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| South
America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop.
299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq
km), the southern of the two continents of the
Western Hemisphere. It is divided politically
into 12 independent countries—Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana,
Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela—and
the overseas department of French Guiana. The
continent extends c.4,750 mi (7,640 km) from Punta
Gallinas, Colombia, in the north to Cape Horn,
Chile, in the south. At its broadest point, near
where it is crossed by the equator, the continent
extends c.3,300 mi (5,300 km) from east to west.
South America is connected to North America by
the Isthmus of Panama; it is washed on the N by
the Caribbean Sea, on the E by the Atlantic Ocean,
and on the W by the Pacific Ocean. |
| People:
Native peoples constitute a significant portion
of the continent's Andean population, especially
in Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay. Elsewhere
in South America the population is generally mestizo,
although Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and S Brazil
have primarily European populations. There are sizable
populations of African descent in NE Brazil, French
Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, and Colombia.
Immigration since 1800 has brought European, Middle
Eastern, and Asian (especially Japanese) peoples
to the continent, particularly to Argentina and
Brazil. With the
exception of Brazil and Ecuador, the national
capitals have the largest populations and are
the economic, cultural, and political centers
of the countries. Since World War II, the urban
population has rapidly expanded. São Paulo,
Brazil, whose population is nearly 10,000,000,
is the largest city of South America and one of
the fastest growing cities of its size in the
world. Squatter settlements have multiplied around
urban areas as the poor and unskilled flock to
the cities; widespread unemployment is common.
Outside the cities the population density of the
continent is very low, with vast portions of the
interior virtually uninhabited; most of the people
live within 200 mi (320 km) of the coast.
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| Economy:
Beginning in the 17th cent., the exploitation of
the continent's resources and the development of
its industries were the result of foreign investment
and initiative, especially that of Spain, the United
Kingdom, and the United States, but since World
War II the nations of South America have sought
greater economic independence. An increasing number
of South American industrial centers have developed
heavy industries to supplement the light industries
on which they had previously concentrated.
An early
obstacle to industrial growth in South America
was the scarcity of coal. The continent has therefore
relied on its petroleum reserves, most notably
in Venezuela and also in Argentina, Colombia,
Chile, Peru, and Ecuador, as a source of fuel.
South Americans also have gradually developed
their natural-gas reserves; hydroelectric plants
produce most of the continent's electricity. Iron-ore
deposits are plentiful in the Guiana and Brazilian
highlands, and copper is abundant in the central
Andes mountain region of Chile and Peru. Other
important mineral resources include tin in Bolivia,
manganese and gold in Brazil, and bauxite in Guyana
and Suriname.
Subsistence farming is widespread,
with about 30% of the people working about 15%
of the land. Dense forests, steep slopes, and
unfavorable climatic conditions, along with crude
agricultural methods, limit the amount of cultivable
land. Commercial agriculture, especially of the
plantation type, fares better in terms of production
because of the large scale and the opportunity
to use modern, mechanized methods. Among the agricultural
exports are coffee, bananas, sugarcane, tobacco,
and grains. Meat is also an important export.
In the interior, hunting and gathering of forest
products are the chief economic activities of
the indigenous peoples. Fishing is also a central
industry. In the more accessible areas, forest
products are removed for export.
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