South America
South America is the World’s fourth-largest continent
– 17,840,000 km² covering approximately 12% of the
Earth’s land and 3.5% of the Earth’s surface.
The majority of its position lies within the Southern
Hemisphere, and geographers designate it as a
subcontinent of the Americas. The Pacific Ocean
borders South America to the west, and the Atlantic
Ocean borders it to the east. The Caribbean Sea and
the North American continent lie to the northwest.
South America includes the following countries:
Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Suriname,
Brazil, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Guyana, and
Ecuador. In addition, South America has two non-sovereign territories: French Guiana, a
territory of France, and the Falkland Islands, a territory of the United Kingdom.
The majority of the population lives in the coastal regions. The interior and southern regions
tend to be sparsely populated. The Andes mountain range dominates the Western region of
the continent while highlands and extensive river basins, including the Parana, Amazon and
Orinoco basins, comprise the Eastern region. The majority of the continent lies in the tropical
zone.
South American Money
There are many different currencies (money) used in
South America. Both Argentina and Chile use their
own peso, whilst Brazil uses Brazilian real and Bolivia
use Bolivian Boliviano.
Which is the longest river in South America?
The second-longest river in the World, the
Amazon (6,400 km) flows across the top of the
continent. This river flows through six countries
and is too wide to have a bridge over it!
Amazon River
Are there mountains in South America?
Andes
Andes
The Andes or Andean Mountains are the longest
continental mountain range in the world. They are
a continuous range of highlands along the western
edge of South America. This range is about 7,000
km (4,300 mi) long, about 200 to 700 km (120 to
430 mi) wide, and of an average height of about
4,000 m (13,000 ft). The Andes extend from
north to south through seven South American
countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. The Andes are
the world's highest mountain range outside of Asia.
What types of animals live in South America?
South America is home to many species of animals including llama, anaconda, pirana, jaguar,
vicuna, and tapir
Galapagos The Giant Galapagos Tortoise is also known as the giant
Tortoise tortoise, and is one of the largest living species found in the
Galapagos Isles. Their weight can reach up to 500 pounds and
they can grow to the height of 5 feet. They are mostly seen
soaking themselves in the sun to receive warmth, and when the
temperature goes down they are found to be sleeping in mud
or water to keep them insulated.
The Anaconda is found in the tropical areas of South
America, and can reach up to 6 meters in length. They belong
Anaconda
Jaguar
to the Boa family and are green in colour with black markings.
The Anaconda is a nocturnal reptile, as they are mostly found
at night. Given that they are not venomous, their prey is
killed mainly by way of constriction (squeezing).
After the tiger and the lion, the jaguar is the largest cat in
the Americas, and third largest cat in the world. A jaguar
largely hunts on the ground, but occasionally climbs trees to
get its prey which consists of deer, capybara, peccary, tapir,
and since it’s a good swimmer, it also eats fish, turtles and
caiman alligators. Today much of jaguar population is in South
and Central America as its numbers have diminished in the
United States. These regions habitat have deciduous and rain forests, swamps, pampas
grasslands, and mountain scrub areas. Worldwide only 15,000 of these jaguars remain,
according to Defenders of Wildlife.
Capybara
The Capybara is the largest rodent in the word, and is found
in the areas of savannas and dense forests of South America.
They are around 4 feet in length, have webbed feet, longer
hind legs, three toes on the rear and four on the front feet,
and vestigial tails. Capybara’s communicate using purrs and
whistles. They are found to be napping all day and gazing
throughout the night.
South American Tapirs are mostly found in the forest
regions of Central and Southern America, especially in the
Andes Mountains of Peru. Tapirs are around 6 feet long and
3 feet high. Their coat is generally black or grey, and they
possess stubby tails, hoofed toes, and white-tipped ears.
They spend most of the time underwater, usually cooling
Tapir
themselves off and swimming. They seem to enjoy sinking to
the bottom of the water and remaining submerged for a time.
Human Features of South America
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a very old city found high up in the
mountains in Peru. Built in 1450 by the Incas, the city had
palaces, temples, baths and homes for 800 people. Machu
Picchu is set in humid subtropical forests, providing a
protected habitat for ferns and palms and several
endangered species, notably the spectacled bear.
The Rio Carnival is an annual event wherein people from
Rio Carnival
every corner of Rio and from all over the world gather and
celebrate a whole week of never ending samba music and
dancing. In the early 1700s the Portuguese changed the
whole scheme of the Rio Carnival. Origionally, the carnival
became a gathering wherein people throw mud and water
at each other, now parades are held every year.
The Nazca lines are thought to have been created by the
Nazca culture between 200BC and 700AD. There are
hundreds of figures and creatures drawn. The drawings
Nazca
Lines
stretch over 50 miles between Nazca and Palpa in Peru.
The reason behind the drawings is still unclear, most
people think the drawings are religious. Many also cannot
Physical Features of South America
The highest waterfall in the world, Angle Falls, lies in
Venezuela. Angel Falls is named after its discoverer – the
American aviator Jimmie Angel, who found the waterfall
while searching for gold in the Venezuela jungle. His
aircraft actually crashed on the edge of the falls.
Angel Falls
The Amazon rainforest, is the largest rainforest in the
world covering much of northwestern Brazil and extending
into Colombia, Peru and other South American countries.
It’s crisscrossed by thousands of rivers, including the
powerful Amazon.
.
The glacier is listed as massive and is the most
popular tourist destination in Argentinian
Patagonia. It covers a 250 km2 (97 sq mi) area
and is still growing. The glacier boasts detached
ice blocks and icebergs, creating a wonderful
views made of ice.
The Los Glaciares National Park
What is the climate like in South America?
South America is not divided into regions and is located in the southern hemisphere. Those
countries to the south of the continent have four distinct seasons.
– Spring – September, October, November,
– Summer – December, January, February
– Autumn – March, April, May,
– Winter – June, July, August
The countries in the north of the continent have more constant high temperatures and high
rainfall throughout the year.
South America Climate
The climate of South America can be broadly divided into seven different climate types:
Desert – Warm to high temperatures with very
little rainfall.
Grassland – Hot summers and cold winters with
above average rainfall.
Deciduous forest – Four distinct seasons with
warm summers and cold, wet winters. The
trees shed their leaves in autumn.
Rainforest – High temperatures and high
rainfall throughout the year.
Savanna
–
This
region
has
very
high
temperatures all year and rain during the
summer season only.
Mediterranean – Warm to high temperatures
with rainfall in the autumn and winter months.
Alpine/mountain – Cold, windy and snowy. It is winter from October to May with temperatures
below freezing, while summer is from June to September where the temperature can reach
15°C.
February is the hottest month in Rio de
Janeiro with an average temperature of
27°C (81°F) and the coldest is July at
21°C (70°F) with the most daily sunshine
hours at 7 in August. The wettest month
is December with an average of 169mm of
rain.
Rio de Janeiro
On average, the temperatures are always
high.
Most rainfall (rainy season) is seen in January, February, March and April.
On average, the warmest month is February.
On average, the coolest month is August.
April is the wettest month. This month should be avoided if you don't like too much rain.
December is the driest month.
The climate in Rio de Janeiro is different to Plymouth, the weather in Plymouth based on an
oceanic climate with cool winters as low as 1°C to 4°C and warmer summers of 18°C to 22°C,
somewhat cooler than Rio’s summers. July is the hottest month in Plymouth with an average
temperature of 16°C (61°F) and the coldest is January at 6°C (43°F) with the most daily
sunshine hours at 7 in July. The wettest month is December with an average of 120mm of
rain.
Plymouth
Plymouth
Information sourced from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zcdqxnb
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zr7hyrd
http://www.theschoolrun.com/homework-help/islands-and-continents
http://www.naturalhistoryonthenet.com/Continents/europe.htm
http://www.coreknowledge.org.uk/resources/Year%201-%20Geography-%20The%20Seven%20Continents.pdf
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