The largest cities in South America by population. Population composition of modern South America Population dynamics of South America

The modern population of South America is anthropologically very diverse. It consists of representatives of various races - American (indigenous people - Indians), Caucasoid (descendants of immigrants from), Negroid (descendants of those taken from slaves), as well as numerous mixed groups - mestizos, mulattoes, Sambos. Racial mixing in the countries of South America is proceeding at a rapid pace, and new racial types are gradually emerging. Before the advent of Europeans (late 15th century), it was inhabited by various Indian tribes and peoples who spoke the languages ​​of Quechua, Arawak, Chibcha, Tupigua Rani, etc. The population was distributed unevenly: the highland valleys of the Central Andean Highlands were most densely populated, and the lowlands of the basin were less densely populated.

With the arrival of European conquerors (and) there were fundamental changes in the ethnic structure of the continent. Thousands of Africans were imported as slaves to work in the viceroyalty's mines and sugarcane plantations along the coast and northeast. In the Central Andian Highlands, blacks for the most part disappeared into the local population; in the other two regions, their participation in ethnic processes and contribution to culture was great. A large population of mixed European-Negro and Negro-Indian origin has developed here.

After gaining independence, sharp changes in the ethnic composition occurred in, and due to the massive influx of immigrants from, and other European countries (they were attracted mainly for the development of national territories in the 2nd half of the 19th - early 20th centuries), as well as in and - due to immigration from (mainly from and). The majority of the modern population of South America is of mixed Indian-European origin, but in the northeast of the mainland the population is predominantly of Negro-European origin. In a number of countries in South America, large Indian peoples have survived: the Quechua in Peru, the Aymara in Bolivia, and the Araucanas in Chile. In addition, in the outlying regions of almost all states (for example, the north, in Brazil, the northwest, etc.) small Indian tribes and peoples speaking their own languages ​​have also been preserved.

The official language of the vast majority of South American countries is Spanish, and that of Brazil is Portuguese. Of the Indian languages, the second official language is only Quechua in Peru. It is very unique, where the majority of the population uses the Indian language Guarani, speaking Spanish to one degree or another. In Guyana, the official language is English, in the former Suriname it is Dutch, and in French Guiana it is French. The majority of the religious population of South America is. Among the Indians, remnants of pre-Christian beliefs play a significant role; among some blacks, remnants of African cults exist.

History of the formation of the mainland population

The population of South America was formed in several stages. It is divided into indigenous and alien. The indigenous population belongs to the Mongoloid race. Ancient tribes entered the continent approximately $17,000 years ago. These were Quechua, Aymara, Incas tribes . The latter created a powerful state in the north of the mainland (on the territory modern Peru) – Inca Empire . Columbus, having discovered new lands, assumed that he had arrived in India. That's why he called the locals Indians .
This name of the indigenous peoples of the New World has become firmly established in science.

The first colonialists were the Spaniards and the Portuguese. Next came the French, Dutch, and English.

Definition 1

People of European descent but born in the colonies were called Creoles .

Europeans brought black slaves to work on plantations. Thus, the population of South America combines representatives of all races of the planet. The descendants of marriages between Europeans and Indians are called mestizos . And the descendants of marriages between Europeans and blacks were called mulattoes , and Indians and blacks - sambo .

Note 1

The majority of the population is made up of mixed races.

After World War II, people from Germany and allied countries who fled persecution, and former concentration camp prisoners who did not want to return to their homeland came to South America.

Population distribution across the continent

The population of South America is distributed unevenly across the continent. This is due to both natural factors and social reasons.

The bulk of the population is concentrated on the coast (especially the Atlantic). The average population density here reaches $100 people per $km²$. The lowest population density is in the interior of the continent - less than $1$ person per $km²$. The average population density is $20$ person/$km²$. Only Australia has lower figures.

Modern population structure of South America

As already mentioned, the population of the mainland has a complex ethnic structure. Nations are in the process of formation. The mixing of peoples led to a mixture of customs, traditions, and religious beliefs of the population.

The barbaric attitude of the colonialists towards the Indians led to the loss of a huge layer of knowledge about the traditions and customs of the indigenous peoples of the mainland. The population of South America belongs to second type of reproduction . The urbanization level is approximately $70$%. Today in South America there are about $40 million cities. The largest of them: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Lima . Recently, the population of large cities on the continent has been actively growing. Demographers call this process "false urbanization" , since it is not due to the proper level of development of the production forces of society, the conditions and standard of living of the large urban population of megalopolises.

The languages ​​are dominated by Portuguese and Spanish . It was these countries that captured the largest colonies by area.

Political map of South America

On the modern political map of South America, $15$ is highlighted states and territories . The sovereign independent ones are $13$.

Most of them gained political independence at the end of the 19th century. This has led to higher rates of economic development compared to countries in Africa and Asia.

According to the level of economic development, all countries belong to the group developing countries . Their economic and political development is influenced by the main developed countries of the modern world.

The economies of these countries are multi-structured. Reformation of the economic and political structure of countries will significantly improve the well-being of the continent's population.

The largest states by area:

• Brazil (capital Brasilia),
• Argentina (capital Buenos Aires),
• Peru (capital Lima),
• Chile (capital of Santiago),
• Venezuela (capital - Caracas).

The largest colony belonging to France is Guiana.

The population of South America is more than 350 million people.
Until the end of the 15th century, South America was inhabited by Indian tribes and peoples who spoke languages ​​such as Tipigua Rani, Quechua and Chibcha. They inhabited mainly the Central Andian Highlands (its high mountain valleys). But with the advent of Europeans (Spaniards, Portuguese), the indigenous population began to be exported to Peru and Venezuela as slaves to work on plantations and mines, and immigrants from Italy, Germany and other European countries began to settle in the countries of South America.
For the most part, the modern population is of Indian-European and Negro-European origin. In addition, large Indian peoples live in many countries of South America, for example, in Peru and Ecuador - the Quechua, and in Chile - the Araucanians.

Ethnic composition:

• Indians;
• Europeans;
• immigrants from Asian countries;
• black people.

On average, 10-30 people live per 1 km2, but the fewest people live in the Amazon rainforests and some mountainous areas of the Andes. As for densely populated areas, one such area is Pampa (it occupies the whole of Uruguay and northeast Argentina).
The official language is Spanish, but, for example, in Brazil it is Portuguese, and in Trinidad, Guyana and Tobago it is English.
Large cities: Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Bogota, Salvador.
The population of South America professes Catholicism, Protestantism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.

Lifespan

On average, residents of South American countries live to 65-70 years. For example, in Chile this figure is 76, in Ecuador – 71, and in Suriname – 69 years.
Despite fairly high life expectancy rates, the continent is characterized by a fairly elevated mortality rate among young people and people of pre-retirement age.
The main causes of mortality in the population: cancer, cardiovascular, infectious diseases, as well as poisoning, injuries and accidents.

Traditions and customs of the peoples of South America

Rituals are the main traditions of the peoples of South America. For example, in Brazil, the marriage of young people must be consecrated in the church, and at the holiday itself there must be a “sorcerer” whose task is to help the young people protect themselves from the evil eye.
Venezuela is famous for its main traditions - festivals, which are accompanied by dances and songs. In addition, the calendar of Venezuelans is full of various holidays, which they celebrate cheerfully and noisily.
The traditions of the inhabitants of Bolivia - the Indians living here and descendants of mixed marriages - deserve close attention (their traditions are the personification of the true traditions of South America). They express their feelings through songs and dances (popular folk dances are auchi-auchi, kueka, tinki).
Bolivians practice folk art - weaving and knitting (this has not changed at all over the past 3000 years).
Another local custom is the use of coca leaves in everyday life - it is customary to chew them, infuse them, make tea from them and season some dishes with them (in European countries, coca leaves are considered a drug, and in Bolivia they are a tonic).
If you decide to go to South America, you will make the right choice - you will be able to plunge into the mysterious life of this continent.

By South America population Among all the world's continents it ranks fourth. At the end of 2010, the population of South America was more than 385.7 million people. , obtained as a result of combining all the main indicators for the number of inhabitants of all South American states, amounted to about 21.5 people per square kilometer of territory. If we compare it with the population density of, for example, North America, then this figure is comparable. The distribution of the population in South America, as in North America, can be extremely heterogeneous.

If we talk about the distribution of the population of South America, we can say that the largest observed near the northern coast and in the southwest of the continent. The north of South America has significant oil and gas reserves, so the growth of industrial cities here is understandable. The population of Venezuela and Colombia is trying to migrate to areas where the standard of living is higher than in the outback. This creates certain problems that our country has already encountered. As in Russia, many countries in South America are experiencing increasing urbanization. For example, in Uruguay, almost half of the population lives in the capital of the country - the city of Montevideo. In this regard South American population density in terms of the urban component is steadily growing, which already does not always have a positive effect on the development of agriculture in some countries of the region. In Argentina, mass migration of citizens to large cities has not yet been observed, so the country has found its economic balance between industrial and agricultural development. Therefore, Argentina, like Brazil, remain the most developed countries in Latin America. By the way, the population of these countries largely consists of descendants of European immigrants, a stream of whom poured into South America during World War I, as well as revolutions in Russia.

Speaking about the population of South America, it is worth dwelling on the distribution of residents by gender. Thus, according to a recent census, it was found that there are approximately 1.7% more women on the continent (almost 8 million people) than men. According to one of the UN analytical agencies, the downward trend in the male population of South America will continue for decades to come. This is evidenced by large-scale monitoring, which shows that over the past 30 years the population of South America has been increasing, including due to the high birth rate of girls.

However, there are also states on the South American continent where the male population still exceeds the female population. This is, for example, Suriname, where there are about 9,000 fewer women than men out of a population of 487,000 in Suriname.

South America Population Density continues to grow in those subregions experiencing high levels of economic growth. So in Brazilian Sao Paulo the density reaches 9,000 people per 1 sq. km. According to statistics, it continues to grow due to high birth rates and migration.

Also see:

Indigenous peoples of South America

Considering the indigenous population of South America, it is worth noting that the Latin American continent is the region of the planet where Indians are allowed not only to live and develop freely, but also to occupy responsible leadership positions of national importance.

Population of Latin American countries: ethnic composition

The population of Latin America is far from being a regional subject of a national cluster. In our time, we can observe serious ethnic changes associated with the migration of subnational communities.