South America is the southern continent of America, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. 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.
America was named in 1507 by cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann after Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first European to suggest that the newly discovered lands were not India, but a New World unknown to Europeans.
South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi), or almost 3.5% of the Earth’s surface. As of 2005, its population was 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).
| Country or territory with flag |
Area (km²)[32] (per sq mi) |
Population (July 2009 est.)[32] |
Population density per km² |
Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina  Argentina |
2766890 2,766,890 km2 (1,068,302 sq mi) | 40,482,000 | 1430 14.3/km² (37/sq mi) | Buenos Aires |
Bolivia  Bolivia |
1098580 1,098,580 km2 (424,164 sq mi) | 9,863,000 | 0810 8.4/km² (21.8/sq mi) | La Paz |
Brazil  Brazil |
8514877 8,514,877 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi) | 191,241,714 | 2200 22.0/km² (57/sq mi) | Brasília |
Chile  Chile |
756950 756,950 km2 (292,260 sq mi) | 16,928,873 | 2110 22/km² (57/sq mi) | Santiago |
Colombia  Colombia |
1138910 1,138,910 km2 (439,736 sq mi) | 45,928,970 | 3770 40/km² (103.6/sq mi) | Bogotá |
Ecuador  Ecuador |
0283560 283,560 km2 (109,483 sq mi) | 14,573,101 | 4710 53.8/km² (139.3/sq mi) | Quito |
Falkland Islands  Falkland Islands (United Kingdom) |
0012173 12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi) | 3,140 | 0026 0.26/km² (0.7/sq mi) | Port Stanley |
French Guiana  French Guiana (France) |
0091000 91,000 km2 (35,135 sq mi) | 221,500 | 0210 2.7/km² (5.4/sq mi) | Cayenne |
Guyana  Guyana |
0214999 214,999 km2 (83,012 sq mi) | 772,298 | 0360 3.5/km² (9.1/sq mi) | Georgetown |
Paraguay  Paraguay |
0406750 406,750 km2 (157,047 sq mi) | 6,831,306 | 1560 15.6/km² (40.4/sq mi) | Asunción |
Peru  Peru |
1285220 1,285,220 km2 (496,226 sq mi) | 29,132,013 | 2170 22/km² (57/sq mi) | Lima |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  South Georgia andSouth Sandwich Islands (United Kingdom) |
0003093 3,093 km2 (1,194 sq mi) | 20 | 0000 0/km² (0/sq mi) | Grytviken |
Suriname  Suriname |
0163270 163,270 km2 (63,039 sq mi) | 472,000 | 0270 3/km² (7.8/sq mi) | Paramaribo |
Uruguay  Uruguay |
0176220 176,220 km2 (68,039 sq mi) | 3,477,780 | 1940 19.4/km² (50.2/sq mi) | Montevideo |
Venezuela  Venezuela |
0912050 912,050 km2 (352,144 sq mi) | 26,814,843 | 2780 30.2/km² (72/sq mi) | Caracas |
| Total | 17,824,513 | 385,742,554 | 21.5/km² |
