Other mammals include several cats
(especially the jaguar and puma), deer,
bears, wolves, foxes, and raccoons.
Mammals such as monkeys, porcupines,
armadillos, anteaters, sloths, and a wide
variety of rats, mice, and bats live in the
rain forests. South America has more
than a thousand kinds of bird. Hummingbirds,
parrots, toucans, woodpeckers,
and raptors can be found in
different regions of the continent. The
Andean condor is one of the largest flying
birds. The Humboldt penguin is
found in several spots along the coasts.
There are also numerous types of fish
and reptile, including many lizards and
snakes.
People
Various groups of Native Americans, or
American Indians, were the continent’s
original inhabitants. Today the population
is a blend of several distinct groups:
Native American, European (mostly
Spanish and Portuguese), and African.
About 40 percent of the people in South
America are white. Another 40 percent
have mixed ancestry, either as mestizos
(of white and Indian descent) or mulattoes
(of black and white descent or black
and Indian descent).
Most South Americans speak Spanish or
Portuguese. Many Indian languages,
such as Quechua and Aymara, are also
spoken. In some areas people speak
English, French, or Dutch. Most South
Americans are Roman Catholic. In some
countries people blend Catholicism with
traditional elements from African and
Indian religions.
In general, children in South America
must attend primary school. However,
in some remote areas people do not have
access to schools. Nearly all South
American cities have hospitals, but doctors
and advanced medicines are not
always available. The greatest health
problems are in the rural districts, particularly
in the low plains and river valleys
of the tropics. There insects carry
diseases such as malaria, and impure
water is common. People who live in the
Misty spray rises from Iguacu Falls to create rainbows. The waterfalls are located on a
stretch of the Iguacu River along the border between Brazil and Argentina.
142 South America BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
crowded, poorer city neighborhoods also
have a higher risk of health problems.
Economy
For many years the economies of most
South American countries were not well
developed. Most people worked in agriculture,
and there was not much industry.
The countries also relied on foreign
aid. But in the late 1900s many South
American countries began to try to
improve their economies by increasing
manufacturing.
South America has great mineral wealth.
It has about one fifth of the world’s iron
ore. South America also has large quantities
of oil and natural gas. Copper, tin,
lead, and zinc are mined in the Andes.
Brazil mines many gems.
Agriculture is a large part of the South
American economy. Cattle and sheep are
raised throughout the continent. Argentina
is a leading exporter of beef. Farmers
also raise llamas and alpacas for their
wool. Coffee, cacao, sugarcane, pineapples,
and bananas grow in the tropical
and subtropical regions. Farther from
the equator, people grow corn, oranges,
wheat, and vegetables. But some countries
cannot produce enough food for
their people. Those countries must
import food.
Brazil is the leading manufacturing
country in South America. Factories in
Brazil and Argentina make cars and
trucks. Clothing is made in a number of
countries. Financial and business services
are vital to every country in South
America. Tourism has become increasingly
important.
A Peruvian farmer leads a llama. In the
Andes Mountains, especially in Bolivia,
Peru, and Ecuador, people raise llamas for
their wool.
Facts About
SOUTH AMERICA
Area
6,882,027 sq mi (17,824,370 sq km)
Population
(2008 estimate) 378,448,500
Largest Country by Area
Brazil: 3,287,612 sq mi (8,514,877 sq km)
Smallest Country by Area
Suriname: 63,251 sq mi (163,820 sq km)
Largest Country by Population
Brazil: (2008 estimate) 187,163,000
Smallest Country by Population
Suriname: (2008 estimate) 516,000
Largest Cities
Sao Paulo, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina;
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lima, Peru; Bogota,
Colombia
Longest River
Amazon River: 4,000 mi (6,400 km)
Largest Lake
Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela: 5,150 sq mi
(13,300 sq km)
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA South America 143
History
American Indians have lived in South
America for many thousands of years.
By about 2000 BC several groups had
societies with highly developed cultures.
By at least the AD 1400s, these had
developed into such large Indian groups
as the Inca of the Andes Mountains,
the Chibcha of Colombia, and the
Guarani of Paraguay. When the
Europeans came to South America, the
Inca Empire covered a large section of
the continent.
European exploration of the continent
began when Christopher Columbus
arrived in the north in 1498. In the early
1500s Spanish and Portuguese sailors
began exploring—and then taking
over—large areas of the continent. The
Portuguese gradually took possession of
what is now Brazil. The Spanish claimed
the rest of the continent. They ruled
over the Native Americans. The Spanish
forced them to mine for gold and silver
and to work the land. Huge numbers of
