Class VI : South America - Location, Political Divisions and Physical Features

South America - Location, Political Division and Physical Features

Facts about South America

• South America is the fourth largest continent in the world.
• South America is also known as Latin America along with Mexico and the countries of Central America.
• It is connected with North America by a narrow stretch of land called Isthmus of Panama.
• the southernmost point of South America is Cape Horn.
• The southern part of the continent is very close to Antarctica. 

Location of South America

• Latitudes: It extends between 13°N and 55°S
• Longitudes: It extends between longitudes 35°W and 81°W
• South America is surrounded by water bodies on all four sides, the Atlantic ocean in the East, the Pacific ocean in the West, the Caribbean sea in the North.
• In the south, the Strait of Magellan separates the main continent from the island of the Tierra del Fuego.
• Most of South America lies within the Tropic of Capricorn.
• The Equator passes through the northern part of the continent.
• There are some well-known islands off the coast of South America. Some of the islands in the Pacific oceans are South Georgia, Trinidad, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and the Galapagos.

Discovery and Exploration

1. The year 1498: Christopher Columbus explored the northern coastline of South America.
2. 16th Century: Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro arrived in South America to find the treasure and conquer this rich land.
3. Incas were the native people of South America. With the help of superior weapons and military tactics, Pizarro’s army conquered Inca Empire. But the traditions of Incas lived on.
4. 16th Century: A Portuguese explorer and navigator Pedro Alvares Cabral discovered Brazil.
5. The colonies of Spain in South America got their independence in the first half of the 19th Century.

Political Divisions

• There are 13 countries in the mainland of South America. 
• Different forms of Government found in South America are - presidential, federal, democratic and dictatorship
• Chile and Brazil are the largest democratic countries in South America continent.
• The two main languages spoken in South America are Spanish and Portuguese.
• Brazil is the largest country in the South America continent.

Physical Features
The continent of South America can be divided into four physical features

1. Western coastal strip
2. Central Plains
3. Western mountains
4. The Eastern Highlands

Western Coastal Strip :

• The Western Coastal Strip lies between the Andes mountains and the Pacific ocean all the way from northern part of the continent down to the south.
• It is widest in the northern parts. 
• Atacama Desert : 
• The Atacama Desert also lies in this Western Coastal Strip.
• It is one of the driest deserts in the world: Why ?  
• 
• Atacama desert is located at a high altitude of 2500 m from sea level where the air is dry.
• Also, the Andes mountains run along the Atacama desert acting as the natural barrier between the coastal desert on one side and the Amazon forest on the other side. It blocks all the moisture from Amazon. 
• Therefore Atacama desert is the driest desert in the world.
• The middle and the northern part of the desert run along the Pacific coastline of Chile and the remaining part runs into Peru.

Western Mountains :

• The Western mountains are also known as the Andes mountains.
• These are the continuation of the North American Western Cordilleras.
• The Andes mountains:  Facts
• These are the young fold mountains.
• Length of the Andes mountains is 7,2,42km.
• These mountains pass through seven countries in South America, namely, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela
• The Andes mountains are the longest mountain ranges in the world.
• The Andes are the second highest mountains in the world.
• The highest peak in the Southern Hemisphere is Mount Aconcagua in Chile (6,962 m). They dominated the life of the native Incan society in South America. Its peaks were worshiped as gods.
• These mountains create a natural barrier between coastal desert on one side and the forests on the other side.
• The Andes continue under the South Atlantic Ocean and emerge in the continent of Antarctica as the Trans-Antarctic Mountains.
• The snow-capped mountains have deep gorges.
• These are the three chains of mountains.
• There are many active volcanos like Ojos Del Salado, Chimborazo and Cotopaxi.
• The widest part of the Andes mountains is in Bolivia and Peru with several plateaus and basins between them.
• Altiplano is an enormous plateau located at an altitude of about 6000 m. It has the highest lake in South America - Lake Titicaca.
• The entire region of Andes mountains is prone to earthquakes and is volcanic in nature. Therefore it is a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Central Plains :

• The central plains are also called as Central Lowlands.
• They are found between the Eastern Highlands and the Andes mountains.
• These plains consist  of three river basins, the Orinoco Basin, the Amazon Basin and the La Plata River Basin,
• All these three rivers drain into Atlantic ocean.

1. The Orinoco Basin 
• The Orinoco basin is in the North part of South America.
• It is drained by the Orinoco river. 
• The source of the Orinoco river is in the Guiana Highlands and it flows into the Atlantic ocean.
• The Orinoco river crosses the Llanos of Venezuela. It is a navigable river.
• The basin is covered with tropical grasslands called Llanos which means plains.
2. The Amazon Basin
• The Amazon basin is drained by the Amazon river and its many tributaries.
• The Amazon river is the largest river in terms of volume of water and is the second longest river in the world after the Nile. 
• It originates in Peru.
• Smaller ships can travel all the way to Iquitos in Peru.
• The Amazon basin is an area of rainforests called Selvas. Mostly hardwood trees are found in this rainforest.
3. The La Plata River Basin

• This is wild, fertile basin in the south part of South America.
• It is drained by three rivers, the Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay.
• These rivers flow into the estuary (tidal mouth of the large river) Rio de la Plata, the widest estuary in the world on the southeastern coast of South America.
• The region at the north of this basin is called the Gran Chaco.
• The central area consists of miles of flat grasslands of Argentina called the Pampas.
• Below the Pampas are the drier regions of Patagonia which is called as Patagonian Plateau. 
• The Patagonian Desert is a part of the plateau. 

Eastern Highlands :

•  The eastern highland can be divided into

1. The Guiana highlands: These highlands lie to the North of the Amazon.  The highest waterfall - the Angel Falls is located in this highlands.
2. The Brazilian Highland: These highlands lie in the south-east.
3. The Patagonian Plateau:  this plateau lies close to the Andes mountains in the South.

• These highlands are composed of old rocks that contain important minerals.
• They are lesser in height than the high mountains in the west because of the effect of erosion over centuries. 

Rivers in South America

1. The Amazon River : 
• The Amazon river is the largest river in terms of volume of water and is the second longest river in the world after the Nile. 
• It is the largest river in South America.
• It originates in Peru.
• It has more than 1,000 tributaries.
• Rising high in the Andes mountains it irrigates almost half of the continent.
• Smaller ships can travel all the way to Iquitos in Peru.
2. The Orinoco River : 
• It is one of the longest rivers in South America.
• It flows like a giant arc from Colombia and Venezuela all the way to the Atlantic ocean.

Lakes in South America

• Lake Titicaca:
• It is the highest lake in the world
• It is the largest lake in South America in terms of volume of water.
• It is situated between Peru and Bolivia.
• It consists of two parts that almost look like two different lakes.
• Lake Maracaibo:

• It has a larger surface area. 
• It is connected to the Caribbean sea via the Gulf of Venezuela. Therefore, technically it is a bay rather than a lake.
• Lake Licancabur:

• It is the highest lake in the world. It is crater lake.
• It is situated in Chile, near the border with Bolivia.

Differences :

Atacama Desert	Patagonia Desert
Atacama Desert lies in this Western Coastal Strip.	Patagonia desert lies in Central Plains. The Patagonian Desert is a part of the Patagonian plateau.
Andes mountain runs along the Atacama desert	This desert lies close to the Andes mountain in the south.
This is the driest desert in the world.	This is less dry than the Atacama desert.

River Amazon	River Orinoco
It is the largest river in South America.	It is the longest river in South America
This river drains the Amazon Basin	This river drains the Orinoco basin.
The Amazon basin is an area of rainforests called Selvas. Mostly hardwood trees are found in this rainforest.	The basin is covered with tropical grasslands called Llanos which means plains.

The Orinoco Basin	The La Plata River Basin
The Orinoco basin is in the North part of South America.	This is wild, fertile basin in the south part of South America
It is drained by the Orinoco river	It is drained by three rivers, the Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay
The source of the Orinoco river is in the Guiana Highlands and it flows into the Atlantic ocean.	These rivers flow into the estuary (tidal mouth of the large river) Rio de la Plata, the widest estuary in the world on the southeastern coast of South America.

The Eastern Highlands	The Western Highlands
The eastern highlands are divided into three parts, the Guiana Highlands, the Brazilian Highland and the Patagonian Plateau	The Western Highlands are also known as Andes mountains.
Mountains in these highlands are lesser in height than the mountains in western highlands because of the effect of erosion over centuries.	Highest peaks of South America are part of these Highlands.