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Map of South America

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Map Of South America > South America Topographic Map | Travel to South America

The continent of South America encompasses 6,882,128 square miles.  Its highest point is Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, at 22,831 feet above sea level.  Its lowest point is Valdes Peninsula in Argentina, at 131 feet below sea level.  South America's approximate population in 2002 was 351,006,000.  South America consists of only 12 countries, along with French Guiana, which belongs to France.  South America is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north by North America, and on the south by the Drake Passage and Antarctica.  The longest river in South America is the Amazon, which runs through Brazil for about 4,000 miles.  South America's largest lake is Venezuela's 5,140 square mile Lake Maracaibo.  For a relief map of South America, please visit the World Factbook's South American relief map presented by the CIA.

map of south america
Map of South America

South American Travel and Tourism > SA Travel Destinations

South America is a land of great contrasts.  Its landscapes vary from the tropical Amazon river basin in northern Brazil to the dry Atacama Desert in northwest Chile.  The Andes stretch along the west coast and contain numerous mountains over 18,000 feet high.  Lake Titicaca, covering 3,220 square miles in the Andes, is the world's highest navigable lake.  To the east lie lowlands in the center of the continent, the Brazilian Highlands along the east coast, and vast grasslands stretching south into Argentina.

The largest city in South America is Sao Paulo, Brazil; other leading cities include Buenos Aires, Rio De Janeiro, Caracas, Santiago, and Lima.  Air travelers to South America can fly on American Airlines, Continental, or Varig.  The Pan American Highway, designed to promote trade and mobility between South America and North America, is not yet completed for several miles through eastern Panama.  BBC's Americas News provides online news and analysis of events in North and South America.

Antique South America Map

This vintage map of South America shows the continent of South America as it appeared in a 19th century atlas.

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