Catalog Search Results
1) Argentina
Author
Language
English
Description
Argentina, located in the southern part of South America, is the world's eighth-largest country. It is home to some of the world's tallest mountains, along with tumbling waterfalls, enormous grassland plains, and wide deserts. In the first half of the 20th century, Argentina was one of the most prosperous countries in the Southern Hemisphere. However, in recent decades Argentina's economy has been troubled by inflation and debt, and this has resulted...
2) Bolivia
Author
Language
English
Description
Named for South America's famed independence fighter Simón Bolívar, landlocked Bolivia rests in the center of the continent. With its snowy mountain peaks, tropical rain forests, and grasslands, the nation holds vast mineral resources and great natural beauty. The Andes Mountain range dominates the western third of Bolivia, where most of its 10 million people live. More than 60 percent of Bolivia's citizens are Native Americans, who historically...
3) Brazil
Author
Language
English
Description
Brazil is the largest country in South America, covering nearly half of the continent. With more than 200 million people, it is the fifth-most populous country in the world. The culture of Brazil is a fascinating blend of Native American, Portuguese, African, Japanese, and other influences. Over the past five decades, there have been many changes in Brazils society and economy. Schools and hospitals have become more available, highways have been built...
4) Chile
Author
Language
English
Description
The world's longest country, the ribbon-like Republic of Chile extends for about 2,650 miles (4,265 km) along the Pacific coast of southwestern South America. A land of great beauty and contrasts, Chile features the snow-capped volcanic peaks of the Andes to the east, the extremely dry Atacama Desert to its north, and rainy, thick forests to the south. Most of the approximately 18 million Chileans live in the mild climate of the Central Valley, where...
5) Colombia
Author
Language
English
Description
Colombia, which has coasts on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, has been a strategically important region for more than 500 years. Today, the Republic of Colombia is the fourth-largest country in South America by area, and second-largest by population. At one time, Colombia's economy was highly dependent on agriculture, but today the country is fully modernized and has industrial centers in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, and other...
6) Ecuador
Author
Language
English
Description
Named for the equator, which passes through it, the Republic of Ecuador sits on the western coast of South America. One of the smallest countries of the continent, Ecuador nevertheless features a wide variety of terrain: high mountain peaks, tropical forests, grasslands, snow-capped volcanoes, and glacial lakes. Off the Pacific coast, about 600 miles (966 km) to the west, lie Ecuador's renowned Galápagos Islands, home to more than 5,000 species of...
7) Guyana
Author
Language
English
Description
Located along the northeast coast of South America, Guyana is the only nation on the continent in which English, not Spanish, is the official language. Most of the country's 735,000 people, who are of East Indian, African, or mixed descent, live along the swampy coastal plain in the north. This tropical land was inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Carb peoples before Dutch colonists established settlements and sugar plantations there in the early...
8) Paraguay
Author
Language
English
Description
A landlocked nation surrounded by its South American neighbors, the Republic of Paraguay has been isolated throughout much of its history. After achieving independence from Spain in 1811, the country suffered through decades of dictatorships and political strife before implementing a democratic system toward the end of the 20th century. Today, most of Paraguay's approximately 7 million citizens are descended from the Guaraní Amerindian tribe, and...
9) Peru
Author
Language
English
Description
Nearly 500 years ago the representatives of two great, but very different, civilizations clashed in the Andes Mountains of modern-day Peru. The Incas who lived in the region had established a highly advanced civilization and built great cities and temples of stone. From Europe, Spanish soldiers led by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro came seeking the Incas' gold. In the five centuries since then, the blend of Spanish and Amerindian cultures has...
Author
Language
English
Description
The fourth-largest continent on earth, South America is a land of great extremes. The longest mountain range on the planet-the Andes-divides the continent from its northern coast on the sunny Caribbean to its southern tip at stormy Tierra del Fuego. Within its boundaries lies the world's highest active volcano (Chimborazo, in Ecuador), the world's highest waterfall (Angel Falls, in Venezuela), and the world's driest region (the Atacama Desert, of...
11) Suriname
Author
Language
English
Description
Named for the Surinen Indians who once lived within its borders, Suriname is located on the northeastern coast of South America. It is the continent's smallest independent nation. Dense tropical rain forests cover much of the country's sparsely populated, mountainous interior. Most of Surinames population-of East Indian, African, and mixed-race descent-live in the flat coastal region to the north. Settled in the mid-1600s by the English, the colony...
12) Uruguay
Author
Language
English
Description
Uruguay, a small country of about 3.3 million people, is located between Brazil and Argentina along South America's southeastern coast. Today, it is considered one of South America's most stable and prosperous countries. With its mild climate and vast pasturelands, Uruguay has sustained a strong agricultural economy based mostly on raising sheep and cattle. Most of Uruguay's citizens live in urban areas that have risen on the country's narrow coastal...
13) Venezuela
Author
Language
English
Description
In 1499, the Spanish navigator Alonso de Ojeda explored the coast of South America. When his ships entered a gulf, he found that Amerindians had built their homes on stilts along the swampy shore of what became known as Lake Maracaibo. This reminded the explorers of the city of Venice, in Europe, so they named the region Venezuela (Spanish for "Little Venice"). The socialist government of Hugo Chávez, who ruled from 1999 until his death in 2011,...
Didn't find it?
Can't find what you are looking for? Try our Materials Request Service. Submit Request