NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Geography of South America

Geographically, South America is generally considered a continent forming the southern portion of the American landmass, south and east of the Panama-Colombia border by most authorities, or south and east of the Panama Canal by some. On rare occasions, South and North America are considered a single continent or supercontinent, while constituent regions are infrequently considered subcontinents. Geopolitically and geographically, all of Panama – including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus – is generally considered a part of North America alone and among the countries of Central America. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2295x1850, 4310 KB) Summary Modified the lighting of the previous photo Licensing This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2295x1850, 4310 KB) Summary Modified the lighting of the previous photo Licensing This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Animated, colour-coded map showing the various continents. ... A landmass is a large continuous area of land. ... Two Panamax running the Miraflores Locks The Panama Canal (Spanish: ) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ... In geology, a supercontinent is a land mass comprising more than one continental core, or craton. ... The definition of continental subregions in use by the United Nations. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir) A subcontinent is a large part of a continent. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...

It became attached to North America only recently (geologically speaking) with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama some 3 million years ago, which resulted in the Great American Interchange. The Andes, likewise a comparatively young and seismically restless mountain range, run down the western edge of the continent; the land to the east of the Andes is largely tropical rain forest, the vast Amazon River basin. The continent also contains drier regions such as Patagonia and the extremely arid Atacama desert. The Great American Interchange was a very important paleozoogeographic event in which land and freshwater animal faunas migrated from Central America to South America and vice versa, as the volcanic Isthmus of Panama rose up from the sea floor and bridged the continents. ... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ... A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ... This article is about the river. ... Patagonia, as most commonly defined (in orange). ... Atacama The Atacama Desert of Chile is a virtually rainless plateau made up of salt basins (salares), sand, and lava flows, extending from the Andes mountains to the Pacific Ocean. ...

The South American continent also includes various islands, most of which belong to countries on the continent. The Caribbean territories are grouped with North America. The South American nations that border the Caribbean Sea – including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana – are also known as Caribbean South America. West Indies redirects here. ... Caribbean South America is a region of South America consisting of the nations that border the Caribbean Sea, namely: Colombia Venezuela But culturally, the Guianas are most similar to the Caribbean: Guyana Suriname French Guiana Due to the regions closeness to the equator, its climate is very tropical. ...

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, the Amazon Rainforest, the highest capital city, La Paz, Bolivia, and the world's southernmost city, Ushuaia, Argentina. Angel Falls (indigenous name: Parekupa-meru) is the worlds highest free-falling, freshwater waterfall at 979 m (3,212 ft), with an uninterrupted drop of 807 m (2,648 ft). ... This article is about the river. ... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ... Atacama The Atacama Desert of Chile is a virtually rainless plateau made up of salt basins (salares), sand, and lava flows, extending from the Andes mountains to the Pacific Ocean. ... Map of the Amazon rainforest ecoregions as delineated by the WWF. Yellow line encloses the Amazon rainforest. ... Central La Paz La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department. ... Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. ...

South America's major natural resources are copper, iron ore, tin, and oil and gold. The many resources of South America have become useful around the world. However, they often have hindered the development of diversified economies. This has led to major highs and lows in the economy of South American states, often also causing political instability. For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). ... This article is about the metallic chemical element. ... Petro redirects here. ...

South America is home to many interesting and unique species of animals including the llama, anaconda, pirana, jaguar, vicuna, and tapir. The Amazon rainforests possess high biodiversity, containing a major proportion of the Earth's species. Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) The llama (Lama glama) is a South American camelid, widely used as a pack animal by the Incas[1] and other natives of the Andes mountains. ... For other uses, see Anaconda (disambiguation). ... Species Catoprion mento Citharinus citharus citharus Metynnis maculatus Pristobrycon aureus Pristobrycon aureus Pristobrycon calmoni Pristobrycon calmoni Pristobrycon calmoni Pristobrycon striolatus Pristobrycon striolatus Pygocentrus cariba Pygocentrus cariba Pygocentrus nattereri Pygocentrus piraya Pygopristis denticulata Pygopristis denticulata Serrasalmus altispinis Serrasalmus altuvei Serrasalmus brandti Serrasalmus compressus Serrasalmus eigenmanni Serrasalmus elongatus Serrasalmus elongatus Serrasalmus geryi... For other uses, see Jaguar (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Vicugna vicugna (Molina, 1782) The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) is a relative of the llama that lives in the high Andes. ... Species Tapirus bairdii Tapirus indicus Tapirus pinchaque Tapirus terrestris Tapirs (IPA:ËˆteÉªpÉ™r, pronounced as in taper, or IPA:tÉ™ËˆpÉªÉ™r, pronounced as in tap-ear) are large browsing mammals, roughly pig-like in shape, with short, prehensile snouts. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ...

The largest country in South America by far, in both area and population, is Brazil, followed by Argentina. Regions in South America include the Andean States, the Guianas, the Southern Cone, and Eastern South America. The Andean States are nations in South America that contain portions ofâ€”or borderâ€”the Andes mountain range. ... Guiana (also known as the Guiana highlands or the Guiana shield) forms a portion of the northern coast of South America. ... Map that frames the area named Southern Cone The term Southern Cone (Spanish: Cono Sur, Portuguese: Cone Sul) refers to a geographic region composed of the southernmost areas of South America, below the Tropic of Capricorn. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

Territories

Notes:
Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For other uses, see Flag (disambiguation). ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... Not to be confused with capitol. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bolivia. ... Motto: Los discordes en concordia, en paz y amor se juntaron y pueblo de paz fundaron para perpetua memoria Location of La Paz within Bolivia Coordinates: , Country Departament Province Pedro Domingo Murillo Province Founded October 20, 1548 Incorporated (El Alto) 20th century Government - Mayor Juan Del Granado Area - Total 470... Sucre, the constitutional capital of Bolivia Sucre (population 247,300 in 2006) is the constitutional capital of Bolivia, seat of the Supreme Court (Corte Suprema de Justicia), and capital of the Chuquisaca department. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Nickname: Location of BrasÃlia Coordinates: , Region State Founded 21 April 1960 Government - Governor Jose Roberto Arruda Area - Total 5,802 kmÂ² (2,240. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Chile. ... Location of Santiago commune in Greater Santiago Coordinates: , Region Province Foundation February 12, 1541 Government - Mayor RaÃºl AlcaÃno Lihn Area 1 - City 22. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Colombia. ... For other uses, see BogotÃ¡ (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ecuador. ... For other uses, see Quito (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Falkland_Islands. ... Map of the Falkland Islands showing position of Stanley. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Cayenne is the capital of the French overseas rÃ©gion of French Guiana. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Guyana. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Paraguay. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Peru_(state). ... For other uses, see Lima (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands. ... Motto Leo Terram Propriam Protegat(Latin) Let the Lion protect his own land or May the Lion protect his own land Anthem God Save the Queen Capital Grytviken (King Edward Point) Official languages English Government British overseas territory - Head of State Queen Elizabeth II - Commissioner Alan Huckle Area - Total 3... Cumberland Bay and Thatcher Peninsula with King Edward Cove (Grytviken) Grytviken (Swedish for Pot Cove; Grytvika/Grytviken in Norwegian) is the principal settlement in the United Kingdom territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Suriname. ... Paramaribo (nicknamed Parbo) is the capital of Suriname, located in the Paramaribo district, with a population of roughly 250,000 people. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Uruguay. ... Department Montevideo Department Altitude 43 m Coordinates 34Âº 53S 56Âº 10W Founded 1726 Founder Bruno Mauricio de Zabala Population 1,325,968 (2004) (1st) Demonym Montevideano Phone Code +02 Postal Code 10000 Montevideo (IPA: ) is the capital, largest city, and chief port of Uruguay. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Venezuela. ... Nickname: La Sultana del Avila (English:The Avilas Sultan) La Sucursal del paraiso Motto: Ave MarÃa SantÃsima, sin pecado concebida, en el primer instante de su ser natural. ...

Motto: Los discordes en concordia, en paz y amor se juntaron y pueblo de paz fundaron para perpetua memoria Location of La Paz within Bolivia Coordinates: , Country Departament Province Pedro Domingo Murillo Province Founded October 20, 1548 Incorporated (El Alto) 20th century Government - Mayor Juan Del Granado Area - Total 470... Sucre, the constitutional capital of Bolivia Sucre (population 247,300 in 2006) is the constitutional capital of Bolivia, seat of the Supreme Court (Corte Suprema de Justicia), and capital of the Chuquisaca department. ... Rapa Nui redirects here. ... For other uses, see Oceania (disambiguation). ... Location of Santiago commune in Greater Santiago Coordinates: , Region Province Foundation February 12, 1541 Government - Mayor RaÃºl AlcaÃno Lihn Area 1 - City 22. ... For other places with the same name, see Valparaiso (disambiguation). ... Motto Leo Terram Propriam Protegat(Latin) Let the Lion protect his own land or May the Lion protect his own land Anthem God Save the Queen Capital Grytviken (King Edward Point) Official languages English Government British overseas territory - Head of State Queen Elizabeth II - Commissioner Alan Huckle Area - Total 3... The Atlantic Ocean, not including Arctic and Antarctic regions. ...

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See also

Territories