South America is the fourth largest continent of the world. It is the southern portion of American landmass and lies mainly in the Tropics. The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean borders it on the east and the west respectively.
Towards the north lies the Caribbean Sea. It extends from the Caribbean Sea on the north to Cape Horn in the south. Its maximum width is 5,160 km and it tapers towards the south and forms a peninsular.
South America can be divided into 3 major natural regions (each of which contains many sub-regions). The highest point of South America is Aconcaqua, which is also the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.
The major physical regions are:
- The Andes Mountains
are the second highest mountain range in the world. They lie on the western margin of the continent and are aligned in the north-south direction.
These mountains are tectonically active.
- The South American Eastern Highlands
Highlands lie on the eastern side of the continent. These highlands belong to the older geologic period almost of the same time as that of the Appalachian Highlands. They are divided into north and the south sections. The northern one is known as Guiana Highlands and the southern is the Brazilian Highlands. |
- The Plains
lowland that lie in between the two highlands. These plains are drained by the might River Amazon (Rio Amazona) in the north and river Paraguay-Paraná in the south. The Amazon flows through the thick equatorial evergreen forest. The Paraguay-Parana basin covers the fertile plains of Pampas.
