Introduction
South America is the fourth largest continent in the world. The continent occupies 12% of the world’s land
area and has 6% of world’s population. The continent lies in the western hemisphere. South America is known for having the extremes of natural features and phenomena. For instance, it has the wettest region like the equatorial region, the driest deserts like the Atacama, the highest water fall known as Angel’s fall, the densest forest like the tropical rainforest, etc. For this reason, South America is often referred to as the “land of extremes”.
Location
South America lies between 12°N to 55°S latitudes. The Equator passes through the northern part of the continent. The tropic of Capricorn passes a little south of the middle of South America. It is bounded by the Caribbean Sea in the northwest and north, the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast, east and southeast, and the Pacific Ocean in the west. It is joined to North America by the Isthmus of Panama in the northwest.
Physical Features
There are three main geographical division of South America on the basis of physical features:
a. The Andes
b. The Central Lowlands
c. The Eastern Highlands
a. The Andes
The Andes Mountains are the second highest fold mountains, after Himalayas and were formed 10 to 15 million years ago. The Andes constitutes the western mountains of South America. The Andes is the longest chain of unbroken mountains in the world and forms a continuous chain from Venezuela in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. It stretches for about 7,000 kilometres running almost parallel to the west coast. It is higher in the north than in the south and slopes gently towards the west. On the western side of the Central Andes mountain range, there lies the driest place in the world, the Atacama Desert. Many mountain peaks lying in this mountain range are 6,000 m above the sea level. Mount Aconcagua (6,959 m), the highest mountain peak of South America lies in Argentina. In between the mountain ranges lie several plateaus. Lake Titicaca, the largest and the world’s highest fresh water navigable lake lies here. There are many volcanoes in this mountain range with occasional earthquakes.
b. The Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands extend from the Andes in the west to the Eastern Highlands in the east. This area is drained mostly by three large rivers-the Orinoco, the Amazon and the La Plata river system comprising of Paraguay-Parana, and Uruguay Rivers. The Orinoco river basin in the north between the Guiana Highlands and Amazon basin is a fertile land with the alluvial soil brought down by the rivers flowing from the Andes. This region is covered by tropical grassland called the Llanos. The Amazon and its source in the Andes which is located in the rainy equatorial region is the largest river in the world. The Amazon basin is also the largest river basin in the world. This basin is covered with rich evergreen equatorial forests, also called the Selvas. These forests are of great economic value. South of the Parana River lies the vast temperate grassland called the Pampas. This region is well known for agriculture and animal rearing. To the south of Pampas lies the desert of Patagonia.
c. The Eastern Highlands
Located in the eastern part of the continent, the eastern highlands consists of two highlands, namely, the Guiana Highland in the north and Brazilian highland in the north-east. The Guiana Highlands are situated north of the Amazon basin, and are lower than the Brazilian Highlands. These regions receive lot of rainfall and are heavily forested. The Brazilian Highlands extend from the Amazon region to south-eastern Brazil. Mt. Pico da Bandeira (2,890 m) is the highest peak of this region. These highlands are older than the Andes, and composed of ancient rocks, which have been worn down due to prolonged erosion. The highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls (979 m) lies in Guiana highland in Venezuela.
Rivers
The three major rivers of South America are:
1. The Orinoco River: It lies in the north between the Andes and the Guiana highlands.
2. The Amazon River (6,437 km): It is the largest river in the world in terms of volume of water. The wide mouth of the Amazon provides an excellent waterway from the ocean to the interior of the continent.
3. The La Plata River System: It is formed by three important rivers, namely, Paraguay, Parana and Uruguay Rivers. The Paraguay River crosses the Bolivian hills and merges into Parana River which together empties into the La Plata. The Uruguay flows east of Parana and joins the La Plata River System.
Climate
South America extends over a wide range of latitudes and therefore exhibits a wide range of climates. Apart from the wide latitudinal extent, South America is narrow in the south, whereas, wider in the north, above the equator. Therefore, most parts of South America lie in the tropical zone. It has a wide variety of climates. The areas around Amazon basin have hot and wet climate throughout the year. The coastal area has a mild climate due to the influence of sea, ocean currents and wind directions. However, most part of the continent has a warm climate throughout the year. The higher altitude of Andes Mountain is cold all the year around.
Natural Vegetation
Due to the varied climate experienced by different parts of South America, natural vegetation is also diverse. The Amazon Basin area of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru experiencing hot, wet equatorial climate has
thick equatorial rainforest. The vegetation comprises of evergreen hardwood trees and thick undergrowth.
The Orinoco basin in the north and the Brazilian plateau in the south have a similar kind of climate. This is also called tropical wet, dry or Savanna type. This area is characterized by the tropical grassland
called Llanos in Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela and Campos in Brazil. The north eastern parts of Argentina andUruguay experience temperate climate. The vegetation in this region comprises of
temperate grassland called Pampas. The grasslands are used for growing wheat and rearing cattle.
South America is the fourth largest continent in the world. The continent occupies 12% of the world’s land
area and has 6% of world’s population. The continent lies in the western hemisphere. South America is known for having the extremes of natural features and phenomena. For instance, it has the wettest region like the equatorial region, the driest deserts like the Atacama, the highest water fall known as Angel’s fall, the densest forest like the tropical rainforest, etc. For this reason, South America is often referred to as the “land of extremes”.
Location
South America lies between 12°N to 55°S latitudes. The Equator passes through the northern part of the continent. The tropic of Capricorn passes a little south of the middle of South America. It is bounded by the Caribbean Sea in the northwest and north, the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast, east and southeast, and the Pacific Ocean in the west. It is joined to North America by the Isthmus of Panama in the northwest.
Physical Features
There are three main geographical division of South America on the basis of physical features:
a. The Andes
b. The Central Lowlands
c. The Eastern Highlands
a. The Andes
The Andes Mountains are the second highest fold mountains, after Himalayas and were formed 10 to 15 million years ago. The Andes constitutes the western mountains of South America. The Andes is the longest chain of unbroken mountains in the world and forms a continuous chain from Venezuela in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. It stretches for about 7,000 kilometres running almost parallel to the west coast. It is higher in the north than in the south and slopes gently towards the west. On the western side of the Central Andes mountain range, there lies the driest place in the world, the Atacama Desert. Many mountain peaks lying in this mountain range are 6,000 m above the sea level. Mount Aconcagua (6,959 m), the highest mountain peak of South America lies in Argentina. In between the mountain ranges lie several plateaus. Lake Titicaca, the largest and the world’s highest fresh water navigable lake lies here. There are many volcanoes in this mountain range with occasional earthquakes.
b. The Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands extend from the Andes in the west to the Eastern Highlands in the east. This area is drained mostly by three large rivers-the Orinoco, the Amazon and the La Plata river system comprising of Paraguay-Parana, and Uruguay Rivers. The Orinoco river basin in the north between the Guiana Highlands and Amazon basin is a fertile land with the alluvial soil brought down by the rivers flowing from the Andes. This region is covered by tropical grassland called the Llanos. The Amazon and its source in the Andes which is located in the rainy equatorial region is the largest river in the world. The Amazon basin is also the largest river basin in the world. This basin is covered with rich evergreen equatorial forests, also called the Selvas. These forests are of great economic value. South of the Parana River lies the vast temperate grassland called the Pampas. This region is well known for agriculture and animal rearing. To the south of Pampas lies the desert of Patagonia.
c. The Eastern Highlands
Located in the eastern part of the continent, the eastern highlands consists of two highlands, namely, the Guiana Highland in the north and Brazilian highland in the north-east. The Guiana Highlands are situated north of the Amazon basin, and are lower than the Brazilian Highlands. These regions receive lot of rainfall and are heavily forested. The Brazilian Highlands extend from the Amazon region to south-eastern Brazil. Mt. Pico da Bandeira (2,890 m) is the highest peak of this region. These highlands are older than the Andes, and composed of ancient rocks, which have been worn down due to prolonged erosion. The highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls (979 m) lies in Guiana highland in Venezuela.
Rivers
The three major rivers of South America are:
1. The Orinoco River: It lies in the north between the Andes and the Guiana highlands.
2. The Amazon River (6,437 km): It is the largest river in the world in terms of volume of water. The wide mouth of the Amazon provides an excellent waterway from the ocean to the interior of the continent.
3. The La Plata River System: It is formed by three important rivers, namely, Paraguay, Parana and Uruguay Rivers. The Paraguay River crosses the Bolivian hills and merges into Parana River which together empties into the La Plata. The Uruguay flows east of Parana and joins the La Plata River System.
Climate
South America extends over a wide range of latitudes and therefore exhibits a wide range of climates. Apart from the wide latitudinal extent, South America is narrow in the south, whereas, wider in the north, above the equator. Therefore, most parts of South America lie in the tropical zone. It has a wide variety of climates. The areas around Amazon basin have hot and wet climate throughout the year. The coastal area has a mild climate due to the influence of sea, ocean currents and wind directions. However, most part of the continent has a warm climate throughout the year. The higher altitude of Andes Mountain is cold all the year around.
Natural Vegetation
Due to the varied climate experienced by different parts of South America, natural vegetation is also diverse. The Amazon Basin area of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru experiencing hot, wet equatorial climate has
thick equatorial rainforest. The vegetation comprises of evergreen hardwood trees and thick undergrowth.
The Orinoco basin in the north and the Brazilian plateau in the south have a similar kind of climate. This is also called tropical wet, dry or Savanna type. This area is characterized by the tropical grassland
called Llanos in Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela and Campos in Brazil. The north eastern parts of Argentina andUruguay experience temperate climate. The vegetation in this region comprises of
temperate grassland called Pampas. The grasslands are used for growing wheat and rearing cattle.
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