Geography
What is South America like?
Quick answer
South America is the fourth-largest continent. It has 12 countries, the Amazon rainforest and river, the Andes mountains and the Atacama Desert.
In one sentence
South America is the continent in the southern and mostly western hemispheres, with 12 countries, the Andes mountains and the Amazon rainforest.
Explained
South America covers about 17.8 million square kilometres, and over 430 million people live there. The continent has 12 independent countries: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana and Suriname. French Guiana is also there, but it is part of France.
parrot
llama
tree
Two giants shape the continent. The Andes run down the whole west coast for about 7,000 kilometres, and their highest peak, Aconcagua in Argentina, is about 6,960 metres, the tallest mountain outside Asia. On the east side, the Amazon River and its rainforest cover much of Brazil and its neighbours. See the Amazon River and rainforests for more.
There is plenty more: the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest places on Earth; Angel Falls in Venezuela, the tallest waterfall in the world at 979 metres; Lake Titicaca on the border of Peru and Bolivia, one of the highest big lakes in the world; and the Galápagos Islands, which belong to Ecuador, where Charles Darwin studied wildlife.
Brazil is by far the largest country and speaks Portuguese. Most other countries speak Spanish, though Guyana speaks English and Suriname Dutch, and many Indigenous languages such as Quechua are spoken too. Some capitals are Brasília (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Lima (Peru) and Santiago (Chile). Ancient peoples such as the Inca built cities high in the Andes.
Examples
| Country | Capital | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Brasília | Portuguese |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | Spanish |
| Peru | Lima | Spanish and Quechua |
| Colombia | Bogotá | Spanish |
| Chile | Santiago | Spanish |
Common mistakes
- "South America is part of North America." They are separate continents joined by a narrow strip.
- "Everyone in South America speaks Spanish." Brazil speaks Portuguese.
- "It is hot everywhere." The Andes have snow and the south is cool.
Quick quiz
South America
Check what you know with 4 quick questions.
Question 1 of 4
Which is the largest country in South America?
Practise it
Try it
Countries and continents practice
For grown-ups
Related topics
Continents
Continents are the very large areas of land on Earth. In English-speaking schools you usually learn seven, but some countries count six.
The Amazon River
The Amazon is a huge river in South America that carries more water than any other river on Earth. It flows about 6,400 km from the Andes across Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean.
Rainforests
A rainforest is a dense forest that gets lots of rain all year round. Tropical rainforests are warm, wet and packed with more kinds of plants and animals than almost anywhere else.
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest continent, with 54 countries, the Sahara Desert, the River Nile, the Congo rainforest and savannas full of wildlife.
Antarctica
Antarctica is the frozen continent around the South Pole. It is the coldest, windiest and driest continent, covered by ice, and has no permanent residents.
Asia
Asia is the largest continent, covering about a third of the world's land and holding around 60 percent of its people. It has Mount Everest, the Himalayas and the most populous countries.