South America is a continent located in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas.[2][3]
It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. It includes twelve independent countries—Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela—as well as French Guiana, which is an overseas region of France and the Falkland Islands of the United Kingdom. In addition to this, theABC islands of the Netherlands may also be considered part of South America, as well as Trinidad and Tobago. The South American countries that border the Caribbean Sea—Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana—are also known as Caribbean South America.
South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi). Its population as of 2005 has been estimated at more than 371,090,000. South America ranks fourth in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America). The wordAmerica was coined in 1507 by cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann, after Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first European to suggest that the lands newly discovered by Europeans were not India, but a New World unknown to Europeans.
Descendants of Indigenous peoples, such as the Quechua and Aymara, or the Urarina[21] of Amazonia make up the majority of the population in Bolivia (56%) and, per some sources, in Peru (44%).[22][23] In Ecuador, Amerindians are a large minority that comprises two-fifths of the population. The white/European population is also a significant element in most other former Portuguese colonies.
The demographics of Venezuela and Colombia include approximately 20% white and European descendants,[24] while in Peru, European descendants are the third group in importance (15%).[25] Compared to other South American countries, the people ofEuropean descent are more of a majority in Argentina,[26] Chile,[27][28] and Uruguay,[27] and are about half of the population ofBrazil.[29][30][31]
South America is also home to one of the largest populations of Africans. This group is also significantly present in Guyana, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, and Ecuador. Mestizos (mixed white and Amerindian) are the largest ethnic group inParaguay, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador and the second group in Peru. East Indians form the largest ethnic group in Guyana. Brazil followed by Peru also have the biggest Japanese, Korean and Chinese communities in South America.[32]
Brazil is the most diverse country in South America and arguably the world, with large population of Whites, Mulattos, Mestizos, a significant population of Blacks, as well as a sizeable community of Asians (from East Asians to West Asians who are also known asMiddle Easterners).
| Country or territory with flag | Area (km²)[33] (per sq mi) | Population (July 2009 est.)[33] | Population density per km² | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | 2,766,890 km2 (1,068,300 sq mi) | 40,482,000 | 14.3/km² (37/sq mi) | Buenos Aires |
 Bolivia | 1,098,580 km2 (424,160 sq mi) | 9,863,000 | 8.4/km² (21.8/sq mi) | La Paz and Sucre [34] |
 Brazil | 8,514,877 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi) | 191,241,714 | 22.0/km² (57/sq mi) | Brasília |
 Chile[35] | 756,950 km2 (292,260 sq mi) | 16,928,873 | 22/km² (57/sq mi) | Santiago |
 Colombia | 1,138,910 km2 (439,740 sq mi) | 45,928,970 | 40/km² (103.6/sq mi) | Bogotá |
 Ecuador | 283,560 km2 (109,480 sq mi) | 14,573,101 | 53.8/km² (139.3/sq mi) | Quito |
 Falkland Islands (United Kingdom)[36] | 12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi) | 3,140[37] | 0.26/km² (0.7/sq mi) | Port Stanley |
 French Guiana (France) | 91,000 km2 (35,000 sq mi) | 221,500[38] | 2.7/km² (5.4/sq mi) | Cayenne |
 Guyana | 214,999 km2 (83,012 sq mi) | 772,298 | 3.5/km² (9.1/sq mi) | Georgetown |
 Paraguay | 406,750 km2 (157,050 sq mi) | 6,831,306 | 15.6/km² (40.4/sq mi) | Asunción |
 Peru | 1,285,220 km2 (496,230 sq mi) | 29,132,013 | 22/km² (57/sq mi) | Lima |
 South Georgia andSouth Sandwich Islands (United Kingdom)[39] | 3,093 km2 (1,194 sq mi) | 20 | 0/km² (0/sq mi) | Grytviken |
 Suriname | 163,270 km2 (63,040 sq mi) | 472,000 | 3/km² (7.8/sq mi) | Paramaribo |
 Uruguay | 176,220 km2 (68,040 sq mi) | 3,477,780 | 19.4/km² (50.2/sq mi) | Montevideo |
 Venezuela | 912,050 km2 (352,140 sq mi) | 26,814,843 | 30.2/km² (72/sq mi) | Caracas |
| Total | 17,824,513 | 385,742,554 | 21.5/km² |
.png)
