Exploring Our World: The South American Continent
South America is a fascinating continent located in the Southern Hemisphere, bordered by North America to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Southern Ocean to the south. It is known for its beautiful landscapes, diverse cultures, and amazing wildlife.
South America has a population of about 430 million people.
The two most widely spoken languages are Spanish and Portuguese. Spanish is the official language of most countries, while Portuguese is spoken in Brazil, the largest country on the continent.
Other languages, such as English, Dutch, French, and indigenous languages like Quechua and Guarani, are also spoken in some regions.
South America has 12 main countries. The biggest ones are:
Brazil: The largest country in South America. It is so big, it touches almost every other country in South America. It is famous for the Carnival festival, football, with Brazil producing some of the sport’s most legendary payers, and capoeira, a form of martial arts combined with dance.
Argentina: Known for its capital city Buenos Aires with its vibrant culture, tango dancing, and the southern American cowboys known as gaucho.
Peru: Known for the city of Cusco, originally the captital of the Incan empire, and the Nazca Lines, drawn between 500 BCE and 500 CE in the soil of the Nazca Desert. There are over 70 of these ancient geoglyphs.
Colombia: Famous for coffee, beautiful landscapes, and salsa dancing.
Venezuela: Known for the Carnival of El Callao, maracas, it is believed the Traino tribe of Venezuela created the maraca, and the picturesque Los Rosques National Park.
Chile: A long, narrow country known for the Southern Patagonian ice fields, and the Easter Island statues.
South America has some incredible landmarks and places to visit:
Machu Picchu: Located in Peru, it is an ancient city of the Inca Empire, high in the Andes Mountains. Probably built and occupied from the mid-15th to the early or mid-16th century.
Christ the Redeemer: A giant statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was completed in 1931 and stands 30 m or 98 feet tall.
Iguazu Falls: One of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in the world. Located on the Igazú River on the border of Argentina and Brazil.
Angel Falls: The world’s highest waterfall in Venezuela, with a height of 979 m or 3,212 feet.
Amazon Rainforest: The largest rainforest in the world covering over 6,000,000 square km or 2,300,000 square miles, home to thousands of beautiful and unique plants and animals. The majority of the rainforest is located in Brazil, followed by Peru and Colombia with some minor amounts in other neighbouring countries.
Galápagos Islands: An archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around 900 km or 560 miles west of Ecuador. Home to the giant Galápagos Tortoise and Marine Iguana.
South America has many different types of geographical features:
The Andes Mountains: The longest mountain range in the world, located along the western edge of South America. The range is 8,900 km or 5,500 miles long and extends through seven countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Mount Aconcagua: The highest mountain in South America located in the Andes mountain range, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas at 6,961 metres or 22,800 feet.
Amazon River: The largest river in the world by water volume and the second longest river in the world. It is at least 6,400 m or 4,000 miles long.
Orinoco River: A huge river in Venezuela that flows in a giant arc for some 2,740 km or 1,700 miles from its source in the Guiana Highlands to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean.
Atacama Desert: The driest nonpolar desert on Earth, located in Chile between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. Some parts of the Atacama Desert haven’t had rain in hundreds of years.
Lake Titicaca: The highest large lake in the world at an elevation of 3,812 m or 12,500 feet located in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. This is also the location of the Uros floating islands in Peru.
Pampas: Large grassy plains in Argentina, great for farming and cattle ranching, covering over 1,200,000 square kilometres or 460,000 square miles.
South America is home to many special and beautiful animals:
Llamas and alpacas: Friendly, furry animals used for carrying goods in the Andes.
Toucans: A colourful bird with a large beak, seen in rainforests.
Jaguars: A powerful big cat that lives in the Amazon Rainforest.
Anacondas: A giant snake that lives in the Amazon River.
Pink river dolphins: freshwater dolphins that lives in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins characterised by their pink or grey/pink mottled colouring.
Capybaras: The largest rodent in the world, found near rivers and lakes.
Sloths: Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of the tropical rainforests of South America.
South America is an exciting and diverse continent filled with natural wonders, rich cultures, and incredible wildlife. It is a place of adventure and discovery!