South America

South America reaches from the tropical coast of the Caribbean to the icy Southern Ocean. The world’s longest mountain range, the Andes, stretches down the western side of South...

South American countries

There are 12 independent countries in South America, stretching from Colombia and Venezuela in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south. French Guiana, on the northeastern...

Amazon rainforest

The River Amazon rises in the Andes Mountains and winds its way eastwards through Peru and Brazil before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. This vast river carries a fifth of all the...

South American nations: flags and statistics

South America A-Z

Argentina

Argentina is South America’s second largest country by land area, after Brazil, and its largest Spanish-speaking nation. The Andes Mountains stretch down its western edge...

Bolivia

Bolivia is one of the poorest and least-developed countries in South America. The Andes Mountains rise in the west of the country. Lying in between the steep Andean mountain...

Brazil

Covering nearly half of the continent, Brazil is South America’s largest and most populous country. In the north, the world’s largest rainforest covers the vast basin of the...

Chile

Chile is a long, thin country bordering the Pacific Ocean on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains in South America. It extends from the hot, barren Atacama Desert in the north...

Colombia

Colombia lies in the northern reaches of the Andes Mountains, where three branches, or cordilleras, meet. Most of the country’s population lives in the cooler climates of these...

Ecuador

Ecuador is the Spanish name for the Equator, which runs through the northern part of the country. Running down the centre of Ecuador are the snow-capped mountains and volcanoes of...

French Guiana

French Guiana is an overseas department of France. Two members of the National Assembly represent it in the French government. Most people live on the coast: the capital, Cayenne...

Guyana

Most of the Guyanese people live on the narrow, marshy plain that runs along the country's Caribbean coast. Some of this land actually lies below sea level; it is protected from...

Paraguay

The landlocked country of Paraguay is divided in two by the River Paraguay, which runs north-south down the centre. The eastern part consists of low, green hills and plains. Most...

Peru

Once at the centre of the powerful Inca Empire, today Peru is, by area, the third largest country in South America. Its landscape is dominated by the Andes Mountains, which rise...

Suriname

Suriname is South America’s smallest independent country. Once named Dutch Guiana, it was governed from the Netherlands until 1975. In the north, a swampy plain, a rice-growing...

Uruguay

Uruguay lies sandwiched between its huge neighbours, Brazil and Argentina. Much of the country is covered by the grassy plains of the Pampas. Low ranges of hills called cuchillas...

Venezuela

In western Venezuela, the Andes Mountains stretch northwards to meet the coast. Inland, the River Orinoco winds across vast grasslands known as llanos. Some areas of these plains...

Falkland Islands

The Falkland islands are a group of islands (called an archipelago) in the South Atlantic Ocean, lying 500 kilometres (311 miles) off the eastern coast of Patagonia in southern...