South America

• Argentina

• Aruba

• Bolivia

• Brazil

• Chile

• Colombia

• Ecuador

• Guyana

• Paraguay

• Peru

• Surinam

• Uruguay

• Venezuela

Introduction

South America is the world’s 4th largest continent. It is smaller than North America but larger than Antartica. It stretches for about 7400 km (4600 miles) from north to south and about 5,150km (3,200 miles) from east to west, covering more than 17.8 million sq. km (6.8 sq. miles). It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. Central America and the Carribean Sea are found to the north. The Drake Passage separates South America from Antartica to the South.

Outstanding Features

a. Andes- located on the western side of the continent and was considered as one of the longest mountain chains in the world.

b. The Amazon River- surpasses all others in volume of flow.

c. The Amazon Basin- is the world’s largest area of tropical rain forest.

Brief History

Christopher Columbus was the first European explorer to sight the coast of South America on his 3rd voyage to the New World in 1498. But the Italian Amerigo Vespucci for whom the Americans are named, was the first explorer to recognize the Western Hemisphere as a separate continent from Asia. Pursuant to the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas the continent was partitioned into two: the Eastern sector where the Portuguese could settle and the Western sector for the Spaniards. Argentina was the first of South America’s colonies to gain independence in 1810. Dictatorial regimes have governed most them at various times. South America was...