South America

The continent includes twelve sovereign countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela

South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere.

South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere.

17,840,000 km2 (6,890,000 sq mi)

434,254,119 (2021; 5th)

South America is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south by the Drake Passage.

South America is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south by the Drake Passage.

The geography of western South America is dominated by the Andes mountains; in contrast, the eastern part contains both highland regions and vast lowlands where rivers such as the Amazon, Orinoco and Parana flow.

With a summit elevation of 6,967.15 metres (22,858.1 feet), it is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres.

Lowest point: Laguna del Carbon, Santa Cruz, Argentina at -105 m

Major tectonic plate – 43,600,000 km2 (16,800,000 sq mi)

Peru, Colombia, Brazil

Peruvian sailors named the warm south-flowing current El Nino, referring to the Christ Child, because it was most noticeable around Christmas.