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User:Juanpdp/South America

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South America
Area17,840,000 km2 (6,890,000 sq mi)
Population387,489,196 (2011, 5th)
Population density21.4 per km2 (56.0 per sq mi)
DemonymSouth American, American[1]
Countries12
Dependencies3
LanguagesList of languages
Time zonesUTC-2 to UTC-5
Largest cities
Brazil São Paulo
Argentina Buenos Aires
Brazil Rio de Janeiro
Peru Lima
Colombia Bogotá
Chile Santiago
Brazil Belo Horizonte
Brazil Porto Alegre
Brazil Brasília
Ecuador Guayaquil
Venezuela Caracas
Colombia Medellín

South America is a continent occupying the southern part of the supercontinent of America. It sits entirely in the Western Hemisphere, and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere with a 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.

South America was named in 1507 by cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann after Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first European to suggest that the Americas were not the East Indies, 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).

Regions

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The countries in the table below are categorised according to the scheme for geographic regions and subregions used by the United Nations, and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles. Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated.

Unasur member states.
Country or
territory with flag 		Area
(km²)[2](per sq mi) 		Population
(July 2008 est.)[2] 		Population density
per km² 		Capital
 Argentina 2,766,890 km2 (1,068,302 sq mi)  40,677,348 14.3/km² (37/sq mi) Buenos Aires
 Bolivia 1,098,580 km2 (424,164 sq mi)   9,247,816 8.1/km² (21/sq mi) La Paz, Sucre[3]
 Brazil 8,514,877 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi) 191,908,598 22.0/km² (57/sq mi) Brasília
 Chile[4]   756,950 km2 (292,260 sq mi)  16,454,143 21.1/km² (54.6/sq mi) Santiago
 Colombia 1,138,910 km2 (439,736 sq mi)  45,013,674 37.7/km² (97.6/sq mi) Bogotá
 Ecuador   283,560 km2 (109,483 sq mi)  13,927,650 47.1/km² (122/sq mi) Quito
 Falkland Islands (UK)[5]    12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi)       2,967 0.24/km² (0.6/sq mi) Stanley
 French Guiana (France)    91,000 km2 (35,135 sq mi)     209,000 2.1/km² (5.4/sq mi) Cayenne
 Guyana   214,970 km2 (83,000 sq mi)     770,794 3.6/km² (9.3/sq mi) Georgetown
 Paraguay   406,750 km2 (157,047 sq mi)   6,347,884 15.6/km² (40.4/sq mi) Asunción
 Peru 1,285,220 km2 (496,226 sq mi)  27,925,628 21.7/km² (56.2/sq mi) Lima
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and
South Sandwich Islands (UK)[6] 		    3,093 km2 (1,194 sq mi)           20 0/km² (0/sq mi) Grytviken
 Suriname   163,270 km2 (63,039 sq mi)     438,144 2.7/km² (7/sq mi) Paramaribo
 Uruguay   176,220 km2 (68,039 sq mi)   3,477,778 19.4/km² (50.2/sq mi) Montevideo
 Venezuela   912,050 km2 (352,144 sq mi)  26,414,815 27.8/km² (72/sq mi) Caracas
Total 17,824,513 382,426,313 21.5/km²

See Also: List of South American countries by population

Economy

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Main article: Economy of South America
View of a financial district in São Paulo, Brazil.
Santiago de Chile financial center.
File:486876350 2b24588b66 b.jpg
View of a financial center in Bogotá, Colombia.
Buenos Aires, Argentina financial district.


Due to histories of high inflation in nearly all South American countries, interest-rates and thus investment remain high and low, respectively. Interest rates are usually twice that of the United States. For example, interest-rates are about 22% in Venezuela and 23% in Suriname. The exception is Chile, which has been implementing free market economic policies since establishing military dictatorship in 1973 and increased its social spending since the return of democratic rule in the early 1990s. This has led to economic stability and interest rates in the low single digits.

The Union of South American Nations is a planned continent-wide free trade zone to unite two existing free-trade organizations – Mercosur and the Andean Community.

South America relies heavily on the exporting of goods and natural resources. On an exchange rate basis Brazil (the seventh largest economy in the world and the second largest in America) leads the way in total amount of exports at $137.8 billion dollars followed by Chile at 58.12 billion and Argentina with 46.46 billion[7]

The economic gap between the rich and poor in most South American nations is considered to be larger than in most other continents. In Venezuela, Paraguay, Bolivia and many other South American countries, the richest 20% may own over 60% of the nation's wealth, while the poorest 20% may own less than 5%. This wide gap can be seen in many large South American cities where makeshift shacks and slums lie adjacent to skyscrapers and upper-class luxury apartments.

Country GDP (nominal) of 2006[8] GDP (PPP) of 2005[9] GDP (PPP) per capita of 2005[9] HDI of 2007
 Argentina 214,058 419,600 11,076 Increase 0.869
 Bolivia 11,163 34,200 3,623 Increase 0.695
 Brazil 1,312,962 1,585,100 8,606 Increase 0.800
 Chile 145,841 199,800 12,277 Increase 0.867
 Colombia 135,836 264,000 6,314 Increase 0.791
 Ecuador 40,800 86,400 6,541 Increase 0.772
 French Guiana (France) 3,524[10] N/A 17,336 (nominal, 2006)[10] N/A
 Guyana 896 2,393 3,186 Increase 0.750
 Paraguay 9,110 23,000 3,905 Decrease 0.755
 Peru 107,000 217,500 7,574 Increase 0.773
 Suriname 1,597 2,591 5,770 Increase 0.774
 Uruguay 19,308 30,700 9,277 Increase 0.852
 Venezuela 181,862 262,800 9,888 Increase 0.792

Culture and language

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Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity.
Fiesta in Palenque. Afro-Colombian tradition from San Basilio de Palenque, a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity since 2005.

Portuguese and Spanish are the most spoken languages in South America, each spoken by around 90% of the continent's population. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, which holds nearly 50% of the South American population. Spanish is the official language of most countries of the continent. Dutch is the official language of Suriname; English is the official language of Guyana, although there are at least twelve other languages spoken in the country such as Hindi, Arabic, and various indigenous dialects. English is also spoken in the Falkland Islands. French is the official language of French Guiana.

Indigenous languages of South America include Quechua in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia; Guaraní in Paraguay and, to a much less extent, in Bolivia; Aymara in Bolivia, Peru, and less often in Chile; and Mapudungun is spoken in certain pockets of southern Chile and, more rarely, Argentina. At least three South American indigenous languages (Quechua in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia - Aymara also in Bolivia - and Guarani in Paraguay) are recognized along with Spanish as national languages.

Other languages found in South America include Hindi and Indonesian in Suriname; Italian in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Chile; and German in certain pockets of Argentina, Chile, Venezuela and Paraguay. German is also spoken in many regions of the southern states of Brazil, Riograndenser Hunsrückisch being the most widely spoken German dialect in the country; among other Germanic dialects, a Brazilian form of Pomeranian is also well represented and is experiencing a revival. Welsh remains spoken and written in the historic towns of Trelew and Rawson in the Argentinean Patagonia. There are also small clusters of Japanese-speakers in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, and Ecuador. Arabic speakers, often of Lebanese, Syrian, or Palestinian descent, can be found in Arab communities in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and less frequently in Colombia and Paraguay.

In most of the continent's countries, the upper classes and well-educated people regularly study English, French, German, or Italian. In those areas where tourism is a significant industry, English and some other European languages are often spoken. There are small Spanish speaking areas in Southernmost Brazil due to the proximity of Uruguay.

South Americans are culturally enriched by the historic connection with Europe, especially Spain and Portugal, and the impact of mass culture from the United States of America.

South American nations have a rich variety of music. Some of the most famous genres include cumbia from Colombia, samba and bossa nova from Brazil, and tango from Argentina and Uruguay. Also well known is the non-commercial folk genre Nueva Canción movement which was founded in Argentina and Chile and quickly spread to the rest of the Latin America. People on the Peruvian coast created the fine guitar and cajon duos or trios in the most mestizo (mixed) of South American rhythms such as the Marinera (from Lima), the Tondero (from Piura), the 19th century popular Creole Valse or Peruvian Valse, the soulful Arequipan Yaravi, and the early 20th century Paraguayan Guarania. In the late 20th century, Spanish rock emerged by young hipsters influenced by British pop and American rock in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay. Brazil has a Portuguese-language pop rock industry as well a great variety of other music genres.

Shakira one of the most famous astist of the world.[citation needed]

The literature of South America has attracted considerable critical and popular acclaim, especially with the Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s, and the rise of authors such as Gabriel García Márquez in novels, and Pablo Neruda and Jorge Luis Borges in other genres.

Because of South America's broad ethnic mix, South American cuisine takes on African, American Indian, Asian, and European influences. Bahia, Brazil, is especially well-known for its West African-influenced cuisine. Argentines, Chileans, and Uruguayans regularly consume wine while Argentina along with Paraguay, Uruguay, and people in southern Chile and Brazil enjoy a sip of mate a regional brewed herb cultivated for its drink, the paraguayan version, terere, differing from the others in that it's served cold. Pisco is a liquor distilled from grapevine produced in Peru and Chile; however, there is a recurring dispute between those countries regarding its origins. Peruvian cuisine mixes elements from Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, African, Andean, and Amazonic food.

Demographics

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Descendents of Indigenous peoples, such as the Quechua and Aymara, make up the majority of the population in Bolivia and are a significant element in most other former Spanish colonies. Exceptions to this include Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay where people of European descent make up the majority of the population. Mestizos (mixed white and Amerindian) are the largest ethnic group in Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. African descendants are also a significant group in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Suriname is the only country in South America where Asians form the majority of the population. Peru has the main Chinese community in Latin America and the second Japanese community (after Brazil).

Indigenous peoples

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References

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Content notes

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^ Continent Model: In some parts of the world South America is viewed as a subcontinent of America[11][12] (a single continent in these areas), for example Latin America, Latin Europe, and Iran. In most of the countries with English as an official language, however, it is considered a continent. See Continent.

Notes

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  1. ^ American, Merriam-Webster OnLine.
  2. ^ a b Land areas and population estimates are taken from The 2008 World Factbook which currently uses July 2007 data, unless otherwise noted.
  3. ^ La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia; Sucre is the judicial seat.
  4. ^ Includes Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean, a Chilean territory frequently reckoned in Oceania. Santiago is the administrative capital of Chile; Valparaíso is the site of legislative meetings.
  5. ^ Claimed by Argentina.
  6. ^ Also claimed by Argentina, the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean are commonly associated with Antarctica (due to proximity) and have no permanent population, only hosting a periodic contingent of about 100 researchers and visitors.
  7. ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2078rank.html
  8. ^ Source: [1]
  9. ^ a b Source: [2]
  10. ^ a b (in French) INSEE-CEROM. "Les comptes économiques de la Guyane en 2006 : premiers résultats" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  11. ^ "South America Travel, Tour To South America Continent". Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  12. ^ Ambassador Rubens how do I make a violin A. Barbosa. "MERCOSUL IN THE REGIONAL CONTEXT". Retrieved 2007-05-19.

Sources

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See also

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Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Wikijunior South America
Wikimedia Commons has media related to South America.
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News
Sports

South America also has Rugby, Auto Racing, Golf, and Kayaking.

Music
Tourism
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