5. ANIMALS OF Alpaca «al PAK uh», is a grazing animal of South America that is related to the camel. It is raised usually for its fine wool. Sometimes the young are killed for meat. South America
7. Brief History South America has nearly every type of landscape and climate. The world's largest tropical rain forest grows in the Amazon River Basin, which occupies about two-fifths of the continent. The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is one of the driest places in the world. Snowy peaks and active volcanoes rise along the crest of the lofty Andes Mountains of western South America. In Argentina and Venezuela, rolling grasslands stretch for as far as the eye can see. South America's varied landscape also includes spectacular waterfalls, huge lakes, and rocky, windswept islands.