Where ends the narrow isthmus of Central America , South America begins . Being the fourth largest continent of the planet , South America has a large variety of landscapes and natural systems . There are mountains , forests , plains and deserts , but over all this long dominated by the Andes mountain range and the giant Amazon river basin . Stretching from north to south across the continent , the Andes are the longest mountain range in the world, second only to the height of the Himalayas . Great many tributaries, the streams and rivers - flows into the Amazon, which carries its waters across the continent to the shores of the Atlantic , forming the Brazilian Amazon Basin arrays humid equatorial forests.Initially, South America was inhabited by tribes of Indians. Today on its territory are 12 independent countries : Colombia , Peru , Venezuela , Ecuador , Bolivia , Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay , Guyana and Suriname, and French Guiana - France -dependent country . In the 16th century , Brazil was a colony of Portugal, and the rest of the continent was dominated by the Spanish.Climate of the continent is changing - from hot equatorial zone in the north, near the equator - with separate cold areas in the highlands - to Frosty the polar regions in the extreme south , where close to the ice of Antarctica.South America - one of the two continents of the Earth, which crosses the equator . Unlike the African equator crosses the northern part of the continent . Continent is entirely in the Western Hemisphere . From the west mainland bordering the Pacific Ocean, in the east - the Atlantic . Closer to the other continents of South America is North America . Separates the mainland from Antarctica Drake Passage .In South America, the highest waterfall is Angel . This highest waterfall in the world ( 979m. ) on the river falls from the plateau Churun tepuis known as " Devil's Mountain." Its name from the waterfall was American James Angel , whose plane crash suffered here in 1937. Amazing Amazon overflowing rain water ( falls each year from 2650 to 3000 mm of rainfall ) , the Amazon River into the Atlantic Ocean brings hourly 643 billion liters of water. The river begins its journey in the Peruvian Andes and flows through the Amazon Basin , which occupies 40 percent of the entire territory of Brazil. There are several million species of plants and animals - more than half of the species of flora and fauna of the whole earth . There are many unusual exotic animals : hummingbirds , sloths , jaguars , piranhas ...Animals of South America : marine iguanas , giant tortoise , chinchilla , cougar , rhea ostrich , armadillo , llama, caiman , anteater , ocelot , macaw , capybara , capybara , tapir , monkey, condor , toucan , sloth , anaconda . In the Andean highlands llamas , chinchillas and condors live in the rarefied air containing little oxygen . climateSouth America - the wettest continent. This feature is explained by the combined effect of climate climatic factors . Equator crosses the continent in the northern part , and to him about the trade winds converge
Amazing Amazon overflowing rain water ( falls each year from 2650 to 3000 mm of rainfall ) , the Amazon River into the Atlantic Ocean brings hourly 643 billion liters of water. The river begins its journey in the Peruvian Andes and flows through the Amazon Basin , which occupies 40 percent of the entire territory of Brazil. There are several million species of plants and animals - more than half of the species of flora and fauna of the whole earth . There are many unusual exotic animals : hummingbirds , sloths , jaguars , piranhas ...Animals of South America : marine iguanas , giant tortoise , chinchilla , cougar , rhea ostrich , armadillo , llama, caiman , anteater , ocelot , macaw , capybara , capybara , tapir , monkey, condor , toucan , sloth , anaconda . In the Andean highlands llamas , chinchillas and condors live in the rarefied air containing little oxygen .
climateSouth America - the wettest continent. This feature is explained by the combined effect of climate climatic factors . Equator crosses the continent in the northern part , and to him about the trade winds converge