South America stretches from the tropical coast of the Caribbean to the icy Southern Ocean. The Andes, the Earth’s longest mountain range, runs down the western side of the continent. Between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean is the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. The vast rainforest of the Amazon Basin dominates the northern part of the continent. Rising in the east are the Brazilian Highlands. Further south, in Argentina and Uruguay, there are large areas of grassland, known as pampas. In the far south, these give way to the dry, bleak scrublands of Patagonia.

People

The people of South America are descended from Native American peoples (Amerindians), Spanish and Portuguese settlers from the 16th century onwards, African slaves brought over by Europeans, and later immigrants from other parts of the world. The numbers of native peoples in South America fell rapidly after the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century, mostly because of the diseases they brought with them.

Amerindians still make up a large proportion of the populations of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Mestizos (mixed Spanish and Native American) are the largest group in Paraguay, Venezuela and Colombia. People of African ancestry form large parts of the populations of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas. Most people in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, and about half the population of Brazil, have European ancestors. In the Amazon rainforest there are still some native tribes who carry on their traditional lives.

The River Amazon rises in the Andes Mountains. It then winds its way eastwards through Peru and Brazil before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. This vast river carries a fifth of all the world’s fresh water into the Atlantic. The Amazon Basin contains the largest area of rainforest in the world. Many kinds of plants and animals live there.

The Amazon and other rivers provide transport routes and source of food for the native peoples. Some of them still follow a traditional way of life, hunting, fishing and growing crops. Many also take advantage of modern technology, such as engines for their boats.

Andean countries

In the north, three branches of the Andes mountains, or cordilleras, meet in Colombia. Most of the country's population lives in the cooler climates of the high Andes valleys. Cotton, sugar cane and bananas are grown in the warm lowlands, while coffee, cereals and potatoes are cultivated in higher, cooler regions.

In Peru and Bolivia, the Amerindians speak Quechua, the language of the Incas. Some still farm the steep hillsides of the Andes, cultivating terraced fields and grazing their llamas and alpacas on the high plains as they have done for hundreds of years.

​​​​​​​South of Bolivia, the Andes form the boundary between Chile from Argentina. Chile is a narrow country 25 times longer than it is wide. Most of the population lives on the warm and fertile central plain south of the Atacama Desert. Here cereals, fruits and vines are grown.

Brazil

The north of Brazil is taken up by the Amazon rainforest and the Brazilian highlands. Most of Brazil’s farmland lies in the south and east of the country. Coffee, cocoa, soya beans, fruit and beef cattle are the country's main farm products. Brazil is also a fast-growing industrial country. Other exports include oil, gas, aircraft, electrical equipment, cars, ethanol, textiles and steel.

The Brazilians are a mixed population, descended from the first Portuguese settlers, black African slaves forced to work on the sugar plantations and later immigrants from Europe and Asia. Most Brazilians live in the cities of the southeast. Rio de Janeiro grew up around the shores of a natural harbour overlooked by Sugar Loaf mountain and became an important port. Many thousands of Rio's poor residents live in shabby slums on the edge of the city. Their shantytowns are known as favelas.

Argentina

In the north of Argentina there is a large area of scrubland known as the Gran Chaco, which extends into neighbouring Paraguay. Millions of cattle and sheep graze on vast ranches on Argentina's pampas grasslands further south. Soya beans, wheat and maize are also grown on the pampas. The fertile plains turn into the dry and dusty Patagonian desert in the south. The island of Tierra del Fuego (the “land of fire", named after the Indian camp fires sighted by the Portuguese explorer Magellan) lies at South America’s southern tip.

Most of Argentina's people are descended from Europeans—mainly from Spain, Italy and Germany—most of whom migrated there in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Around a third of its population lives in or around its huge capital, Buenos Aires. Argentina is today an industrial nation, although beef exports are important. Argentina is also the world's fifth-largest wine producer.