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South America Facts

South America Facts
The continent of South America is located in the Western Hemisphere. The majority of the continent is located in the Southern Hemisphere with only a small portion of its northern area in the Northern Hemisphere. There are 12 countries in South America and two territories. South America covers an area of 6,890,000 square miles and is the fourth largest continent in the world. South America's early civilizations included the Mayas, the Incas and Aztecs. Once the Spanish explorers arrived and began to gain control of much of the continent, most of the Natives lost control of their land.
Interesting South America Facts:
Both North and South America are named after an Italian explorer named Amerigo Vespucci.
The 12 countries located in South America include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The two territories in South America include the Falkland Islands (U.K) and French Guiana (Fr.).
The largest cities in South America include Sao Paulo, Buenos Aries, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Lima, Santiago, Caracas, Medellin, Belo Horizonte, and Cali.
Because South America is shaped like a triangle it has the least amount of coastline than any continent, despite its large land area.
The highest waterfall in the world is located in South America. It is Angel Falls in Venezuela.
The world's largest river by volume in the world is the Amazon River in South America.
The world's longest mountain range in the world is the Andes Mountains, located in South America.
South America is home to the driest place on earth - the Atacama Desert.
The Amazon Rainforest, which is the largest rainforest in the world, is located in South America.
South America's largest country is Brazil, taking up approximately half of the land area of the continent. Brazil is also home to approximately half of South America's population.
The population of South America is approximately 387,489,196 (as of 2010).
South America is home to a wide variety of species of animals including llama, jaguar, puma, and vicuna.
South America is home to the anaconda - a giant species of snake.
South America has three major biomes including grassland, savanna, and rainforest.
The continent of South America borders the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea.
Major rivers in South America include the Amazon River, the Parana River, the Orinoco River, the Tocantins River, and the Strait of Magellan.
South America is home to some of the most amazing geographical features including the Andes Mountains, the Amazon Basin and Rainforest, the Brazilian Highlands, the Pampas plain, the Pantanal wetlands and the Guiana Highlands.
It is believed that until about 225 million years ago Africa and South America were joined. When the supercontinent Pangaea began to split apart the continents of Africa and South America were created.
Despite South America's development there are still many indigenous tribes living in South America and practicing traditional lifestyles. They exist as hunter-gatherers or through subsistence agriculture.
It is believed that there are still Native tribes living so deep in the Amazon Rainforest that they have not yet been contacted by modern man.


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