SOUTH AMERICA

CHAPTER 9
FACTS AND FIGURES OF SOUTH AMERICA
 COUNTRIES

There are 12 countries in South America

These are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru,
Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
In addition to these sovereign states, there are also 3 dependent territories, which are the
Falkland Islands (UK), French Guiana (France) South Georgia and the South Sandwich
Islands (UK)
 INDIGENOUS TRIBES

Some indigenous tribes have no contact

with modern civilization
In the global world, we’ve come to know it
might be hard to imagine that there are still
some indigenous tribes out there in the
world which have had little or no contact at
all with modern civilization.
 LANGUAGE

More than 300 languages are spoken on the continent

English, Spanish and Portuguese are the most common languages, but there are still
some indigenous languages spoken among a large number of people, such as Quechua
(8,9 million speakers), Guarani (4,9 million speakers), and Aymara (2,8 million speakers).
In addition to those, linguists estimate that there are more than 300 languages spoken on
a daily basis on the continent.
 RAINFOREST

The Amazon Rainforest is the world’s

most biodiverse place
Even though the Amazon rainforest suffer
from illegal deforestation as well as legal
deforestation, and illegal pet trade, it is still
home to more than 40% of the world’s
plants and animals. It is incredibly
biodiverse, and that’s why it needs to be
protected.
 SUPERCONTINENT

It used to be connected to Africa

About 550 million years ago, it is believed that the South American continent was puzzled
together with Africa, Australia, and Antarctica as well as the Indian subcontinent and
Arabian peninsula, which formed the supercontinent known as Gondwana.
It broke apart 180 million years ago, and the continents as we know them today were
created.
 HIGHEST CITY

La Paz is the highest capital in the world

The Bolivian capital has an elevation
of 3,640 meters (11,942 ft) which makes it
one of the highest cities in the world and
the highest capital in the world. Many
visitors who fly into La Paz will need some
days to adjust to the higher elevation.
 DRIEST PLACE

Home to the driest place on Earth

The Atacama Desert is considered as the
driest place on Earth, and some parts of it
have never received any rain since
recordings started. It’s incredibly dry, and
some recent parts that received rain hadn’t
had precipitation for more than 40 years.
 LARGEST COUNTRY

Brazil is the largest country in South

America
Brazil covers about 47,3% of the continent
and is the largest country both by
population and land area. Brazil is home to
more than 210 million people, and it’s also
one of the largest countries in the world.
 SMALLEST COUNTRY

Suriname is the smallest country in South

America
• On the other side of the scale, Suriname
holds the title as the smallest country in
South America, and it is also one of the
least densely populated countries in the
world.
• Suriname has around 568,000 inhabitants
and a land area of 163,821 km2 (63,252 sq
mi).
 TALLEST MOUNTAIN

Aconcagua is the continent’s tallest

mountain
• The tallest mountain outside of Asia, and
also the tallest mountain in South
America is known as Aconcagua and
stands majestically at 6962 meters above
the sea in Argentina.
 TALLEST WATERFALL

Home to the tallest waterfall in the world

• The continent is also where you can find
the tallest waterfall in the world, the
Angel falls in Venezuela, which has a
staggering height of 979 meters!
 LAKE

Biggest Lake:
Lake Titicaca (shared by Bolivia and
Peru)
 CIVILIZATION

There have been many great civilizations living here

• The Inca people might be the most famous civilization, and

their empire spanned across large parts of South America.
But others such as Chavin, Paracas and the Nazca
civilizations have for example created the mysterious Nazca
lines in Peru.

• The oldest known advanced civilization dates back to 3000-

2500 BC, and are known as Caral Supe, which were based
in Central Peru. Another famous empire is the Tiwanaku
empire who flourished on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

• Still today, many of the ancient sites remain, where Machu

Picchu might be the most famous site.
 RELIGION

Christianity is the main religion

• About 90% of the South American
population consider themselves to
be Christians, and over 80% are
Roman Catholics.
 NATURAL RESOURCES

There are many natural resources in South

America
• Gold, Silver, Iron, and Petroleum are just
some of the valuable resources that can
be found on the continent. Even though
Europeans looted the continent of gold,
there are still huge amounts left.
 ECONOMY

• Latin America's economy is composed of

two main economic
sectors: agriculture and mining.
• Latin America has large areas of land that
are rich in minerals and other raw
materials. Also, the tropical and
temperate climates of Latin America
makes it ideal for growing a variety of
agricultural products.
 TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

• Macchu Picchu in Peru

• Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil
• Angel Falls in Venezuela
• Rio de Janeiro and its Carnival in Brazil
• Patagonia in Argentina/Chile
• Amazon in Ecuador
• Pantanal in Paraguay/Brazil
• Torres del Paine National Park in Chile
 GENERAL FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AMERICA

• Total Population: 428 million people

• Largest city: Sao Paulo (Brazil)
• Life expectancy: 72 (males) 79 (females)
• Highest Mountain: Aconcagua (6962 meters above the sea)
• Land area: 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 square miles)
• Largest Lake: Lake Titicaca
• Longest River: Amazon River
• Religion: Christianity (90%)
ASSIGNMENT

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