South America

Author: Zhou Min, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: South America is a shortened name for the Southern part of the Americas, located in the southern hemisphere. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and faces Antarctica across the Drake Passage. Generally, it is separated from North America by the Panama Canal. The continent extends from Branco Point (34°46′W, 7°09′S) in the east to Cape Froward (71°18′W, 53°54′S) in the south, from Parinas Point (81°20′W, 4°41′S) in the west to Cape Guayas (71°40′W, 12°28′N) in the north. It covers an area of approximately 17.97 million square kilometers (including nearby islands), accounting for about 12% of the world's total land area. Politically and geographically, the region of South America, along with Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean region (West Indies), which is south of the United States, is also referred to as Latin America. Latin America covers an area of over 20.7 million square kilometers (including nearby islands), accounting for about 13.8% of the world's total land area.
Natural Environment: The terrain of the South American continent is divided into three north-south longitudinal belts: the western region is a narrow Andes Mountains, the eastern region is a rolling plateau, and the central region is a vast plain and lowland. The Andes Mountains belong to the southern part of the Cordillera system and are a series of high, folded mountains extending north-south, closely adjacent to the Pacific coast, with a very narrow coastal plain. The Andes are composed of several parallel ranges, with the section extending through Peru, Chile, and Bolivia being the widest, stretching about 400 kilometers from east to west. The total length of the Andes is approximately 9,000 kilometers, making it the longest mountain range in the world and one of the highest mountain systems. Most of its peaks exceed 3,000 meters in elevation, with many exceeding 6,000 meters. Aconcagua in Argentina, at 6,960 meters, is the highest peak in South America. The Andes region is part of the eastern Pacific volcanic and seismic belt. Yunque, at 6,723 meters, is the highest active volcano in the world. The eastern part of South America features the vast Brazilian Plateau and the Guiana Plateau, with the Brazilian Plateau being the largest plateau in the world, covering over 5 million square kilometers. The plain between the western mountains and eastern plateau extends from north to south, including the Orinoco Plain, the Amazon Plain, and the La Plata Plain. The Amazon Plain, covering about 5.6 million square kilometers, is the largest alluvial plain in the world, with a flat terrain and an average elevation below 200 meters. The drainage system of South America is divided by the Andes Mountains of the Cordillera system, with the eastern and western regions belonging to the Atlantic and Pacific water systems, respectively. Due to the mountain system being located on the western side of the continent, the Pacific water system has short and swift rivers, most of which flow directly into the sea. The rivers of the Atlantic system are generally long, with numerous tributaries and abundant water flow. Among them, the Amazon River, with its source in the Ucayali River, is one of the most famous long rivers in the world, stretching 6,480 kilometers. The Amazon basin covers 7.05 million square kilometers, with an average annual discharge of 120,000 cubic meters per second at the mouth, making it the largest river basin in terms of area and flow rate in the world, as well as the second-longest river after the Nile. It has more than 20 tributaries exceeding 1,000 kilometers in length. The interior drainage areas are mainly distributed in the Puna (desert plateau) of western South America and the northwestern part of Argentina. Except for the southernmost region, most of South America remains ice-free year-round. The rivers of the Patagonian Plateau primarily rely on snowmelt for their water source, with the highest flow rates between October and December. The rivers in southern Chile primarily rely on glacier meltwater, with the highest flow rates in summer. The rivers in central Chile primarily rely on rainfall, with the highest flow rates in winter. The rivers in northern Chile and southern Peru primarily rely on groundwater, with the highest flow rates between January and March. In other regions, rivers almost entirely depend on rainfall, with the highest flow rates during the warm season. Almost all major rivers experience a flood season of 3-6 months during the rainy season. South America has fewer lakes but more waterfalls. Angel Falls, with a drop of 979 meters, is the world's highest waterfall. The central Andean region's Puna (desert plateau) area has many tectonic lakes, such as Lake Titicaca and Lake Poopó. The Patagonian Plateau in the south has glacial lakes, while the interior drainage areas have inland salt marshes. Lake Maracaibo at the northwestern tip of South America is the largest lake in the continent. South America lies between 13°N and 57°S latitude, with the equator passing through its northern part. Most of the region has a tropical rainforest and tropical grassland climate. The Amazon Plain in the north, due to its low latitude and influence from sea breezes, has average monthly temperatures around 26°C, characteristic of a tropical rainforest climate. The Masi Plateau and Guiana Plateau on both sides of the Amazon Plain experience high temperatures and heavy rainfall in summer, with dry winters except in coastal areas, typical of a tropical grassland climate. The coastal areas of central Chile have a Mediterranean climate with a subtropical influence. South America is a continent renowned for its humidity, with abundant rainfall during the warm season and relatively small desert areas compared to other continents. Due to the influence of the northeastern trade winds, southeastern trade winds, tropical hurricanes, and the presence of the westerlies in the southwestern region, the northern and southwestern coastal areas, as well as windward slopes, receive more rainfall. The Orinoco River basin, the southern part of the Amazon River, and the eastern part of the Andes Mountains are in the warm-season precipitation zone, where the northeastern corner of the Brazilian Plateau receives only about 500 millimeters of annual precipitation, while other areas receive 1,000-3,000 millimeters. The northwestern part of Colombia, Ecuador, northern Peru, the northwestern Amazon Plain, and the Guiana Plateau are in the fully rainy tropical precipitation zone, with an average annual precipitation of 2,000-3,000 millimeters. The Parana Plateau and Pampas (grassland) are in the subtropical precipitation zone, with relatively uniform monthly precipitation, slightly higher in summer, and an average annual precipitation of 500-2,000 millimeters. The southern coastal areas of Chile are in the temperate precipitation zone, with relatively uniform monthly precipitation but slightly higher in winter, and an average annual precipitation of 2,000-5,000 millimeters, making it one of the areas with the highest precipitation in the world. The upper Patagonian Plateau is in the temperate autumn precipitation zone, with an average annual precipitation of less than 250 millimeters due to the mountain range blocking moisture from the west and the influence of the Patagonian strong winds. The central coastal areas of Chile are in the Mediterranean winter precipitation zone, with an average annual precipitation of 500-1,000 millimeters. The northern coastal areas of Chile and southern coastal areas of Peru receive less than 50 millimeters of average annual precipitation due to their location on the leeward slopes and the influence of the Peru Current.
Natural Resources: South America is rich in mineral resources, with most of the 20+ important mineral raw materials required for modern industry known to be present. These include petroleum, iron, various iron alloy elements, non-ferrous metals, precious metals, as well as nitrate, industrial-grade natural crystal, and mica. Among these, the petroleum and natural gas of Venezuela, the iron, manganese, and natural crystal of the Brazilian Plateau, the bauxite in the northeastern part of the Guiana Plateau in Suriname, and the copper, nitrate in the Andes Mountains hold particular significance. Other minerals such as bismuth, antimony, silver, beryllium, sulfur, tin, mercury, platinum, lithium, uranium, vanadium, zircon, thorium, and diamonds are also abundant in reserves. Additionally, the continent has abundant forest resources, covering about 51.5% of the continent's total area. The Amazon Plain and the lowland slopes near the equator in the Andes Mountains are home to the world's largest tropical rainforests, rich in various valuable tropical trees such as mahogany, sandalwood, aloe vera, kapok, Brazilian teak, balsam, and rosewood. The coastal waters of South America are extremely rich in marine resources. The northern coastal areas of Chile and the southeastern coastal areas of Brazil are famous for their tuna, while the coastal areas of Peru are renowned for their fish. The coastal areas of Chile produce sardines, cod, and whales, while the coastal areas of Brazil and Argentina are rich in sea bass, mullet, flounder, herring, and cod. The coastal areas of Peru and Brazil are two major fishing grounds in South America.
Economic Overview: The levels of economic development and strength vary greatly among the countries of South America. Brazil and Argentina are the most developed countries, along with Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, and Peru, which together account for over 90% of the continent's GDP. The modern economies of these countries are highly concentrated in a few major cities or coastal areas, with mountainous and remote regions lagging in economic development. Mining is a traditional industrial sector in South America. The extraction of gold, silver, copper, and tin has a long history, and the production of many minerals ranks among the highest in the world. Chile's copper and nitrate, Bolivia's tin and antimony, Brazil's iron and manganese, and Venezuela's crude oil production are among the world's leaders or hold significant positions. Venezuela's crude oil production accounts for about 6% of the world's total, silver accounts for 10%, and copper, antimony, and tin ore production each accounts for about 15% of the world's total. Manufacturing is the fastest-growing sector in the South American economy, with significant strength in steel, automotive, chemical, rubber, electrical, metal products, and machinery industries. Brazil's steel production and automotive output have entered the ranks of major global producers. Light industry is the backbone of manufacturing in most South American countries, with meat processing, sugar refining, beverage production, leather, textiles, clothing, and footwear being particularly developed. South America has vast land and favorable water and heat conditions, making it has great potential for agricultural production. About 43% of the continent's population is engaged in agriculture. The region is known for its production of sugarcane, bananas, coffee, cocoa, rubber, quinine, sisal, and cassava, among other tropical and subtropical agricultural products, with yields ranking among the world's highest. Brazil's coffee, banana, and cassava production are among the world's top, while its cocoa production ranks third in the world. Brazil's sisal production also holds significant importance. Peru's fish catch, fish meal, and fish oil production, as well as Argentina's meat production, are among the world's leaders.