There are 12 independent countries in South America, the fourth largest continent in terms of land area after North America, Africa, and Asia.
It also has five territories under an independent country. As of 2016, the population of South America was put at 422.5 million. The continent has a rich biodiversity, making it unique among the world’s continents.
Languages:
Major languages across South America are Dutch, French, Guaraní, Portuguese, Spanish, English, Mapudungun, Quechua, Aymara and other languages
It houses the Amazon (the world’s largest river) and also the Atacama Desert (the world’s driest place.
It extends from the Gulf of Darién in the northwest to the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego in the south.
Regions:
South America has an extreme geographic variation which contributes to its large number of biomes (a community of plants and animals that spreads over an area with a relatively uniform climate).
That said, the fourth largest continent can be divided into three physical regions: 1) River basins, 2) coastal plains, and 3) mountains and highlands.
Timezone:
Unlike the United States where Pacific Standard Time (PST) and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) are used, in South America, five standard time zones apply:
- UTC – 5;
- UTC – 4;
- UTC – 4:30;
- UTC – 3
- UTC – 2.
Part of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru use UTC-5 while another part of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Paraguay use UTC-4.
Again, another part of Brazil Argentina and Uruguay use the UTC-3 while the standard time in Venezuela is UTC-4:30
Others include several islands off the east coast of Brazil plus the twenty-one islands in the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha that use UTC-2 standard time.
According to time temperature, Easter Island, a special territory of Chile and the Galapagos Islands (a part of Ecuador) use UT -6 standard time.
So…
What are the countries in South America?
The countries are:
- Argentina
- Suriname
- Colombia
- Paraguay
- Venezuela
- Ecuador
- Uruguay
- Chile
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Guyana
Territories of South America:
Apart from the above 12 politically independent countries, South America also houses six territories, viz:
- Falkland Islands (UK)
- Bouvet Island (Norway)
- South Georgia (UK)
- Nueva Esparta (Venezuela)
- South Sandwich Islands (UK)
- French Guinea (France)
Currencies of the South American Countries
| Country | Legal tender | Symbol or Sign |
| Argentina | Argentine peso | $ |
| Suriname | Surinamese dollar | $ |
| Colombia | Colombian peso | COL$ |
| Paraguay | Guaraní | ₲ |
| Venezuela | Bolívar | Bs or VEF or VEB |
| Ecuador | Sucre | S/ |
| Uruguay | Uruguayan peso | $, $U |
| Chile | Chilean peso | $ |
| Peru | Sol | S/ |
| Bolivia | Boliviano | Bs |
| Brazil | Brazilian real | R$ |
| Guyana | Guyanese dollar | $, G$, GY$ |
Currencies of the South Ameria territories:
1) The Pound is the currency of the Falkland Islands. It uses the FK£ to distinguish it from other pound-denominated currencies.
2) Bouvet Island: Norwegian krone is the official currency with the sign NOK
3) South Georgia: Lari is the legal tender Georgia
4) Bolívar is oficial currency of Nueva Esparta
5) South Sandwich Islands uses Pound sterling, Falkland Islands pound as official currencies
Of all the countries listed above, Ecuador, Paraguay, Colombia, Chile, and British Guiana (Guyana) have the weakest currencies on the South American continent.
References:
- Featured Image by Infoplease.com
- Time Temperature. “South America Time Zones – Current Time”. timetemperature.com. Retrieved February 26, 2022
