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Fast Facts

Population: 38,592,000

Capital: Buenos Aires

Language: Spanish, English

Government: republic/democracy

Economy: Cereals, beverages,

automobiles

Argentina

MAJOR LANDFORMS The Andes mark Argentina's western edge, forming the boundary with Chile. From the Andes, gently rolling plains extend eastward toward the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the Pampas (name of plains), including a rich

agricultural section, occupies this region. Northeast Argentina features rain forests and Iguazú Falls. These spectacular falls, on Argentina's border with

Brazil, drop along a 1.6-mile front in a horseshoe shape. South of the Pampas, dry and windswept Patagonia stretches to the southernmost tip of South America with the world's southernmost city, Ushuaia. (Patagonia is

the colder plains region located in southern Argentina and Chile.)

CLIMATE The generally temperate climate ranges from subtropical (hot and humid)

in the north to subpolar (cold) in the far south. Central Argentina has a temperate climate, with hot summers with thunderstorms, and cool

winters.

Notice the Andes Mountain Range on Argentina’s western boundary that divides it from Chile. The Pampas (grassy plains)

stretch from the Andes to the eastern border, until it hits Patagonia in the south, a plateau made up of plains without trees.

Iguazu Falls

Fast Facts


Capital: Santiago

Language: Spanish


Economy: Copper (*33% of the

world’s copper comes from Chile)

Chile

MAJOR LANDFORMS Chile extends like a ribbon down the west coast of South America. From the dry, but copper-rich Atacama Desert to the Andes Mountains, this

elongated country is wedged between the deepest ocean (the Pacific) and the longest mountain chain (the Andes). Mountains cover 80 percent of

Chile.

Chile is a tectonically unstable region, meaning it is prone to having earthquakes. It is also located along a highly seismic and volcanic zone, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The central area is the most populated

region of the country. These coastal plains are wide and allow the establishment of cities and ports along the Pacific, while Southern Chile is rich in forests, grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes.

CLIMATE The Atacama Deser is very dry. There are four seasons in most of the

country- a temperate climate. However, southern Chile includes glaciers, which is part of a very cold, subpolar climate.

Notice the Andes Mountains range on the eastern border, dividing Chile from Argentina. The Atacama Desert region overlaps

somewhat with the Andes. Notice the volcanoes located in the Andes. This area is part of the Andean Volcanic Belt.

Fast Facts


Capital: Brasília

Language: Portuguese


Economy: coffee, shoes,

soybeans

Brazil

MAJOR LANDFORMS Brazil consists of mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north, and some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt in the south. The Serra do Mar Range hugs the Atlantic coast, and the Serra do Espinhaco Range, the

largest in area, extends through the south-central part of the country. The Amazon Rainforest exists in the northern and northwestern part of Brazil. Likewise, the Amazon River runs west to east through the forest, emptying

into the Atlantic Ocean.

CLIMATE : mostly tropical (hot and humid), but temperate in south.

Notice the mountain ranges in eastern/southeastern Brazil. They run along the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon Rainforest exists in Northern Brazil. The Amazon River runs east and empties into

the Atlantic Ocean. Plains exists in-between.

Fast Facts


Capital: La Paz & Sucre

Language: Spanish, Quechua


Economy: mining, coffee,

soybeans

Bolivia

MAJOR LANDFORMS Bolivia is located in the central zone of South America. Bolivia can be

divided into three geographic regions: the mountainous Andean region in the southwest (Andes Mountains), the Sub-Andean region in the center

and south consisting of valleys and plains used for farming, and the Llanos region in the northeast. Northeast Brazil is made up of flat land and small

plateaus, all covered by extensive rainforests.

CLIMATE : varies with altitude; humid, hot, and tropical in the eastern region to cold and semiarid (dry) in the western Andes region.

Notice the Andes Mountains running through the southwestern part of Bolivia. The central and southeastern portion is mostly plains, and the northern part of Bolivia consists of rainforests, edged in by the river basins.

Fast Facts


Capital: Montevideo

Language: Spanish


Economy: Meat, rice, leather

products

Uruguay

MAJOR LANDFORMS Situated in southeastern South America, Uruguay consists mostly of low, rolling grasslands. Ranchers raise cattle and sheep on the well-watered

pastures. Uruguay consists of mostly rolling plains and low hills. Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast, and the eastern part of Uruguay is mostly wetlands. Through the center of Bolivia flows the Rio

Negro River, essentially dividing Uruguay in half.

CLIMATE : warm temperate

Temperature Map

Uruguay is mostly rolling plains, as depicted in the map. You can see the Rio Negro River (looks like a lake towards the middle of

the river), which generates hydroelectric power for Uruguay.

Fast Facts


Capital: Asunción

Language: Spanish


Economy: soybeans, cotton,

sugarcane

Paraguay

MAJOR LANDFORMS Paraguay contains grassy plains and wooded hills in the east. To the west

are mostly low, marshy plains. The Paraguay River runs south and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It is an important shipping and trade corridor, providing a much needed link to the Atlantic Ocean for the otherwise landlocked nations of Paraguay and Bolivia. Guaira Falls, a series of

immense waterfalls, is nestled on the border between Paraguay and Brazil.

CLIMATE : Paraguay has substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid (dry) in the far west. The overall climate ranges from subtropical (hot and humid) to temperate. Like most lands in the region,

Paraguay has only wet and dry periods.

Temperature Map

Guaira Falls

The entire country of Paraguay is covered by some type of plains. Notice how the Paraguay River divides Paraguay into two halves, forming the border with Argentina.

Fast Facts


Capital: Bogotá

Language: Spanish


Economy: oil, coffee, bananas

Colombia

MAJOR LANDFORMS Colombia is the only South American country with coastlines on both the

Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It is also part of the Ring of Fire, a region of the world subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The

Pacific coastal region and the Caribbean coastal region consists of flat lowlands (coastal plains). The Andes Mountains run through the western part of the country. East of the Andes, you will find that most of Colombia

is covered by plains. The eastern part of Colombia is covered by rainforests, the Amazon Rainforest region.

CLIMATE : tropical (hot and humid) along coasts and eastern plains; cooler

in highlands

Notice how the volcanoes run the same path as the Andes Mountains. This is part of what is called the

Andean Volcanic Belt.

The coastal areas consist of plains, as does the area between the Andes and

the rainforest region.

The Amazon Rainforest covers the southeastern

part of Colombia.

Major Volcanoes of Colombia

Fast Facts


Capital: Lima

Language: Spanish


Economy: coffee, gold, cocoa

Peru

MAJOR LANDFORMS Peru lies on the Pacific coast of South America just south of the Equator.

The Sechura Desert is located along the Pacific Ocean coast and inland to the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Running parallel with the desert lies the Andes Mountain Range. East of the Andes lies a wide expanse of flat terrain covered by the Amazon Rainforest. Over half of the country's area

is located within this region. Machu Picchu, a 15th century Inca site, is located in the Andes Mountains. It stands almost 8,000 feet above sea

level. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti.

CLIMATE : Tropical (hot and humid) in east (rainforests); dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in the Andes Mountain.

Machu Picchu

Notice how the Sechura Desert hugs the Pacific Coastline. The desert runs alongside the Andes Mountains as well. The eastern and northern portion of the country is covered by a vast flat terrain of rainforests.

Sechura Desert

Fast Facts


Capital: Quito

Language: Spanish, Quechua


Economy: oil, bananas, coffee

Ecuador

MAJOR LANDFORMS The coastal region of Ecuador is mostly low-lying plains in the western part of the country which runs along the Pacific Ocean. The center of Ecuador is dominated by the Andes Mountains. East Ecuador possesses part of the

Amazon Rainforest area, accounting for just under half of the country's total surface area. A series of volcanoes exist in the Andes Mountain

Range. This is called the Andean Volcanic Belt.

CLIMATE : tropical (hot and humid) along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations (Andes Mountains); tropical (hot and humid) in

Amazonian jungle lowlands.

Notice how the Andes Mountains divides the western coastal plains from the eastern rainforest area. Also, notice that the volcanoes follow the path of the Andes Mountains. This area is called the Andean Volcanic Belt.

Fast Facts

Population: 250,109

Capital: Cayenne

Language: French


(French Rule)

Economy: fishing, gold, timber

French Guiana

MAJOR LANDFORMS French Guiana consists of three main geographical regions. The coastal plains of the Atlantic Ocean are where the majority of the people live.

However, more than 90 percent of French Guiana is forested. South of the coastal plains exists a dense and near-inaccessible rainforest which

gradually rises to the modest peaks of the Tumuk-Humak Mountains. This smaller, tree-covered mountain range exists near the southern border of

French Guiana.

CLIMATE : mostly tropical (hot and humid)

Most of French Guiana is covered in either plains or rainforest. The plains are coastal, hugging the Pacific Ocean, and the

rainforest covers almost all of French Guiana. The small Tumuk-Humak Mountain Range is located near the southern border of

the country.

Tumuk-Humuk Mountains

Fast Facts

Population: 751,000

Capital: Georgetown

Language: English, Amerindian

dialects


Economy: sugarcane, gold

Guyana

MAJOR LANDFORMS Northeastern Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, where low coastal plains exist. Part of the tree-covered Pakaraima Mountain Range extends through part of western Guyana, which houses Kaieteur Falls, a waterfall

with a plunge four times greater than Niagara Falls. Tropical rainforest covers more than 80 percent of this English-speaking former British colony. The small southwestern portion is covered by a savanna, a flat grasslands

area (plains.)

CLIMATE : tropical (hot and humid)

rainforests

Most of Guyana is covered by tropical rainforests as depicted by the green on the large map. The light yellow represents a

savanna (grasslands) area. It is a type of plains region. The tan and purple on the map represents the coastal plains.

Tree-covered Pakaraima Mountain Range

Fast Facts

Population: 447,000

Capital: Paramaribo

Language: Dutch, English


Economy: gold, rice, bananas

Suriname

MAJOR LANDFORMS

Suriname can be divided into two main geographic regions. The northern, lowland coastal plains has been cultivated, and most of the population lives here. The southern part consists of tropical rainforest and sparsely inhabited savanna (plains) along the border with Brazil, covering about

80% of Suriname's land surface. There are two mountain ranges in Suriname, containing its highest peak, Juliana Top, at 4200 feet above sea

level.

CLIMATE : tropical (hot and humid)

The mountains are represented on the map by the tan color. The highest peak is Juliana Top (4200 feet above sea level.) The light

green color represents mountains covered by forests of trees. The green color represents tropical rainforests.

Fast Facts


Capital: Caracas

Language: Spanish


Economy: corn, sugarcane, oil

Venezuela

MAJOR LANDFORMS Northern Venezuela (coastal plains) borders the Atlantic Ocean. In the

northwest lies an extension of the Andes Mountains. Central Venezuela is characterized by flat plains that stretch across the entire country.

Southeast Venezuela is characterized by the Guiana Highlands. These highlands are actually a group of table-like, flat-topped mountains. The Guiana Highlands is also home to Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the

world.

CLIMATE : tropical (hot and humid), temperate near highlands

Notice the Andes Mountains Range in Northwest Venezuela.

The Guiana Highlands, located in southern Venezuela, are actually mountains.

The green on the map represents plains.

Angel Falls

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