Where is South America located?
South America is the fourth largest continent in size and is located in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. It is home to the majestic Andes mountain range and the mysterious Amazon River.
The continent of South America is compact and slightly triangular in shape, being broad in the north and in narrowing down at the point called Cape Horn in the south.
South America is bounded by three major water bodies from three sides: Pacific Ocean on the west, Caribbean Sea to the northwest and the Atlantic Ocean on the east.
20 Interesting facts about South America
- South America comprises about 12% of the earth’s land.
- South America is the fifth largest continent in terms of population.
- Andes mountain system in South America is the second highest mountain range in the world, next to the Himalayas, in Asia.
- The highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls, is situated in South America.
- World’s highest lake, Lake Titicaca, is located here
- World’ largest salt lake, Salar de Uyuni, is located here.
- Portuguese and Spanish are the main languages spoken in South America.
- Brazil, the largest producer of coffee in the world, is situated in South America.
- The highest point in this continent is Cerro Aconcagua in Andes in Argentina.
- The continent of South America is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
- Anaconda, the heaviest snake on earth, is found in South America.
- It has the world’s largest river Amazon (by volume).
- Amazon rainforest is also the largest rainforest in the world.
- A total of 12 countries together constitute the continent of South America.
- Area wise, the largest country in South America is Brazil.
- Suriname is the smallest country in South America.
- Brazil is the most thickly populated country in South America.
- The Atacama Desert, Chile, is the largest desert.
- Some of the rare animals found in South America are ant-eaters, armadillos and llamas.
- It is the only continent to have wild Pink Dolphins.