South america history timeline
South america countries: South America is a continent [g] entirely in the Western Hemisphere [h] and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern subregion of the Americas.
South America
Continent
"Southern America" redirects here. For the region of the United States, see Southern United States. For the botanical continent defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, see Southern America (WGSRPD).
South America is a continent[g] entirely in the Western Hemisphere[h] and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere.
It can also be described as the southern subregion of the Americas.
South America is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Drake Passage; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest.
The continent includes twelve sovereign states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela; two dependent territories: the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;[i] and one internal territory: French Guiana.[j]
The ABC islands (Dutch Caribbean) and Trinidad and Tobago are geologically located on the South-American continental shelf,[8][9] and thus may be considered part of South America as well.
Panama, Ascension Island (a part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha) and Bouvet Island (a dependency of Norway) may also be considered parts of South America.
South America has an area of 17,, square kilometers (6,, sq mi). Its population as of [update] has been estimated at more than million.[1][2] South America ranks fourth in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America).
Brazil is by far the most populous South American country, with almost half of the continent's population, followed by Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Peru. In recent decades, Brazil has also generated half of the continent's GDP and has become the continent's first regional power.[10]
Most of the population lives near the continent's western or eastern coasts while the interior and the far south are sparsely populated.
The geography of western South America is dominated by the Andes mountains; in contrast, the eastern part contains both highland regions and vast lowlands where rivers such as the Amazon, Orinoco and Paraná flow.
South america biography facts
South America is in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere , with the Equator running directly through the continent. The Tropic of Capricorn also runs through South America. South America contains twelve countries in total. These include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Chile. South America is the fourth largest continent, with around million people living there.Most of the continent lies in the tropics, except for a large part of the Southern Cone located in the middle latitudes.
The continent's cultural and ethnic outlook has its origin with the interaction of Indigenous peoples with European conquerors and immigrants and, more locally, with African slaves. Given a long history of colonialism, the overwhelming majority of South Americans speak Spanish or Portuguese, and societies and states are rich in Western traditions.
Relative to Africa, Asia, and Europe, post South America has been a peaceful continent with few wars,[11][12][k] although high rates of violent crime remain a concern in some countries.[14][15]
Geography
Main article: Geography of South America
South America occupies the southern portion of the Americas.
The continent is generally delimited on the northwest by the Darién watershed along the Colombia–Panama border, although some may consider the border instead to be the Panama Canal.
South america biography The geography of South America contains many diverse regions and climates. Geographically, South America is generally considered a continent forming the southern portion of the landmass of the Americas , south and east of the Colombia—Panama border by most authorities, or south and east of the Panama Canal by some. South and North America are sometimes considered a single continent or supercontinent , while constituent regions are infrequently considered subcontinents. South America became attached to North America only recently geologically speaking with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama some 3 million years ago, which resulted in the Great American Interchange. The Andes , likewise a comparatively young and seismically restless mountain range, runs down the western edge of the continent; the land to the east of the northern Andes is largely tropical rainforest , the vast Amazon River basin.Geopolitically[16] and geographically, all of Panama – including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus – is typically included in North America alone[17][18][19] and among the countries of Central America.[20][21] Almost all of mainland South America sits on the South American Plate.
South America is home to several superlatives, including the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, Angel Falls in Venezuela; the highest single-drop waterfall Kaieteur Falls in Guyana; the largest river by volume, the Amazon River; the longest mountain range, the Andes (whose highest mountain is Aconcagua at 6,&#;m or 22,&#;ft); the driest non-polar place on earth, the Atacama Desert;[22][23][24] the wettest place on earth, López de Micay in Colombia; the largest rainforest, the Amazon rainforest; the highest capital city, La Paz, Bolivia; the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca; and, excluding research stations in Antarctica, the world's southernmost permanently inhabited community, Puerto Toro, Chile.
South America's major mineral resources are gold, silver, copper, iron ore, tin, and petroleum. These resources have brought high income to its countries, especially in times of war or of rapid economic growth by industrialized countries elsewhere. However, the concentration in producing one, or few, major export commodities has often hindered the development and diversification of its economies.
The fluctuation in the price of commodities in international markets has led historically to major highs and lows, booms and busts, in the economies of South American states, often causing political instability.[25] This has led for calls to diversify production and increase trade within South America itself.[25]
Brazil is the largest country in South America, covering a little less than half of the continent's land area and encompassing around half of the continent's population.[26] The remaining countries and territories are divided among four subregions: the Andean states, Caribbean South America, The Guianas, and the Southern Cone.[27]
Outlying islands
Physiographically, South America also includes some of the nearby islands.
The Dutch ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao), the islands of Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad Island and Tobago Island etc.), the State of Nueva Esparta, and the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela sit on the northern portion of the South American continental shelf and are sometimes considered parts of the continent. Geopolitically, all the island countries and territories in the Caribbean have generally been grouped as a subregion of North America instead.
South america biography for kids We explore South America, and describe its physical and cultural characteristics. In addition, we discuss the economy, religion and history of this region. South America is the region of the Americas that lies south of Central America. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east , and covers an area of about 6. It has a population of million.By contrast, Aves Island (administered by Venezuela) and the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina (San Andrés Island, Providencia Island, and Santa Catalina Island etc., which are administered by Colombia) are politically parts of South American countries but physiographically parts of North America.[19][28][29]
Other islands often associated with geopolitical South America are the Chiloé Archipelago and Robinson Crusoe Island (both administered by Chile), Easter Island (culturally a part of Oceania, also administered by Chile),[30] the Galápagos Islands (administered by Ecuador, sometimes considered part of Oceania),[30][31][32] and Tierra del Fuego (split between Argentina and Chile).
In the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil administers Fernando de Noronha, Trindade and Martim Vaz, and the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, while the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (biogeographically and hydrologically associated with Antarctica)[33] have been administered as two British Overseas Territories under the Crown, whose sovereignty over the islands is disputed by Argentina.
Special cases
An isolated volcanic island on the South American Plate, Ascension Island is geologically a part of South America.[34] Administered as a dependency of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, the island is geopolitically a part of Africa.
Climate
All of the world's major climate zones are present in South America.[36]
The distribution of the average temperatures in the region presents a constant regularity from the 30° of latitude south, when the isotherms tend, more and more, to be confused with the degrees of latitude.[37]
In temperate latitudes, winters and summers are milder than in North America.
This is because the most extensive part of the continent is in the equatorial zone (the region has more areas of equatorial plains than any other region),[37] therefore giving the Southern Cone more oceanic influence, which moderates year round temperatures.
The average annual temperatures in the Amazon basin oscillate around 27&#;°C (81&#;°F), with low thermal amplitudes and high rainfall indices.
Between the Maracaibo Lake and the mouth of the Orinoco, predominates an equatorial climate of the type Congolese, that also includes parts of the Brazilian territory.[37]
The east-central Brazilian plateau has a humid and warm tropical climate. The northern and eastern parts of the Argentine pampas have a humid subtropical climate with dry winters and humid summers of the Chinese type, while the western and eastern ranges have a subtropical climate of the dinaric type.
At the highest points of the Andean region, climates are colder than the ones occurring at the highest point of the Norwegian fjords.
In the Andean plateaus, the warm climate prevails, although it is tempered by the altitude, while in the coastal strip, there is an equatorial climate of the Guinean type. From this point until the north of the Chilean coast appear, successively, Mediterranean oceanic climate, temperate of the Breton type and, already in Tierra del Fuego, cold climate of the Siberian type.[37]
The distribution of rainfall is related to the regime of winds and air masses.
In most of the tropical region east of the Andes, winds blowing from the northeast, east and southeast carry moisture from the Atlantic, causing abundant rainfall. However, due to a consistently strong wind shear and a weak Intertropical Convergence Zone, South Atlantic tropical cyclones are rare.[38] In the Orinoco Llanos and in the Guianas Plateau, the precipitation levels go from moderate to high.
The Pacific coast of Colombia and northern Ecuador are rainy regions, with Chocó in Colombia being the rainiest place in the world along with the northern slopes of Indian Himalayas.[39] The Atacama Desert, along this stretch of coast, is one of the driest regions in the world. The central and southern parts of Chile are subject to extratropical cyclones, and most of the Argentine Patagonia is desert.
In the Pampas of Argentina, Uruguay and South of Brazil the rainfall is moderate, with rains well distributed during the year.
North america countries After France invaded Spain in , he became involved in the resistance movement and played a key role in the Spanish American fight for independence. In , the "Republic of Bolivia" was created in honor of the inspirational leader, hailed by many as El Libertador The Liberator. The fight for control of Caracas, Venezuela and most of South American continued on back home. There he wrote his famous "Letter From Jamaica," detailing his vision of a South American republic with a parliamentary setup modeled after England and a life-long president. His idea of being a nation's chief who could not be removed from power would be heavily critiqued by other leaders and intellectuals.The moderately dry conditions of the Chaco oppose the intense rainfall of the eastern region of Paraguay. In the semiarid coast of the Brazilian Northeast the rains are linked to a monsoon regime.[37]
Important factors in the determination of climates are sea currents, such as the current Humboldt and Falklands.
The equatorial current of the South Atlantic strikes the coast of the Northeast and there is divided into two others: the current of Brazil and a coastal current that flows to the northwest towards the Antilles, where there it moves towards northeast course thus forming the most important and famous ocean current in the world, the Gulf Stream.[37][40]