Introduction
South America is world’s fourth largest continent. It has an area of 17,840,000 km2 that covers one-eighth of the land area on Earth. South America is home to about 423 million people. There are 12 sovereign nations and other territories in the continent.
South America contains natural wonders and unique cultures. It was once home to many ancient civilisations and tribes. Today, the population of South America is a mixture of Europeans, Africans and indigenous. Most of them reside near the western or eastern coasts, leaving the interior and the far south, sparsely populated.
Knowledge
In South America, the highest point on land is Mt Aconcagua (6,960 m above sea level) and the lowest point on land is the Valdes Peninsula (40 m
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It extends from 12°N–55°S latitudes and 35°W–81°W longitudes.
The Equator passes through its northern part and the Tropic of Capricorn runs mid-way through it. South America’s shape is like that of an inverted triangle. It is broad in the north and tapers in the south.
Boundaries
Isthmus of Panama connects South America to the North America in the northwest.
South America is bordered by the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean in its north, east, west and south, respectively.
There are nearby islands that are considered to be part of the continent. The Tierra del Fuego archipelago lies off the south-east coast. Cape Horn on Hornos Island is the southernmost tip of the South American continent.
The Falkland Islands lie off the south-east coast, as the Galapagos Island are located off the west coast from the mainland.
Political Divisions
There are 12 independent countries in South America. Brazil is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country by both area and population. Political Map of South
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Ojos del Salado is located on the Chile-Argentina border and measures up to 6,893 m in height.
The Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands cover more than half of the South American continent. These extend from the Andes in the west to the Eastern Highlands in the east. These include vast depositional plains formed by the Amazon River, Orinoco River and Paraguay River. The prominent features of the Central Lowlands are as follows.
Amazon River Basin
• It covers the northern and central parts of the Central Lowlands.
• It is the world’s largest watershed, spread across 7 million km2.
• The basin is constantly fed by the tributaries from the glaciers of the Andes.
Orinoco River Basin
• It is a vast basin spread across an area of 948,000 km2.
• It occupies the northern part of the Central Lowlands.
• It covers a major portion of the Venezuela and Colombia.
• It forms a giant arc of 2,736 km in length in the northern and southern part.
• It maintains a vast, savannah or grassland region, called the Llanos.
• The highest waterfalls in the world, the Angel Falls, is located here.
Paraguay/Paraná River Basin
• It is spread across 2.8 million