3. INTRODUCTION
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South America, fourth largest continent , the southern of the
two continents of the Western Hemisphere. It is divided
politically into 12 independent countries—Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru,
Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela—and the overseas
department of French Guiana.
The continent extends from Punta Gallinas, Colombia, in the
north to Cape Horn, Chile, in the south. At its broadest point,
near where it is crossed by the equator. South America is
connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama; it is
washed on the N by the Caribbean Sea, on the E by the
Atlantic Ocean, and on the W by the Pacific Ocean.
4. GEOGRAPHY
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South America occupies the southern portion of the
American landmass. South America also includes some of
the nearby islands Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Trinidad,
Tobago. Other islands that are included with South
America are the Galápagos Islands that belong to
Ecuador and Easter Island.
South America is home to the world's highest waterfall
The Angel Falls and the 2nd largest river Amazon, the
longest mountain range, the Andes, the driest place on
earth, the Atacama Desert ,the largest rainforest, the
Amazon Rainforest, the highest capital city, La Paz,
Bolivia, the highest commercially navigable lake in the
world, Lake Titicaca.
5. HISTORY
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South America has a history that spans a wide range of human
cultural and civilizational forms. In the 1500's, Spain and
Portugal colonized much of South America. The colonies gained
independence in the 1800's . Through the trans-Atlantic slave
trade, South America became the home of millions of people in
the African diaspora. The mixing of races led to new social
structures.
The tensions between colonial countries in Europe, indigenous
peoples and escaped slaves shaped South America from the
16th through the 19th Centuries.
A few countries did not gain independence until the 20th
century.French Guiana remains an overseas department of
France.
8. ARGENTINA
Official Name: Argentine Republic
Size: 1.1 million square miles, about the size of the U.S. east of the Mississippi
River
Population: 42,192,494 as of 2012
Capital: Buenos Aires
Official Language: Spanish
Currency: Peso
Climate: Mostly mild temperatures; very cold in the southwest; very dry in the
southeast
Products: Sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, peanuts, livestock; tin,
iron ore, steel, clothing and fabric, cars and trucks
Literacy: 97% of the population can read and write.
9. BOLAVIA
Official Name: Plurinational State of Bolivia
Size: 424,164 square miles, about the size of California and Texas
together
Population: 10,461,053 as of 2013
Capitals: La Paz (administrative); Sucre (constitutional)
Languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara
Climate: Varies with altitude; tropical to cold and semiarid
Currency: Boliviano
Products: Natural gas, oil, silver, zinc, tin; soybeans, coffee, corn,
cotton
10. BRAZIL
Official name: Federative Republic of Brazil
Size: 3,827,612square miles, about the size of the U.S.
Population: 203,429,773 as of July 2011
Capital: Brasília
Official Languages: Portuguese
Climate: Mostly tropical; cooler in the south
Currency: Real
Agriculture Products: coffee, soy beans, wheat, rice, corn, sugar cane, cocoa,
citrus, beef
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel,
aircraft, motor vehicles
Products: Coffee, soy beans; beef; iron ore; footwear, motor vehicles
11. Chile
Official name: Republic of Chile
Size: 292,258 square miles(756, 102 square kilometers); slightly larger than Texas
Population: 16,888,760 as of July 2011
Capital: Santiago
Official Language: Spanish
Currency: Chilean peso
Literacy: 95.7%%
Climate: Desert in the north; mild in the central region; cool and damp in the south
Agriculture: Grapes, apples, pears, strawberries, onions, wheat, corn, oats,
peaches, garlic, beef
Products: Copper mining, fish farming, iron and steel, wood and wood products,
cement, transport equipment
12. COLOMBIA
Official name: Republic of Colombia
Size: 439,735 square miles (1,138,910 square kilometers); about
four times the size of Nevada
Population: 44,725,543 as of 2011
Capital: Bogotá
Climate: Tropical; hot and wet along coasts and eastern
plains,cooler in highlands
Official Language: Spanish
Currency: Peso
Products: Petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emeralds, apparel,
bananas, cut flowers
13. ECAUDOR
Official name: Republic of Ecuador
Size: 109,483 square miles, slightly smaller than Nevada
Population: 15,007,343 as of July 2011
Capital: Quito
Official language: Spanish
Currency: U.S. dollar
Literacy: 91%
Climate: Tropical along coast and in the Amazonian jungle
lowlands; cooler inland and at higher elevations
Agriculture: Bananas, coffee, cocoa, shrimp, petroleum
14. GUAYANA
Official Name: Co-operative Republic of Guyana short form: Guyana ,former:
British Guiana
Size:83,000 square miles
Population: 787 000 as of 2010
Capital : Georgetown
Official languages: English
Currency: Guyanese dollar
Literacy: 92%
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by north-east trade winds, two rainy
seasons
Agriculture:wheat, bananas, coconuts, coffee, cocoa, citrus fruits, pepper and
pumpkin
15. PARAGUAY
Capital: Asunción
Currency: Paraguayan guaraní
Official languages: Spanish Language, Paraguayan Guaraní
Size: 157,047 square miles
Official Name: República del Paraguay
Population: 6.4 million as of 2010
Currency: Guaraní
Literacy: 91.6%.
Climate: Temperate east of the Paraguay River, semiarid to the west.
Agriculture products: Cotton, sugar cane, soy beans, corn, wheat, tobacco,
cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber.
16. PERU
Official name: Republic of Peru
Size: 496,225 square miles, slightly smaller than Alaska
Population: 29,248,943 as of 2011
Capital: Lima
Climate: Coastal areas, hot and dry; eastern lowlands, hot and
humid; Andes, cooler
Official languages: Spanish and Quechua
Products: Potatoes, fish, rice, asparagus, cocoa; copper, lead, oil,
gold, silver
17. SURINAME
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Official Name: Republiek Suriname
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Capital City: Paramaribo
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Area: 63,251 square miles
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Population: 525,000 as of 2012
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Official languages: Dutch
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Climate: Tropical; moderated by trade winds.
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Agriculture : Paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains,
peanuts, beef, chickens, shrimp.
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Currency: Surinamese Guilder
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Literacy: 90%
18. URAGUAY
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Official Name: República Oriental del Uruguay
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Area: 68,000 square miles
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Climate: Temperate.
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Population: 3.25 million as of 2011
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Official languages: Spanish.
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Literacy: 97%.
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Agriculture products: Rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock;
fish.
Currency: Uruguayan Peso
19. VENEZUELA
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Official Name: República Bolivariana de Venezuela
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Capital City: Caracas
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Area: 352,143 square miles
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Climate: Varies from tropical to temperate, depending on
elevation.
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Population: 27 million (2011)
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Official languages: Spanish
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Literacy: 93%
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Agriculture : Corn, sorghum, sugar cane, rice, bananas, vegetables,
coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish
Currency: Bolivar
20. AMAZING FACTS ABOUT SOUTH
AMERICA
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Did you know South America has the largest rain forest in the world the
Amazon. It is around 4 million square kilo-meters and has over 2.5
million insect species. South America is home to many interesting and
unique species of animals including the llama, anaconda, piranha, jaguar,
vicuña, and tapir.
It is the only continent in the world to have wild Pink Dolphins.
All climates are different through out the continent.
One fifth of the world’s fresh water is contained in the Amazon rain
forest.
The world’s longest mountain chain, the Andes, runs 4,505 miles down
the western edge of South America. Its steep slopes are terraced to grow
barley, potatoes, and wheat on its colder, upper slopes, and coffee,
tobacco, and corn on the warmer, lower slopes.
South Americans eat a lot of fruits, veggies, nuts, meat, coffee, yerba
maté ( looks a bit like spinaches ), milk based desserts, and sugar cane.
21. SITES SCENES
Jules Wijdenbosch bridge, Cristo Redentor, Brazil
Suriname
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Easter Island, Chile
La Recoleta Cemetery,
Argentina
Mount Roraima,
Guyana
22. MORE SITES
Cotopaxi National Park,
Ecuador
Juncal Island, Paraguay
Machu Picchu, Peru
Itaipu Dam, Paraguay
Angel Falls,Venezuela