How many countries are there on mainland South America? South America: countries and cities

America, consisting of two continents and thereby forming one part of the world, is located in two hemispheres at once.

North America, accordingly, is located in the northern hemisphere, South America in the southern hemisphere. Relative to the prime meridian, the continent of America is located in the west.

Geographical position

America refers to absolutely all the lands that are located between the western part of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific coast. The total area of ​​this part of the world, located entirely in the western hemisphere, is 42 million km 2, which in percentage terms occupies 28.5% of the total land area on planet Earth.

In addition to the two continents, part of the world also includes small islands located next to them (for example, the island of Greenland). In the North, the coast of America is washed by the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean is on the right, and the Atlantic is on the left. South and North America are located at different latitudes, but they have the same longitude.

Geographical characteristics

In this case, it makes sense to talk about North and South America separately, since the topography of the continents differs significantly from each other.

Relief of North America:

• The central plains have a slightly undulating topography, which transforms into a glacial one to the north;
• The Great Plains, which is a huge foothill plateau in front of the Cordillera;
• the Laurentian Upland, gently undulating, reaching up to 6100 meters above sea level;
• Coastal lowlands in the southern part of the mainland;
• Mountains: Cascade, Sierra Nevada system, Rocky, etc.

Relief of South America:

• Plains East;
• Mountain West with the Andes system;
• Amazonian lowland;
• Brazilian and Guiana plateaus.

There are many climatic zones in North America, including oceanic, continental, and subequatorial climates. The average monthly temperature in January varies from -36 degrees to +20 (at the extreme points of the mainland). In July it can be from -4 to +32. The most precipitation falls on the Pacific coast (about 3 thousand mm annually), the least in the Cordillera (up to 200 mm). Summers are usually warm throughout the mainland. It is accompanied by rare dry winds or, on the contrary, showers.

South America includes 6 climatic zones, of which subequatorial is repeated twice (in different territories), and tropical, temperate, subtropical and equatorial are repeated once each. At the same time, the tropics and subtropics reign over absolutely most of the territory, which means that dry and wet seasons are clearly defined in South America. It is warm on the mainland: in summer (summer in the hemisphere begins in January) the temperature varies from 10 to 35 degrees, in winter - from 0 to 16. There is a lot of precipitation, especially in Chile and Colombia. There falls up to 10 thousand mm per year.

Americas

In this part of the world, especially in the northern part, the population density is very high. America unites on its territory a huge number of independent states and dependent zones, differing from each other in population size, economic well-being, level of development, etc.

Historically, North America, called the “New World” by Europeans, became more prosperous. It is on this continent that there are two countries that are considered a symbol of prosperity and monetary wealth of the 20th-21st centuries: Canada and the United States of America. In total, about 500 million people live in North America, which is approximately 7% of the world's population.

South America is also quite densely populated - the figure approaches 380 million - but the region is incomparably poorer. South America is a continent where there are countries that were once colonies of more ancient European states; In addition, the stratification between rich and poor is more pronounced here.

List of North American countries

The largest country is, of course, the USA. More than 300 million people, 9.5 million square kilometers of area, the largest industrial and commercial centers around the world allow the United States to confidently represent North America on the map.

Major countries in North America:

(with detailed description)

List of South American countries

In South America, the two leading countries are Brazil and Argentina. They lead in area, population, and economic success. These are the countries that can be called developing.

Major countries in South America:

(with detailed description)

Nature

In its northern part, America is very rich in water resources: lakes and rivers occupy most of the area, and the Mississippi and Moussuri are the longest river system in the entire earth. On the Southern continent, however, there is also no shortage of water - the Amazon flows through it, which is one of the largest sources of fresh water in the whole world.

Nature, plants and animals of North America

North America is similar in flora and fauna to Eurasia - there are both coniferous and deciduous forests, the famous oaks and cedars. Animals are also typical: moose, bears, squirrels, foxes. Closer to the south, the landscape becomes deserted, dry, and both flora and fauna change...

Nature, plants and animals of South America

The southern continent is occupied by plants and animals characteristic of equatorial forests and savannas. There are large predators, crocodiles, and many birds - especially parrots. A significant part of the territory is covered with tropical forests. There are a lot of fish in the rivers, including piranhas. Extensive insect population...

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of America

North America - more precisely, most of it - is located in a temperate and cold thermal zone, which is characterized by cold (up to -32 at the extreme point) winters and warm (about 25-28 degrees) summers. There are no special weather disasters here - with the possible exception of the Pacific coast, which periodically suffers from hurricanes.

South America, located in the zone of savannas and equatorial forests, tends to be tropical and subtropical in climate. Extremely humid, hot summer reigns here in December-February, but the “summer” months familiar to residents of the other hemisphere, on the contrary, are the coldest. Temperatures in July drop to zero in some places...

Peoples of America

America is a part of the world with a very diverse population. Even the tribes of Indians, considered the indigenous population of America, differ from each other so much that they consider each other to belong to different nationalities.

Peoples of North America: culture and traditions

South America- the fourth largest continent. The area of ​​South America is 17,833,000 square meters. km. Extreme points of South America:

• North: Cape Galinas (12°N, 72°W);
• South: Cape Horn (56° S, 72° W);
• Western: Cape Parinhas (5° S. 81° W);
• Eastern: Cape Cabo Branco (8° S, 35° W).

South America is located in the western hemisphere, the continent is crossed by the equator, most of it is in the southern hemisphere. South America forms one part of the world - America. South America is separated from North America. The continent is washed from the west, and from the east. To the north is the Caribbean Sea. The huge Drake Passage separates it from.

The coast of the mainland is rather weakly indented. Most bays are small, formed at the mouth of rivers as the ocean moves inland. The largest is La Plata Bay in the southeast of the mainland. The southern coast of the mainland is heavily indented, where there is an archipelago, separated from the mainland by the famous Strait of Magellan - the most difficult route that all sailors have traversed.

The average height of the continent is quite small, which is explained by the large territory occupied by the lowlands: Amazonian, Orinoco and. These are fairly flat, sometimes swampy areas that coincide with the basins of the corresponding rivers. Between them there are three plateaus: the Brazilian, the Guiana and with heights from 500 to 2000 m. The Andes stretch along the western coast - a huge mountain system with a length of 9 thousand km. They are a continuation of the Cordillera and part of the Pacific volcanic ring. The Andes are home to the highest peak of South America - Mount Aconcagua (6960 m), as well as a number of volcanoes - Cotopaxi (5897 m), Chimborazo (6267 m).

The entire northern and most of the central part of the continent is in the equatorial and subequatorial regions. here all year round it does not fall below +20°С, in summer it reaches +30°С. In the equatorial zone, there is a lot of precipitation all year round; in the subequatorial zone, a dry period begins in winter. The tropical climate zone is present only in the southern part of the continent; there is a pronounced winter dry period, precipitation falls only in summer. The east of the continent has a humid tropical climate, with humid air coming from the Atlantic Ocean. As you approach the west coast, the climate becomes drier; the Atacama Desert is located on the west coast.

The subtropical zone is located in the southern hemisphere between 30° N. w. and 40° N. w. On the west coast it is a Mediterranean type of climate, with warm summers (+20°C), fairly warm (+10°C) and wet winters. A humid subtropical climate forms on the east coast, with precipitation up to 2000 mm. precipitation. Between these zones there is a zone of continental subtropical climate, with dry, hot (+25°C) summers and warm (+10°C) winters. The temperate zone occupies the southern tip of the continent. A temperate maritime climate develops on the west coast, with warm winters, cool summers and high rainfall. The east coast is dominated by a temperate continental climate, cold in winter, down to -30°C, warm in summer, up to +20°C, and little precipitation all year round.

The entire Amazonian lowland is occupied by humid equatorial forests - selva. This is a unique natural area with a huge variety of flora and fauna. Various types of palms and rubber trees, ficus, ceiba, and many lianas and orchids grow here. Almost all animals in the selva are good swimmers, and many have adapted to moving through trees. There are many monkeys, birds, porcupines, tapirs, the largest predator is the jaguar, the only representative of the cat family that willingly moves on water. The Amazon forests are home to the world's smallest birds - hummingbirds - and the largest butterflies, spiders, and beetles.

Savannas and woodlands are also a very large natural area. In the north it is located on the Guiana Plateau and is called Llanos, in the south it occupies the Brazilian Plateau and is called campos. Here there are ferrallitic and red-brown soils; in the llanos there are isolated trees - acacias, palms; in the campos mainly cereals and legumes grow. There are many large animals - deer, peccaries, pumas, jaguars, crocodiles and manatees live in the rivers.

South of the campos begins the pampa - the steppes of South America. Most of the pampa has been developed by humans; crops are grown here and sheep are raised. In some areas, wild animals remained - ostriches, llamas, deer.

And the semi-desert occupies a small area - the Atacama Desert, here there are desert soils, mainly cacti grow. In the Andes there is an altitudinal zone; in the upper zones there are llamas and guanacos, chinchillas, almost exterminated because of their valuable fur. The largest bird on Earth, the condor, lives here.

The border between the Americas runs along the Isthmus of Panama and the Caribbean Sea.

South America also includes various islands, most of which belong to the countries of the continent. The islands in the Caribbean Sea belong to North America. The South American countries that border the Caribbean Sea - including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Panama - are known as Caribbean South America.

The word “America” in the name of this continent was first used by Martin Waldseemüller, putting on his map the Latin version of the name Amerigo Vespucci, who, in turn, was the first to suggest that the lands discovered by Christopher Columbus are not related to India, but are the New World, first to Europeans unknown.

The tallest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls, is located in South America. The most powerful waterfall, Iguazu, is also located on the mainland.

South America is the wettest continent on Earth.

Rivers

• Amazon
• Parana
• Paraguay
• Uruguay
• Orinoco

Lakes

• Titicaca
• Maracaibo
• Patus

Extreme points

• Northern - Cape Galinas 12°27′ N. w. 71°39′ W d. (G) (O)
• Southern (mainland) - Cape Froward 53°54′ S. w. 71°18′ W d. (G) (O)
• South (island) - Diego Ramirez 56°30′ S. w. 68°43′ W d. (G) (O)
• Western - Cape Parinhas 4°40′ S. w. 81°20′ W d. (G) (O)
• Eastern - Cape Cabo Branco 7°10′ S. w. 34°47′ W d. (G) (O)

Political divisions of South America

Countries and territories	Area (km²)		Population density (per km²)
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Venezuela
Guyana
Colombia
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Falkland Islands (disputed between Britain and Argentina)
Guiana (France)
Chile
Ecuador
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (UK)
Total

• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have no permanent population.
• The islands belong to Great Britain and belong to the overseas self-governing territory of the Falkland Islands.
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are considered part of Antarctica.

Policy

In the political arena, the beginning of the 21st century in South America was marked by the arrival of left-wing forces; socialist leaders were elected in countries such as Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay and Venezuela. Against this background, the development of a market economy and international cooperation is noticeable everywhere in South America, for example, the organizations MERCOSUR and the Andean Community were created, the goals of which are the free movement of citizens, economic development, the removal of customs duties and a policy of common defense.

Since 2004, the Union of South American Nations, also known as UNASUR, has existed and developed - an organization that unites almost all the countries of South America, created on the model of the European Union. Within the framework of the union, an advisory South American Defense Council has been created, it is planned to create a common parliament, as well as the creation of a single market and the elimination of customs tariffs between the participating countries.

Demography

Ethnic groups

At the ethnic level, the population of South America can be divided into three types: Indians, whites and blacks. In countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela, the demographics are dominated by mestizos (descendants of marriages between Spaniards and the indigenous population). Only in two countries (Peru and Bolivia) do Indians form a majority. Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela have significant populations of African descent. In countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil, the majority of the population is of European origin, of which in the first two the majority of the population is descendants of immigrants from Spain and Italy. Descendants of the Portuguese, Germans, Italians and Spaniards live in the south and southeast of Brazil.

Chile received waves of emigration from Spain, Germany, England, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Greece and Croatia throughout the 18th and early 20th centuries. According to various sources, from 1,600,000 (10% of the population) to 4,500,000 (27%) people from the Basque country live in this country. 1848 was the year of mass immigration of Germans (also Austrians and Swiss) and partly French, mainly to the southern regions of the country, hitherto completely uninhabited, but rich in nature and minerals. This immigration of Germans continued after the first and second world wars such that today about 500,000 Chileans are of German descent. In addition, about 5% of Chile's population are descendants of Christian immigrants from the Middle East (Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese, Armenians). Also, about 3% of the Chilean population are genetic Croats. The descendants of the Greeks number about 100,000 people, most of them live in Santiago and Antofagasta. About 5% of the population is of French origin. From 600,000 to 800,000 - Italian. Germans immigrated to Brazil mainly during the 19th and 20th centuries in connection with political and social events in their homeland. Today, about 10% of Brazilians (18 million) are of German descent. In addition, Brazil is the Latin American country where the largest number of ethnic Ukrainians live (1 million). Ethnic minorities in South America are also represented by Arabs and Japanese in Brazil, Chinese in Peru and Indians in Guyana.

Economy of South America

In the post-crisis years of 2010-2011, the economies of Latin American countries showed serious growth rates, ahead of the world average: in 2010 growth was 6%, and the forecast for 2011 speaks of 4.7%. Due to historically high inflation in almost all South American countries, interest rates remain high, typically double those in the United States. For example, the interest rate is about 22% in Venezuela and 23% in Suriname. The exception is Chile, which has pursued free-market economic policies since the establishment of a military dictatorship in 1973 and has aggressively increased social spending since the restoration of democratic rule in the early 1990s. This resulted in economic stability and low interest rates.

South America relies on exports of goods and natural resources. Brazil (the seventh largest economy in the world and the second largest in the Americas) leads with total exports at US$137.8 billion, followed by Chile at US$58.12 billion and Argentina at US$46.46 billion.

The economic gap between rich and poor in most South American countries is considered larger than in most other continents. In Venezuela, Paraguay, Bolivia and many other South American countries, the richest 20% own more than 60% of the country's wealth, while the poorest 20% own less than 5%. This wide gap can be seen in many large South American cities, where temporary shacks and slums stand next to skyscrapers and luxury apartments.

Countries	GDP (nominal) in 2009		GDP per capita in 2009	HDI in 2007
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Falkland Islands
Guiana (France)
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela

Tourism

Tourism is becoming an increasingly important source of income for many South American countries. Historical monuments, architectural and natural wonders, diverse food and culture, picturesque cities, and stunning landscapes attract millions of tourists every year to South America. Some of the most visited places in the region: Machu Picchu, Amazon Rainforest, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Margarita Island, Natal, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Angel Falls, Cusco, Lake Titicaca, Patagonia, Cartagena and Galapagos islands.

South American culture

South American culture has been influenced by historical ties to Europe, especially Spain and Portugal, as well as popular culture from the United States. South American countries have a rich tradition of music. The most famous genres are cumbia from Colombia, samba, bossa nova from Brazil, and tango from Argentina and Uruguay. Also well known is the non-commercial folk genre Nueva Canción, a musical movement that was founded in Argentina and Chile and quickly spread to the rest of Latin America. People on the Peruvian coast created excellent duets and trios on guitar and cajon in a mixed style of South American rhythms, such as Marinera in Lima, Tondero in Piure, in the 19th century the Creole Waltz or Peruvian Waltz was popular, the soulful Arequipan Yaravi and, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Paraguayan Guarania. At the end of the 20th century, Spanish rock appeared under the influence of British and American pop rock. Brazil was characterized by Portuguese pop-rock.

South American literature became popular throughout the world, especially during the Latin American Boom in the 1960s and 1970s, and following the emergence of authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez, Pablo Neruda, and Jorge Luis Borges.

Due to its broad ethnic ties, South American cuisine has borrowed heavily from African, American Indian, Asian and European peoples. For example, the cuisine in Bahia, Brazil, is well known for its West African roots. Argentines, Chileans, Uruguayans, Brazilians and Venezuelans regularly consume wine, while Argentina, along with Paraguay, Uruguay, and people living in southern Chile and Brazil prefer mate or the Paraguayan version of this drink - terere, which differs from other topics, that it is served cold. Pisco is a distilled grape liqueur produced in Peru and Chile, however, there is ongoing dispute between these countries regarding its origin. Peruvian cuisine combines elements of Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, African and Andean cuisine.

Languages

The most widely spoken languages ​​in South America are Portuguese and Spanish. Portuguese is spoken in Brazil, which accounts for about 50% of the continent's population. Spanish is the official language of most countries on this continent. Also in South America they speak other languages: in Suriname they speak Dutch, in Guyana they speak English, and in French Guiana they speak French. You can often hear the indigenous languages ​​of the Indians: Quechua (Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru), Guarani (Paraguay and Bolivia), Aymara (Bolivia and Peru) and Araucanian (southern Chile and Argentina). All of them (except the last one) have official status in the countries of their linguistic area. Since a large proportion of the population of South America is made up of Europeans, many of them still retain their own language, the most common being Italian and German in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela and Chile. The most popular foreign languages ​​studied in South American countries are English, French, German and Italian.

Sport

Sports play an important role in South America. The most popular sport is football, professionally represented by the Confederation of South American Football (CONMEBOL), which is part of FIFA and organizes tournaments, the main ones being the Copa America (an international tournament) and the Copa Libertadores (a competition between clubs). Uruguay, a South American country, hosted the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, and in the entire history of the competition, South American countries have won 9 times out of 19 (Brazil 5 times, Argentina and Uruguay 2 times each). Other popular sports are basketball, swimming and volleyball. Some countries have national sports, such as pato in Argentina, tejo in Colombia and rodeo in Chile. As for other sports areas, we can highlight, for example, the popularity of rugby, polo and hockey in Argentina, motor racing in Brazil and cycling in Colombia. Argentina, Chile and Brazil became champions of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments.

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South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with an area of ​​18.13 million km², most of which is located in the Southern Hemisphere. South America is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It was connected to North America very recently (in a geological sense) with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. The Andes, a relatively young and seismically unstable chain of mountains, extend along the western border of the continent; The lands east of the Andes are occupied mainly by tropical forests, the vast Amazon River basin.

South America ranks fourth in area, after Eurasia, Africa and North America. It ranks fifth in terms of population, after Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

It is believed that human settlement occurred through the Bering Isthmus, now the Bering Strait, and there is also speculation about migration from the South Pacific Ocean.

From the 1530s, the native population of South America was enslaved by European invaders, first from Spain and later from Portugal, who divided it into colonies. During the 19th century, these colonies gained independence.

South America also includes various islands, most of which belong to the countries of the continent. The Caribbean territories belong to North America. The South American countries that border the Caribbean Sea - including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana - are known as Caribbean South America.

The largest country in South America by area and population is Brazil. Regions of South America include the Andean States, Guyanese Highlands, Southern Cone and Eastern South America.

Climate

The climate is mostly subequatorial and tropical, in the Amazon it is equatorial, constantly humid, in the south it is subtropical and temperate. The entire northern lowland part south of America to the southern tropics has average monthly temperatures of 20-28 °C. In summer they drop to the south to 10 °C, in winter on the Brazilian plateau to 12 °C, in Pampa to 6 °C, on the Patagonian plateau to 1 °C and below. The windward slopes of the Andes in Colombia and southern Chile, Western Amazonia and adjacent slopes of the Andes, the eastern slopes of the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus, and in the rest of the east up to 35 °S receive the greatest amount of precipitation per year. w. 1-2 thousand mm falls per year. Dry areas west of Pampa, Patagonia, south Central. The Andes and especially the Pacific slope between 5-27 °S. w.

Natural areas

Equatorial forests (selva) are located on both sides of the equator, occupying almost the entire Amazonian lowland, the slopes of the Andes and the northern Pacific coast.

Along the Atlantic coast there are tropical rainforests close to typical Hyla. The soils are red ferrallitic. The trees reach 80 m (ceiba), melon tree, cocoa, and rubber-bearing hevea grow. The plants are entwined with vines, there are many orchids, in the Amazon - Victoria regia.

The fauna is associated with numerous tree layers; there are few terrestrial animals. Near the water there are tapirs, capybaras, in the rivers there are gharial crocodiles, in the treetops there are howler monkeys and sloths, among the birds there are macaws, toucans, hummingbirds, boas, including anacondas, are typical. There is an anteater, among the predators - jaguar, puma, ocelot.

Savannas occupy the Orinoco Lowland and most of the Guiana and Brazilian highlands. The soils are red ferrallitic and red-brown. In the northern hemisphere, tree-like spurges, cacti, mimosas, and bottle trees are found among the tall grasses (llanos). The southern one (campos) is much drier and has more cacti. There are no large ungulates, but there are peccaries, armadillos, anteaters, rhea ostriches, pumas, and jaguars.

The South American steppes (pampa) have fertile reddish-black soils, dominated by cereals. Typical species are fast pampas deer, pampas cat, several species of llamas, and rhea ostriches.

Deserts and semi-deserts are located in the temperate zone in Patagonia. Soils are brown and grey-brown, dry cereals, cushion-shaped shrubs. The fauna is similar to the pampa (nutria, small armadillos).

Areas of altitudinal zonation. The most complete set of belts is in the equator region.

There are two large regions on the mainland - the Orient and the Andes. In the East, the Amazon, the Brazilian Highlands, the Orinoco Plains, and Patagonia are distinguished.

Inland waters

Rivers have huge river systems. It is fed by rain; most rivers belong to the Atlantic Ocean basin.

History of discovery

Europeans became reliably aware of the existence of South America after the voyage of Columbus in 1498, who discovered the islands of Trinidad and Margarita and explored the coastline from the Orinoco River delta to the Paria Peninsula. In the 15-16th centuries. The greatest contribution to the exploration of the continent was made by Spanish expeditions. In 1499-1500, the Spanish conquistador Ojeda led an expedition to the northern coast of South America, which reached the coast in the area of ​​modern Guiana and, following in a northwest direction, explored the coast from 5-6 ° S. w. to the Gulf of Venezuela. Ojeda later explored the northern coast of Colombia and founded a fortress there, marking the beginning of the Spanish conquests on that continent. The survey of the northern coast of South America was completed by the Spanish traveler Bastidas, who in 1501 explored the mouth of the Magdalena River and reached the Gulf of Uraba. The expeditions of Pinzón and Lepe, continuing to move south along the Atlantic coast of South America, in 1500 discovered one of the branches of the Amazon River delta, explored the Brazilian coast to 10 ° S. w. Solis went further south (to 35° S) and discovered the La Plata Bay, the lower reaches of the largest rivers Uruguay and Parana. In 1520, Magellan explored the Patagonian coast, then went to the Pacific Ocean through the strait later named after him, completing his study of the Atlantic coast.

In 1522-58. The Pacific coast of South America was studied. Pizarro walked along the shores of the Pacific Ocean to 8° S. sh., in 1531-33. he conquered Peru, plundering and destroying the Inca state and founding the City of Kings (later called Lima). Later - in 1535-52. - Spanish conquistadors Almagro and Valdivia descended along the coast to 40° south. w.

Research into inland areas was stimulated by legends about the hypothetical “land of gold” - Eldorado, in search of which the Spanish expeditions of Ordaz, Heredia and others in 1529-46 crossed the Northwestern Andes in different directions and traced the flows of many rivers. Agents of German bankers Ehinger, Federman and others examined mainly the northeast of the continent, the upper reaches of the Orinoco River. In 1541, Orellana’s detachment crossed the continent for the first time in its widest part, tracing the middle and lower reaches of the Amazon River; Cabot, Mendoza and others in 1527-48 walked along the large rivers of the Parana - Paraguay basin.

The extreme southern point of the continent - Cape Horn - was discovered by the Dutch navigators Lemaire and Schouten in 1616. The English navigator Davis discovered the “Land of the Virgin” in 1592, suggesting that it was a single landmass; Only in 1690 Strong proved that it consists of many islands and gave them the name Falkland Islands.

In the 16th-18th centuries. detachments of Portuguese mestizos-Mamiluks, who carried out campaigns of conquest in search of gold and jewelry, repeatedly crossed the Brazilian plateau and traced the course of many tributaries of the Amazon. Jesuit missionaries also took part in the study of these areas.

To test the hypothesis about the spheroidal shape of the Earth, the Paris Academy of Sciences sent an Equatorial Expedition led by Bouguer and Condamine to Peru in 1736-43 to measure the arc of the meridian, which confirmed the validity of this assumption. In 1781-1801, the Spanish topographer Asara conducted comprehensive studies of the La Plata Bay, as well as the basins of the Parana and Paraguay rivers. Humboldt explored the Orinoco River basin, the Quito plateau, visited the city of Lima, presenting the results of his research in the book “Travel to the Equinox Regions of the New World in 1799-1804.” The English hydrographer and meteorologist Fitzroy in 1828-30 (on F. King's expedition) surveyed the southern coast of South America, and later led the famous voyage around the world on the Beagle ship, in which Darwin also took part. The Amazon and the Brazilian plateau adjacent to it from the south were explored by the German scientist Eschwege (1811-14), the French biologist Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1816-22), the Russian expedition led by Langsdorff (1822-28), and the English naturalist A. Wallace (1848- 52), French scientist Coudreau (1895-98). German and French scientists studied the Orinoco River basin and the Guiana Plateau, American and Argentine scientists studied the lower reaches of the Parana and Uruguay rivers in the La Plata region. Russian scientists Albov, who studied Tierra del Fuego in 1895-96, Manizer (1914-15), Vavilov (1930, 1932-33), made a great contribution to the study of this continent.

You will find a message about South America in this article. It will help you prepare for the lesson.

Report about South America

South America geographical location

South America together with North America form one of the parts of the world called America. These continents are connected by the Isthmus of Panama. South America is the fourth largest continent on Earth.

The continent's area is 18 million km2. The length of South America from north to south is 7000 km, and from west to east about 5000 km.

The continent is washed by two oceans: from the west by the Pacific Ocean, from the east by the Atlantic Ocean. There are quite a few islands near the mainland. The coastline is slightly indented. The northern shores of South America are washed by the waters of the Caribbean Sea.

South America climate

South America is the rainiest continent, because a significant part of it is located in equatorial latitudes. Moist, sea air enters this area from the oceans. The continent is home to the wettest place on the planet. On the western part of the slope of the Andes mountain system, near their northern end, so much water falls in rains per year that, if it flowed, it could cover the ground with a water layer of 15 meters. Near this place is the Atacama Desert - the driest place on Earth, where not a single drop of rain falls for years.

South America is located in the following climatic zones: subequatorial, equatorial, subtropical, tropical and temperate.

South America natural areas

Many natural areas have formed in South America. The largest areas are occupied by humid equatorial forests, savannas and woodlands, steppes and semi-deserts.

The equatorial rainforests are rich in flora and fauna. The savannas and woodlands of South America are poorer in the species composition of plants and animals than the savannas of Africa.

Relief and minerals

At the base of the continent lies the South American Plate. There are no earthquakes or active volcanoes on its territory. As a result of the processes of platform uplift, the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus, the Amazonian, La Plata and Orinoco lowlands appeared.

On the western coast of the continent are the Andes, they belong to the Pacific Ring of Fire. The highest peaks of South America are Mount Aconcagua, Chimborazo, and the Cotopaxi volcano.

Among the mineral resources on the mainland there are deposits of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks - oil, ore, uranium, diamonds, tungsten, platinum, gold, non-ferrous metals and natural gas.

South America population

The population of the mainland is about 422,5 million people and every day there is more of it. The indigenous population are Indians who belong to the Mongoloid race. But after the discovery of the continent by Europeans, the Spaniards and Portuguese began to quickly populate it. Later, blacks were brought in as labor force. Today the population of South America is diverse.

South America animals

It is rare to see large animals on the continent. Armadillos, sloths, exotic birds, anteaters, snakes, insects, crocodiles, predatory fish, piranhas, rhea ostriches, pumas, jaguars, and deer live here.

South America countries

There are 13 independent states in South America. Of these, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile stand out by area and level of economic development.

Sights of South America

The most popular attractions in South America are the Machu Picchu complex, the vast tropical Amazon, Lake Titicaca, Angel Falls and Iguazu in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, the Perito Moreno Glacier, Easter Island and the Nazca Desert.

We hope that the report on the topic of South America helped you in preparing for classes, and you learned a lot of useful things about this country. You can leave your message about South America using the comment form.