World Knowledge Series---South America

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Publish Date: 2007-02-01
Features: South America is the shortened name for the Southern part of the Americas, located in the western hemisphere, with the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The land is separated from North America by the Panama Canal, and it faces Antarctica across the sea to the south. The total area of South America is 17.97 million square kilometers (including nearby islands), accounting for 12% of the world's total land area. Its population is 325 million, approximately 5.6% of the world's total population.
South America has a coastline of 28,700 kilometers. The coastline is relatively straight, with few islands and bays.
The terrain of the South American continent can be divided into three north-south longitudinal zones: the western part is a narrow Andes Mountains range, the eastern part is a rolling plateau, and the central part is a vast, flat plain. The Andes Mountains stretch 9,000 kilometers, making it the longest mountain range in the world, with Aconcagua Peak reaching 6,960 meters, the highest peak in South America. The eastern part consists of the Brazilian Plateau, Guiana Plateau, and Patagonian Plateau, among which the Brazilian Plateau covers 5 million square kilometers, making it the largest plateau in the world. The central part includes the Orinoco Plain, Amazon Plain, and La Plata Plain, which is the largest alluvial plain in the world.
Most of South America has a tropical rainforest and tropical highland climate, characterized by warmth and humidity. The river systems of South America are divided by the Andes Mountains: rivers in the west are mostly short and swift, flowing directly into the Pacific Ocean; rivers in the east are long, with numerous tributaries, abundant water flow, and vast basins. Among them, the Amazon River has more than 20 tributaries exceeding 1,000 kilometers, making it the river with the largest water flow and basin area in the world. The rivers have many waterfalls, including Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, and Iguazu Falls, the world's largest waterfall. South America has few lakes, with the largest being Lake Titicaca and Lake Maracaibo.