for "Indians of the Americas") is often used in the Guianas.
South Americans of mixed European and indigenous descent are usually referred to as "mestizos" (Spanish) and "mesticos" (Portuguese). While those of mixed African and Indigenous ancestry are referred to as "zambos".
Indigenous peoples, such as the Urarina of Amazonia, 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. At least three of the Amerindian languages (Quechua in Peru and Aymara also in Bolivia, and Guarani in Paraguay) are recognized along with Spanish as national languages. Similarly, areas, where English is prominent, are considered part of the Anglosphere.
