The geography of South America: a continent of dramatic contrasts
South America is the fourth-largest continent by land area, covering approximately 17.8 million square kilometers (about 6.88 million square miles), or roughly 12% of Earth’s land surface. It forms the southern part of the Americas, connected to North America via the narrow Isthmus of Panama. The continent stretches from about 12°N latitude (near the Caribbean) to 55°S at Cape Horn, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, and is bounded by the Caribbean Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and northeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Drake Passage to the south (separating it from Antarctica). … Continue