Fun Fact 2: What is the size of South America? The land area of South America is 17,840,000 km2 or 6,890,000 square miles
Fun Fact 3: There are twelve independent countries and two small territories within South America. The twelve countries are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. The two small territories are the Falkland Islands and French Guiana
Fun Fact 4: The largest country in South America is Brazil. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. The capital city of Brazil is Brasília
Fun Fact 5: The main languages spoken in South America is Portuguese closely followed by Spanish. Other languages spoken in South American territories include Dutch, English and French
Fun Fact 6: The Portuguese influence on South America can be traced back to Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral who was the first European to discover South America in 1500
Fun Fact 7: More than 30% of South America is covered by rainforests; the largest rainforest is the Amazon forest which is mainly enclosed within Brazil (60%)
Fun Fact 8: The Amazon rainforest accounts for more than 50% of the planet's remaining rainforests; it is one of the most bio diverse regions of tropical rainforest in the world
Fun Fact 9: Did you know that the Amazon rainforest in South America is the largest remaining natural resource in the world!
Fun Fact 10: South America is home to many interesting and unique species of animals including the llama, anaconda, anteater, agouti, armadillo and chinchilla
Fun Fact 11: What are South America's natural resources? South America has many key resources including gold, silver, copper, iron ore, tin and petroleum; these resources enables important industries including; producing cars, aircraft and textiles
Fun Fact 12: Surprising facts! Did you know that South America contains more than 40% of the world’s plant and animal species?
Fun Fact 13: What is the longest river in South America? The longest river in South America is the Amazon River. Measuring a distance of 6,439 km (4,001 miles) it is considered to be the second longest river in the world (to the Nile in north-east Africa)
Fun Fact 14: The Amazon River carries more water than any other river on Earth; it is so large it can be seen in outer space!
Fun Fact 15: The world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall is situated in Canaima National Park, Venezuela, South America. Angel Falls measure 979 m (3,212 ft) tall and were named after Jimmie Angel, an American aviator, who became the first person to fly over them |
