Brief description of the country of South America. South American countries and their capitals

Only the archipelago, located in the south of the mainland, claims to be more or less significant. In terms of area, the mainland ranks fourth - 18.3 million km2.

In South America, the largest flows -. Its river basin is equal in area. The second largest river on the mainland -. Flowing from the Brazilian plateau, it forms a height of 72 m. It is a whole system of waterfalls stretching for 3 km. Their rumble is heard for 20-25 km. In the lower reaches, Parana is called, which in Spanish means "silver river". The third largest river on the mainland is the Orinoco. On one of the tributaries of this river is the highest waterfall in the world - which means "angel" in Spanish. Its height is 1054 m. South America is rich in lakes. The most notable is Lake Titicaca. This is the largest alpine lake, it is located in the Andes. There is more salt in this lake than in other freshwater lakes, since 45 rivers and streams flow into it, and only one flows out. The water temperature in the lake is constant (+14°С).

The main wealth of the mainland is the flora. He gave humanity such valuable crops as potatoes, chocolate tree, rubber hevea. The main decoration of the mainland is wet, where various types of palms, a melon tree, and ceiba grow. The crowns of trees, grasses, shrubs are located in 12 tiers, and the highest of them sometimes rise above the ground up to 100 m. In South America, you rarely see a large animal. Sloths, armadillos, anteaters, exotic birds, snakes, countless hordes of insects - this is the basis of the animal world of this continent. The rivers of the Amazon are dangerous, they abound with crocodiles and predatory piranha fish.

More than 300 million people live in South America, and the population consists of indigenous people - Indians, blacks, who were brought as slaves from, and Europeans. The colonial past of the mainland is reflected in the dominance of the Spanish and Portuguese languages ​​and in the socio-economic backwardness of many countries on the continent.

Geographical position: Western hemisphere, southern part of America.

Square: 17.65 million km2

Extreme points:

• the extreme northern point is Cape Gallinas on the Guajira Peninsula, 12° 28` N. sh.;
• extreme southern point - Cape Froward on the Brunswick Island, 53° 54`S sh.;
• the extreme western point is Cape Parinhas, 81° 20`W. d.;
• the extreme eastern point is Cape Cabo Branco, 34° 47` W. d.

Additional Information: South America is washed by the Pacific and,; here flows the most in the world - the Amazon; More than 355 million people live in South America.

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 belong to North America. South American countries that border the Caribbean - 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 Waldseemuller, putting on his map the Latin version of the name Amerigo Vespucci, who, in turn, first suggested that the lands discovered by Christopher Columbus were not related to India, but were the New World, before Europeans unknown.

Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, is located in South America. On the mainland, there is also the most powerful waterfall - Iguazu.

South America is the wettest continent on Earth.

Rivers

• Amazon
• Paraná
• Paraguay
• Uruguay
• Orinoco

lakes

• Titicaca
• Maracaibo
• Patus

extreme points

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

Political division of South America

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

Politics

In the political arena, the beginning of the 21st century in South America is marked by the arrival of left-wing forces, with socialist leaders elected in countries such as Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay and Venezuela. Against this background, in South America, the development of a market economy and international cooperation is noticeable everywhere, for example, the organizations MERCOSUR and the Andean Community were created, the purpose of which is 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, a consultative 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, mestizos (descendants of the marriages of the Spaniards and the native population) predominate in demographic terms. Only in two countries (Peru and Bolivia) do Indians form a majority. Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela have significant populations of African descent. In such states 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 are 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 a wave 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, in part, 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 in such a way that today about 500,000 Chileans are of German origin. In addition, about 5% of the Chilean population are descendants of Christian immigrants from the Middle East (Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese, Armenians). Also, about 3% of the population of Chile are genetic Croats. The descendants of the Greeks make up 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 the political and social events in their homeland. Today, about 10% of Brazilians (18 million) are of German origin. In addition, Brazil is a Latin American country with the largest number of ethnic Ukrainians (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 America showed significant growth rates ahead of the world average: in 2010 growth was 6%, while the forecast for 2011 is 4.7%. Due to historically high inflation in almost all countries in South America, 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 pursued a free market economic policy with the establishment of a military dictatorship in 1973 and has been actively increasing social spending since the restoration of democratic rule in the early 1990s. This has resulted in economic stability and low interest rates.

South America relies on the export of goods and natural resources. Brazil (the seventh largest economy in the world and the second largest in the Americas) leads in total exports of $137.8 billion, followed by Chile with $58.12 billion and Argentina with $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 countries in South America, the richest 20% own more than 60% of the country's wealth, while the poorest 20% own less than 5%. Such a wide gap can be seen in many large South American cities, where makeshift shacks and slums stand next to skyscrapers and luxury apartments.

Tourism

Tourism is becoming an increasingly important source of income for many countries in South America. Historical monuments, architectural and natural wonders, a diverse range of 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, El Salvador, Margarita Island, Natal, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Angel Falls, Cusco, Lake Titicaca, Patagonia, Cartagena and Galapagos islands.

Culture of South America

South American culture has been influenced by historical ties to Europe, especially Spain and Portugal, as well as popular culture from the United States of America. 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 (Marinera) in Lima, Tondero (Tondero) in Piure, Creole waltz or Peruvian waltz was popular in the 19th century, soulful Arequipan Yaravi and, at the beginning of the 20th century, 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 all over the world, especially during the Latin American Boom in the 1960s and 1970s, and after the emergence of authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel García Márquez, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges.

Due to the wide ethnic ties, South American cuisine has taken a lot 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 - terrere, which differs from other themes that it is served cold. Pisco is a distilled grape liqueur produced in Peru and Chile, however, there are constant disputes between these countries regarding its origin. Peruvian cuisine mixes elements of Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, African and Andean cuisines.

Languages

The most widely spoken languages ​​in South America are Portuguese and Spanish. Portuguese is spoken by Brazil, whose population is about 50% of the population of this continent. Spanish is the official language of most countries on this continent. Other languages ​​are also spoken in South America: in Suriname they speak Dutch, in Guyana they speak English, and in French Guiana they speak French respectively. You can often hear the native 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 an official status in the countries of their linguistic area. Since a significant proportion of the population of South America are from Europe, many of them still retain their own language, the most common of which are Italian and German in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela and Chile. The most popular foreign languages ​​studied in South America 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 of which are the America's Cup (international tournament) and the Copa Libertadores (competition between clubs). In Uruguay, the country of South America, the first World Cup was held in 1930, and in the entire history of the competition, the countries of South America 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, the popularity of rugby, polo and hockey in Argentina, motorsports in Brazil and cycling in Colombia can be highlighted. Argentina, Chile and Brazil have become Grand Slam tennis champions.

(Visited 581 times, 1 visits today)

South America is the southern continent in America, located mainly in the Western and Southern hemispheres of the Earth, partly in the Northern Hemisphere. It is washed by the waters of two oceans: the Pacific and the Atlantic, as well as the Caribbean Sea, which is a natural boundary between the two Americas.

Characteristics of South America

The length of the mainland South America is 7350 km. from north to south and 5180 km. from west to east.

Extreme points:

• northern- Cape Gallinas;
• southern (mainland)- Cape Frownard;
• southern (island)— Diego Ramirez;
• western- Cape Parinas;
• eastern Cape Cabo Branco.

The word "America" ​​in the name of this continent was first used by Martin Waldseemuller, putting on his map the Latin version of the name Amerigo Vespucci, who, in turn, first suggested that the lands discovered by Christopher Columbus were not related to India, but were the New World, before Europeans unknown.

Rice. 1. Views of South America

Brief description of South America

Relief

According to the nature of the relief, South America can be divided into the Mountainous West and the Plain East.

The average height of the mainland is 580 meters above sea level. The Andes mountain system stretches along the entire western edge. In the north of the mainland, the Guiana Plateau rises, in the east - the Brazilian, between which is the Amazonian lowland. To the east of the Andes, lowlands lie in the foothills.

TOP 4 articleswho read along with this

Geologically, quite recently, the Andes were the scene of active volcanic activity, which continues in the modern era in several areas.

Rice. 2. Guiana Plateau

Climate

There are 6 climate zones in South America:

• Subequatorial belt (occurs 2 times);
• equatorial belt;
• Tropical belt;
• Subtropical belt;
• Temperate zone.

Most of South America has a subequatorial and tropical climate, with well-defined dry and wet seasons; on the Amazonian lowland - equatorial, constantly humid, in the southern regions - subtropical and temperate. On the plains of the northern part of South America, up to the Southern Tropic, the temperature is 20-28 ° C all year round, to the south in January (summer) it drops to 10 ° C. In July, that is, in winter, the average monthly temperatures on the Brazilian plateau fall to 10-16 ° C, on the Patagonian plateau - to 0 ° C and below. In the Andes, the temperature decreases markedly with height; in the highlands it does not exceed 10 °C, and frosts are not uncommon here in winter.

The windward slopes of the Andes in Colombia and the southern regions of Chile are the most humid - 5-10 thousand mm of precipitation per year.

In the southern part of the Andes and on individual volcanic peaks to the north, glaciers are found.

South America is the wettest continent on Earth.

Rice. 3 South America. View from space

Mainland countries South America

There are 15 countries and territories on the continent:

• Argentina;
• Bolivia;
• Brazil
• Venezuela;
• Guyana;
• Colombia;
• Paraguay;
• Peru;
• Suriname;
• Uruguay;
• Falkland Islands (owned by the UK, disputed by Argentina);
• Guiana (belongs to France);
• Chile;
• Ecuador;
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (belonging to the UK).

The most widely spoken languages ​​in South America are Portuguese and Spanish. Portuguese is spoken by Brazil, whose population is about 50% of the population of this continent. Spanish is the official language of most countries on this continent. Other languages ​​are also spoken in South America: in Suriname they speak Dutch, in Guyana they speak English, and in French Guiana they speak French respectively.

What have we learned?

The topic "South America" ​​is studied in geography lessons in grade 7. From this article, we learned in which hemisphere South America is located, what it is washed by, on which mainland Brazil is located, and also learned other useful information: about the relief, climate and countries of this continent. We learned that South America is the wettest continent on the planet and that it has 6 climatic zones. Thanks to this article, you can easily compose a short message describing the continent or prepare a report for the lesson.

Topic quiz

Report Evaluation

Average rating: 4.3. Total ratings received: 936.

South America is the fourth largest continent belonging to the group of southern continents: the map shows that most of it is located in the Southern Hemisphere, and only a small region of it is in the Northern Hemisphere. On a total area of ​​17,800 sq. km there are 12 countries of South America, as well as 3 independent territories, and each of the countries has its own state language, flag, currency, culture and customs. Let us consider in more detail which states are part of South America.

general characteristics

South America is characterized by an amazing diversity and indescribable flavor of absolutely all countries located on the continent.

Before the conquest of the mainland in the 16th century by the Spanish conquerors, Indians lived here. After a while, the Portuguese and Spaniards brought Africans to the continent as a labor force. Subsequently, many regions of South America were settled by immigrants from Western and Eastern Europe. Despite the great differences in culture, religion and the general way of life, different peoples live surprisingly calmly on a common territory, without serious conflicts.

Rice. 1. The population of South America

On a racial basis, the entire population of the mainland can be divided into three main types:

• Indians;
• Europeans;
• black people.

In Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay and Ecuador, the local population is mostly represented by mestizos - descendants of Indians and Europeans. In Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, there are quite a lot of representatives of the Negroid race, and in Chile, Uruguay and Argentina - the advantage is for the Europeans. And only in Peru and Bolivia do indigenous peoples of South America form the majority.

The most widely spoken languages ​​are Spanish and Portuguese. However, the population of South America is so diverse and many-sided that one can hear English, French, German, Italian speech here - these foreign languages ​​are the most popular and they are taught at school. Russian is spoken only by tourists and immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union. Often on the streets you can hear the colorful speech of the native Indians: Aymara, Quechua, Guara, Araucan.

TOP 4 articleswho read along with this

Rice. 2. South America on the map

Table “List of South American countries and their capitals”

Brief overview of the countries of South America

Each country of the continent has its own characteristics.

• Brazil It is the largest country in terms of area and population. Known throughout the world for its first-class beaches and carnivals in Rio de Janeiro.

Rice. 3. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

• Argentina - notable for its capital Buenos Aires, which annually hosts the famous carnival procession.
• Bolivia - Sucre is officially considered the capital of the country, but the local government prefers the largest and most beautiful city in Bolivia - La Paz.
• Venezuela - a country in which the north comes into its possession. On the outskirts of Caracas, there is a National Park with untouched tropical nature.
• Guyana - This is a country of constantly wet jungle. Up to 90% of the territory of Guyana is occupied by dense forests.
• Guiana - despite the fact that this is the territory of South America, however, it is impossible to get into this French region without a visa.
• Colombia - is distinguished by a large number of museums, which contain the richest cultural and historical heritage. This country is a symbiosis of two cultures - Indian and European.
• Paraguay - a country that does not have its own access to the sea. In the capital - Asuncion - there are many original architectural monuments.
• Peru - a mountainous country located in the Andes of the west coast. It is full of mysteries and amazing stories, because it was here that the Inca civilization once developed.
• Suriname - the smallest state in South America, which has preserved a unique colonial style.
• Uruguay - the country is famous, first of all, thanks to its traditional carnival, which in its significance and scope is in no way inferior to the Argentinean.
• Chile - the country is located in a very picturesque place, along the Pacific coast, partly in the highlands of the Andes.
• Ecuador - an equatorial country in which monuments of ancient culture and museums have been preserved.

South America is a region according to our classification and a continent geographically. Located in the southern hemisphere. South America is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west and in the east by the Atlantic. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Strait of Magellan to the south. The border between North and South America is the Isthmus of Panama.

The predominant part of the continent (5/6 of the area) is located in the Southern Hemisphere. The continent of South America has the greatest width in equatorial and tropical latitudes. This continent is the western part of the once-existing supercontinent Gondwana.

South America is the fourth largest and fifth most populated continent on Earth. The area with the islands is 18.3 million km. sq. South America also includes the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the Chilean Islands and the Galapagos.

Nature and population

There are few lakes in South America. The exceptions are oxbow lakes and mountain lakes in the Andes. On the same continent is the largest alpine lake in the world - Titicaca, in the north there is a large lagoon lake Maracaibo.

Large areas on the mainland are occupied by moist equatorial and tropical forests and various types of light forests, savannahs. But there are no deserts characteristic of and in South America.

In general, there are much more indigenous people in South America - Indians than in North America. In Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, they even make up about half of the total population.

The population that arrived from Europe gradually mixed with the indigenous peoples of the continent. The Spanish and Portuguese conquerors came here without families, they took Indian women as their wives. That's when mestizos began to appear. Now there are almost no "pure" representatives of the European race left, all have admixtures of Indian or Negro blood.

South America. Climate and nature

The most significant mountain formation is the Andes mountains. They stretched along the west of the continent. The nature of South America is all diverse, how great is its length from north to south. There are high mountains, forests, plains and deserts. The highest point is Mount Aconcagua, the mountain is 6960 m high. The largest rivers in South America are:

• Amazon,
• parana,
• Paraguay
• Orinoco.

The climate on this continent is subequatorial and tropical, subtropical and temperate in the south, and equatorial and constantly humid in the Amazon.

Continent countries

On the modern map of the continent of South America, there are 12 independent states. In terms of area and economic power, Brazil remains the undisputed leader. The second largest state is Argentina, which is located in the south of the mainland.

Chile occupies a narrow and long territory in this region. It is mainly a mountainous country, on the territory of which are the Andes mountain ranges.

Venezuela is located in the north of the continent, as well as the small and little-known states of Guyana and Suriname.