South America
noun
a continent in the S part of the Western Hemisphere. About 6,900,000 sq. mi. (17,871,000 sq. km).
OTHER WORDS FROM South America
South American, adjective, nounExample sentences from the Web for south america
The natives of South-America, and brute animals of this temperament.
Zoonomia, Vol. I |Erasmus Darwin
British Dictionary definitions for south america
South America
noun
the fourth largest of the continents, bordering on the Caribbean in the north, the Pacific in the west, and the Atlantic in the east and joined to Central America by the Isthmus of Panama. It is dominated by the Andes Mountains, which extend over 7250 km (4500 miles) and include many volcanoes; ranges from dense tropical jungle, desert, and temperate plains to the cold wet windswept region of Tierra del Fuego. Pop (Latin America and the Caribbean): 558 281 000 (2005 est). Area: 17 816 600 sq km (6 879 000 sq miles)
Cultural definitions for south america
South America
Continent in the Western Hemisphere, connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama.
notes for South America
Exploration of the continent began in the sixteenth century with the Portuguese claiming what is now
Brazil and the Spanish claiming most of the remaining land. Settlement was accompanied by the defeat of many of the
Native American cultures, including the
Inca Empire.
notes for South America
All of the Latin American nations in South America and
Central America achieved their independence from
Spain or
Portugal in the first half of the nineteenth century.