South America
Travel Guide > South America
In this Article
Contributors
Hien (44%)
Lavafalls (34%)
from Silver Drops Jewelry Designs
as well as dr.pepper (8%), Utrecht (5%), bentivogli (3%), alsalis (3%), i c e (2%), KoalaGirl (2%)
Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.
Introduction
South America is an irresistible destination for many travellers. With amazing natural beauty to explore from stunning mountains, pristine beaches and wild rain forests. Then there are amazing precolonial ruins to rival any found around the world from cultures still strong today. Spanish and Portuguese colonial buildings and churches dominate major cities with more gold in them then any other churches in the world where African, Latin and indigenous cultures have fused. Modern art have exploded in many cities next to thumping dance clubs filled with beautiful people. Add in thundering waterfalls surrounded by vast jungles, massive street parties around Carnaval time, and lost then found Inca cities. South America can take a lifetime to truly explore and experience.
Geography
The geography of South America is extremely diverse stretching from the equator to almost touching northern Antarctica. Along the Pacific coast there is the stunningly high mountain range of the Andes, which is also the longest mountain range in the world. This mountain range runs for over 7,000 km and its highest mountain is Aconcagua reaching a stunning 6,962 m. There are also hundreds of volcanoes in the Andes, many of them are extremely active.
The north central area of South America is filled with the amazing Amazon Rain Forest, which is the largest rain forest in the world and is home to amazing bio-diversity. The southern part of the country on the east coast is Patagonia, which is high altitude plain on the eastern side of the Andes. South America is also home to Angel Falls in Venezuela, which is the highest waterfall in the world. The Amazon River, which is the largest river by volume of water. The Atacama Desert, which is the second driest place on earth and the highest navigable lake in the World Lake Titicaca. Anyone looking for high mountains, amazing beaches or steaming jungles can find there perfect place in South America.
Subregions
Atlantic Coast: Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay
Andean: Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru
Northern: Colombia, French Guiana (Overseas Department of France), Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela
Islands: Easter Island (Special Territory of Chile) and the Falkland Islands (British Overseas Territory)
Countries and Territories
| Country | Capital |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires |
| Bolivia | La Paz |
| Brazil | Brasilia |
| Chile | Santiago |
| Colombia | Bogotá |
| Easter Island (Special Territory of Chile) | Hanga Roa |
| Ecuador | Quito |
| Falkland Islands (British Overseas Territory) | Stanley |
| French Guiana (Overseas Department of France) | Cayenne |
| Guyana | Georgetown |
| Paraguay | Asuncion |
| Peru | Lima |
| Suriname | Paramaribo |
| Uruguay | Montevideo |
| Venezuela | Caracas |
Sights and Activities
Major Cities
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Florianopolis, Brazil
- Montevideo, Uruguay
- Quito, Ecuador
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Santiago, Chile
- Guayaquil, Ecuador
Landmarks
See also: Famous Landmarks
- Amazon Rainforest and River
- Andes Mountains
- Galapagos Islands
- Iguazu Falls
- Machu Picchu
- Patagonia
- Pantanal
Learning Spanish
If you want to combine your travels with some study, consider taking a Spanish language class. More general information is found in Learning Spanish in South America.
This is version 22. Last edited at 13:35 on May 22, 09 by Hien (-47). 36 articles link to this page.
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License