What ancient continent is South America part of? Mainland South America

South America- the fourth largest continent. The area of ​​South America is 17,833,000 square meters. km. Extreme points of South America:

• North: Cape Galinas (12°N, 72°W);
• South: Cape Horn (56° S, 72° W);
• Western: Cape Parinhas (5° S. 81° W);
• Eastern: Cape Cabo Branco (8° S, 35° W).

South America is located in the western hemisphere, the continent is crossed by the equator, most of it is in the southern hemisphere. South America forms one part of the world - America. South America is separated from North America. The continent is washed from the west, and from the east. To the north is the Caribbean Sea. The huge Drake Passage separates from.

The coast of the mainland is rather weakly indented. Most bays are small, formed at the mouth of rivers as the ocean moves inland. The largest is La Plata Bay in the southeast of the mainland. The southern coast of the mainland is heavily indented, where there is an archipelago, separated from the mainland by the famous Strait of Magellan - the most difficult route that all sailors have traversed.

The average height of the continent is quite small, which is explained by the large territory occupied by the lowlands: Amazonian, Orinoco and. These are fairly flat, sometimes swampy areas that coincide with the basins of the corresponding rivers. Between them there are three plateaus: the Brazilian, the Guiana and with heights from 500 to 2000 m. The Andes stretch along the western coast - a huge mountain system with a length of 9 thousand km. They are a continuation of the Cordillera and part of the Pacific volcanic ring. The Andes are home to the highest peak of South America - Mount Aconcagua (6960 m), as well as a number of volcanoes - Cotopaxi (5897 m), Chimborazo (6267 m).

The entire northern and most of the central part of the continent is in the equatorial and subequatorial regions. here all year round it does not fall below +20°С, in summer it reaches +30°С. IN equatorial belt There is a lot of precipitation all year round; in the subequatorial winter, a dry period begins. The tropical climate zone is present only in the southern part of the continent; there is a pronounced winter dry period, precipitation falls only in summer. The east of the continent has a humid tropical climate, with humid air coming from the Atlantic Ocean. As you approach the west coast, the climate becomes drier; the Atacama Desert is located on the west coast.

The subtropical zone is located in the southern hemisphere between 30° N. w. and 40° N. w. On the west coast it is a Mediterranean type of climate, with warm summers (+20°C), fairly warm (+10°C) and wet winters. On east coast A humid subtropical climate is formed, with precipitation up to 2000 mm. precipitation. Between these zones there is a zone of continental subtropical climate, it is dry, hot (+25°C) summers and warm (+10°C) winters. The temperate zone occupies the southern tip of the continent. Moderate maritime climate formed on the west coast, here warm winter, cool summers and a lot of rainfall. The east coast is dominated by a temperate continental climate, cold in winter, down to -30°C, warm in summer, up to +20°C, and little precipitation all year round.

The entire Amazonian lowland is occupied by humid equatorial forests - selva. This is a unique natural area with a huge variety of flora and fauna. Various types of palms and rubber trees, ficus, ceiba, and many lianas and orchids grow here. Almost all animals in the selva are good swimmers, and many have adapted to moving through trees. There are many monkeys, birds, there are porcupines, tapirs, the largest predator is the jaguar, the only representative of the cat family that willingly moves on water. The Amazon forests are home to the world's smallest birds - hummingbirds - and the largest butterflies, spiders, and beetles.

Savannas and woodlands are also a very large natural area. In the north it is located on the Guiana Plateau and is called Llanos, in the south it occupies the Brazilian Plateau and is called campos. Here there are ferrallitic and red-brown soils; in the llanos there are isolated trees - acacias, palms; in the campos mainly cereals and legumes grow. There are many large animals - deer, peccaries, pumas, jaguars, crocodiles and manatees live in the rivers.

South of the campos begins the pampa - the steppes of South America. Most of the pampa has been developed by humans; crops are grown here and sheep are raised. In some areas, wild animals remained - ostriches, llamas, deer.

And the semi-desert occupies a small area - the Atacama Desert, here there are desert soils, mainly cacti grow. In the Andes there is an altitudinal zone; in the upper zones there are llamas and guanacos, chinchillas, almost exterminated because of their valuable fur. The largest bird on Earth, the condor, lives here.

The continent of South America in size (18.3 million km 2) occupies a middle position between North America and Antarctica.

The outlines of its coastline are typical of the continents of the Southern (Gondwanan) group: it does not have large protrusions and bays protruding deeply into the land.

Most of the continent (5/6 of the area) is located in the Southern Hemisphere. It is widest in equatorial and tropical latitudes.

Compared to Africa and Australia, South America is far to the south in temperate latitudes and comes closer to Antarctica. This has a great influence on the formation of the natural conditions of the continent: it stands out from all the Southern continents with a wide variety of natural conditions.

In the north, the continent is connected by a narrow mountainous isthmus with Central America. The northern part of the continent has a number of features common to both American continents.

Mainland South America represents the western part of Gondwana, where the South American continental plate interacts with oceanic plates Pacific Ocean. At the base of most of the continent are ancient platform structures; only in the south the foundation of the plate is Hercynian in age. The entire western margin is occupied by the folded belt of the Andes, which formed from the end of the Paleozoic to our time. Mountain-building processes in the Andes are not completed. The Andean system has no equal in length (more than 9 thousand km) and consists of many ridges belonging to orotectonic zones of different geological ages and structures.

They differ in origin, orographic features, and height.

Intermountain valleys and basins, including high-mountain ones, have long been inhabited and developed. The bulk of the population of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador live in the mountains, despite the fact that the Andes are one of the most seismic areas with a large number acting .

The east of the continent is a combination of lowlands in tectonic depressions and plateaus and blocky highlands on the platform shields. There are denudation and lava plateaus.

The continent of South America is characterized by a widespread equatorial and subequatorial climate. Its orographic structure promotes deep penetration air masses from the north and from the south. Thanks to the interaction of the masses with different properties Vast areas of the mainland receive a lot of rainfall. The Amazon lowland with an equatorial climate and windward mountain slopes are especially well irrigated. Huge amounts of rainfall occur on the western slopes of the Andes in temperate zone. At the same time, the Pacific coast and mountain slopes in tropical latitudes up to 5° S. w. characterized by extremely arid conditions, which is associated with the peculiarities of atmospheric circulation and water masses off the coast. The typical climate of coastal (“wet”) deserts is formed here. Aridity features are also evident in the high plateaus of the Central Andes and in Patagonia in the south of the continent.

Due to the geographical position of the continent, climates of the temperate zone are formed within its borders, which are not found on other Southern Tropical continents.

The continent of South America has the largest runoff layer in the world (more than 500 mm) due to the predominance wet types climate. There are several large river systems on the mainland. The Amazon river system is unique - the largest river on Earth, through which about 15% of the world's river flow passes.

In addition, in South America there are also the Orinoco and Parana systems with large tributaries.

There are few lakes on the mainland: almost all of them are drained by deeply incised rivers. The exception is oxbow lakes and mountain lakes in the Andes. Pune is home to the largest alpine lake world - Titicaca, in the north there is a large lake-lagoon Maracaibo.

Large areas within the continent are occupied by moist equatorial and tropical forests and various types of woodlands and savannas. Continental tropical deserts, so characteristic of Africa and Australia, are not found in South America. In the northeast of the Brazilian Highlands there is an area of ​​arid climate with a peculiar precipitation regime. As a result of special circulation conditions, heavy rain falls here irregularly, and a special type of landscape has formed - caatinga. In the subtropical zone great place occupy steppes and forest-steppes with fertile soils (Pampa). Within their boundaries, natural vegetation has been replaced by agricultural land. The Andes present different spectra altitudinal zone.

South American plant groups differ in many ways from the types of vegetation in similar zones on other continents and belong to other plant kingdoms.

The fauna is diverse and has unique features. There are few ungulates, there are large rodents, monkeys belong to the group of broad-nosed, often prehensile-tailed. Huge variety of fish and aquatic reptiles and mammals. There are primitive non-toothed mammals (armadillos, anteaters, sloths).

Natural landscapes are well preserved in the Amazon, in the Orinoco lowlands, in the areas of the Gran Chaco plains, the Pantanal, in Patagonia, in the Guiana Highlands, and in the highlands of the Andes. However, the economic development of the countries of the continent threatens the state of nature. The matter is complicated by the fact that these newly developed areas have extreme natural properties, and disruption of the natural balance often leads to irreversible consequences. Developing countries on the mainland do not always have the necessary funds to organize nature conservation and rational use of natural resources.

South America began to be populated by people 15-20 million years ago, apparently from the north through the Isthmus and the islands of the West Indies. It is possible that settlers from the islands of Oceania also took part in the formation of the indigenous population of the mainland. South American Indians have much in common with North American Indians. By the time the continent was discovered by Europeans, there were several culturally and economically highly developed states. The process of colonization was accompanied by the extermination of the indigenous population and their displacement from convenient habitats; the number of Indians in South America is greater than in North America. Large groups of Indian tribes survive in the Andes, the Amazon and some other areas. In a number of countries, Indians make up a significant part of the population. However, the main population of the continent is the descendants of immigrants from Europe (mainly Spaniards and Portuguese) and Africans brought here to work on plantations. There are many people of mixed race on the continent.

Settlement came from the east, and near the Atlantic coast with favorable natural conditions population density is highest. The Andes are home to some of the world's highest agricultural land and settlements. In the mountains there is the largest of the highland cities (La Paz with a population of over a million people - at an altitude of 3631 meters). The countries of South America, which until recently were economically backward, are now developing rapidly and in some respects are reaching the world level.

Two large parts are clearly distinguished on the continent - the subcontinents of the Extra-Andean East and the Andean West.

Extra-Andean East

The Extra-Andean East occupies the entire eastern part of the South American continent. The physical and geographical countries that are part of it are formed on platform structures. Each of the physical-geographical countries is isolated within large tectonic structures and has specific general features of the endogenous relief. Less often, their boundaries are determined by climatic differences.

The physical-geographical countries of the East are either plains (Amazonia, Orinoco Plains, Inland Tropical Plains, La Plata Region, Patagonian Plateau), or plateaus and mountains of blocky and remnant nature at the outcrops of the platform foundation (Brazilian and Guiana Highlands, Precordillera).

The territory of the subcontinent stretches from north to south and is distinguished by a variety of climates - from equatorial to temperate. Humidification conditions vary significantly: annual precipitation in some places reaches 3000 mm or more (Western Amazonia, east coast in equatorial, tropical and subtropical latitudes), and in Patagonia and the west of the La Plata Lowland it is 200-250 mm.

The zonation of soil and vegetation cover corresponds to climatic conditions. Zones of moist evergreen forests of the equatorial, variable rain forests and savannas of the subequatorial and tropical, forests, forest-steppes, steppes and semi-deserts of the subtropical and temperate zones naturally replace each other. Altitudinal zonation is manifested only on some ridges of the Brazilian and Guiana highlands.

In the region there are densely populated areas, the nature of which has been greatly modified, and there are also those where there is no population, and indigenous landscapes have been preserved.

History of the settlement of South America

The population of other Southern continents is fundamentally different in origin from the population of Africa. Neither South America nor Australia have found bone remains of the first people, let alone their ancestors. The most ancient archaeological finds on the territory of the South American continent date back to the 15-17th millennium BC. Man arrived here presumably from Northeast Asia through North America. The indigenous type of Indians has much in common with the North American type, although there are also unique features. For example, in the appearance of the aborigines of South America, some anthropological features of the Oceanian race can be traced (wavy hair, wide nose). The acquisition of these traits could be the result of human penetration onto the continent and from the Pacific Ocean.

Before the colonization of South America, Indian peoples inhabited almost the entire territory of the continent. They were very diverse both in terms of language, methods of farming and social organization. Most of the population of the Extra-Andean East was at the level of the primitive communal system and was engaged in hunting, fishing and gathering. However, there were also peoples with a fairly high culture of agriculture on drained lands. In the Andes, by the period of colonization, strong Indian states had emerged, where agriculture on irrigated lands, cattle breeding, crafts, and applied arts were developed. These states had a relatively complex structure, a unique religion, and the beginnings of scientific knowledge. They resisted the invasion of the colonialists and were conquered as a result of a long and fierce struggle. The Inca state is widely known. It included many small scattered peoples of the Andes, united in the first half of the 15th century. a strong Indian tribe belonging to language family Quechua. The name of the state comes from the title of its leaders, called the Incas. The inhabitants of the Inca country grew several dozen crops on the terraced mountain slopes using complex irrigation systems. They tamed llamas and received milk, meat, and wool from them. Crafts were developed in the state, including copper and gold processing, from which skilled craftsmen made jewelry. In pursuit of gold, the Spanish conquerors invaded this country. The Inca culture was destroyed, but some monuments remained, by which one can judge its high level. Currently, the descendants of the Quechua peoples are the most numerous of all the Indians in South America. They inhabit the mountainous regions of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. In the southern part of Chile and the Argentine Pampa live the descendants of the Araucanians, strong agricultural tribes who ceded their territories in the Chilean Andes to the colonialists only in the 18th century. In the northern Andes in Colombia, small tribes of descendants of the Chibcha remain. Before the Spanish conquest, there was a cultural state of the Chibcha-Muisca peoples.

There are still Indian peoples in South America who have largely retained their national characteristics, although many were destroyed or driven out of their lands. To this day, in some inaccessible areas (in the Amazon, in the Guiana Highlands) tribes of indigenous people live, who practically do not communicate with the outside world and have preserved their way of life and economic life since ancient times.

Ethnic composition of the population of South America

In general, there are more indigenous people - Indians - in South America than in North America. In some countries (Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia) they make up about half or even more of the total population.

The incoming Caucasian population largely mixed with the indigenous peoples of the continent. Miscegenation began back in the days when the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors, who came here without families, took Indian women as wives. Now there are almost no representatives of the European race who do not have an admixture of Indian or Negro blood. Blacks - descendants of slaves brought here by colonialists to work on plantations - are numerous in the eastern part of the continent. They partly mixed with the white and Indian populations. Their descendants (mulattoes and Sambos) make up a significant part of the inhabitants of South American countries.

In South America there are many immigrants from European and Asian countries who moved here after the states of this continent freed themselves from colonial rule. Immigrants from Italy, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, the Balkans and other countries, as a rule, live separately, preserving their customs, language, and religion.

South America Population Density

South America is inferior to Eurasia and Africa in this indicator. There are no countries here where there are on average more than 50 people per 1 km2.

Due to the fact that the continent was settled from the east and north, more people live on the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts. The highland plains and intermountain valleys of the Andes are quite densely populated, where development began even before European colonization 20% of the mainland's population live at altitudes above 1000 meters, of which more than half inhabit the highlands (over 2000 meters). In Peru and Bolivia, part of the population lives in mountain valleys above 5000 meters. The capital of Bolivia, La Paz, is located at an altitude of about 4000 meters, it is the largest city (more than 1 million people) in the world, located so high in the mountains.

Guiana Highlands and Guiana Lowlands

The region is located between the low-lying plains of the Amazon and Orinoco within the protrusion of the South American platform - the Guiana Shield. The region includes the southern regions of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The northwestern, western and southern borders run along the foot of the Guiana Highlands, breaking off in sharp ledges to the neighboring low-lying territories. In the northeast and east the region faces the Atlantic Ocean.

Along the coast stretches a swampy lowland covered with hyleas, which is composed of alluvium from numerous rivers flowing from the slopes. A crystalline massif of the highlands rises above it in ledges. The ancient foundation within the shield is covered by a Proterozoic sandstone cover, severely destroyed by weathering processes and erosion in a hot, humid climate. The structures experienced vertical movements along numerous faults and, as a result of neotectonic uplifts, active incision of an erosion network. These processes created modern relief region.

The surface of the highlands is a combination of mountain ranges, massifs, plateaus of different origins and structures, and basins in tectonic depressions developed by rivers. In the east and north of the highlands, where the sandstone cover is largely (sometimes completely) destroyed, the surface is a wavy peneplain (300-600 meters) with crystalline remnant and horst massifs and ridges 900-1300 meters high, and in the north up to 1800 meters meters. The central and western parts are dominated by flat-topped sandstone ridges and isolated plateaus (tepuis) ​​separated from them, more than 2000 meters high.

The Roraima massif rises to 2810 meters, Auyan Tepui - to 2950 meters, and the highest point of the La Neblino (Serra Neblino) highland - to 3100 meters. The highlands are characterized by a stepped profile of the slopes: going down to the Guiana Lowland, to the plains of the Orinoco and Amazon, the highlands form steep tectonic steps, and rivers fall from them in waterfalls of different heights. There are also many waterfalls on the steep slopes of table sandstone and quartzite massifs, one of which is Angel on the river. The Chu run of the Orinoco basin has a height of more than a kilometer (free fall alone - 979 meters). This is the highest known waterfall on Earth. Weathering of sandstones and quartzites of varying strength leads to the formation of bizarre relief forms, and their different colors - red, white, pink, combined with the greenery of the forests give the landscapes a unique exotic look.

The exposure and height of slopes, the position of plateaus and massifs within the highlands play a large role in shaping the climate of the region.

Thus, the coastal lowland and windward eastern slopes receive orographic precipitation from the northeast trade wind throughout the year. Their total number reaches 3000-3500 mm. Maximum - in summer. The leeward slopes and inland valleys are arid. Humidity is high in the south and southwest, where the equatorial climate prevails all year round.

Most of the highlands are in the zone of equatorial monsoons: there are wet summers and a more or less long dry winter period.

Temperatures on the plains and in the lower mountain zones are high, with small amplitudes (25-28°C throughout the year). On high plateaus and massifs it is cold (10-12°C) and windy. In many cases, fractured sandstones absorb moisture. Numerous springs feed the rivers. Cutting through sandstone strata in deep (100 meters or more) gorges, rivers reach the crystalline foundation and form rapids and waterfalls.

According to the diversity climatic conditions the vegetation cover is quite variegated. The parent rock on which soils are formed is almost universally a thick weathering crust. On the moist eastern and western slopes of mountains and massifs, hylaea grow on yellow ferralitic soils. The Guiana Lowland is also occupied by the same forests, combined with swampy areas. Monsoonal, usually deciduous tropical forests are widespread; savannas and woodlands on red ferralitic soils form on dry leeward slopes. In the upper part of the slopes of high massifs with low temperatures and strong winds, low-growing oppressed shrubs and shrubs of endemic species grow. At the tops the plateaus are rocky.

The region has great hydropower potential, which has so far been little exploited. A large cascade of hydroelectric power stations was built on the rapids river. Caroni is a tributary of the Orinoco. The depths of the Guiana Highlands contain the largest deposits of iron ore, gold, and diamonds. Huge reserves of manganese ores and bauxite are associated with the weathering crust. Forest development is carried out in the countries of the region. The Guiana Lowland has favorable conditions for growing rice and sugar cane on polders. Coffee, cocoa, tropical fruits. The rare Indian population of the highlands is engaged in hunting and primitive agriculture.

Nature is disturbed mainly along the outskirts of the region, where logging and mineral extraction are carried out, and where there is agricultural land. Due to poor exploration of the Guiana Highlands on its maps published in different times, there are even discrepancies in the heights of mountain peaks.

Inland tropical plains of Mamore, Pantanal, Gran Chaco

The plains, composed of layers of loose sedimentary rocks, are located in the platform trough between the foothills of the Central Andes and the protrusion of the Western Brazilian Shield, within the tropical climate zone. The borders run along the foothills: from the west - the Andes, from the east - the Brazilian Highlands. In the north, the landscapes of the Mamore Plain gradually turn into Amazonian, and in the south, the tropical Pantanal and Gran Chaco border on the subtropical Pampa. Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia and northern Argentina are located within the Inland Plains.

Most of the territory has an altitude of 200-700 meters, and only on the watershed of the river systems of the Amazon and Paraguay basins does the area reach an altitude of 1425 meters.

Within the Intertropical Plains, the features of a continental climate are more or less clearly manifested. These features are most pronounced in the central part of the region - on the Gran Chaco plain.

Here, the amplitude of average monthly temperatures reaches 12-14°C, while daily fluctuations in winter are the sharpest on the mainland: it can be hot during the day, but at night it can drop below 0°C, and frost forms. Intrusions of cold masses from the south sometimes cause a rapid sharp drop in temperatures during the daytime hours. On the plains of Mamore and in the Pantanal, temperature fluctuations are not so sharp, but still the features of continentality appear here, decreasing when moving north, towards the border with the Amazon, which is not clearly expressed, like all boundaries determined by climatic factors.

The precipitation regime throughout the region has a sharp summer maximum.

In the Gran Chaco, 500-1000 mm of precipitation falls mainly in 2-3 very hot months, when evaporation greatly exceeds the amount. And yet at this time the savannah turns green, and the winding rivers of the Paraguay basin overflow. In summer, the Intertropical Air Mass Convergence Zone (IATZ) is located in the area of ​​the Tropical Plains. The flow is rushing here humid air from the Atlantic, frontal zones form and it rains. The Pantanal basin turns into a continuous body of water with separate dry islands on which land animals escape from the flood. In winter there is little precipitation, rivers run into their banks, the surface dries out, but swamps still predominate in the Pantanal.

Vegetation within the region varies from variable-humid tropical forests along the Amazon border to dry shrubby monte formations along the dry watersheds of the Gran Chaco. Savannas, mainly palm trees, and gallery forests are widespread. river valleys. The Pantanal is occupied mainly by swamps with rich wildlife. To Gran Chaco large areas are under typical tropical woodlands with valuable tree species, including Quebracho with exceptionally hard wood.

A significant part of the population, whose density is low here, is engaged in the extraction of quebracho. Agricultural lands are concentrated along the rivers, mainly sugar cane and cotton are grown. On the territory of the Gran Chaco, the Indian tribes that survive there hunt wild animals, which are still numerous in this region. The object of the trade is armadillos, whose meat is readily purchased in cities and towns. Due to the low population density, natural complexes are relatively well preserved.

Patagonia

The region is located in the south of the continent between the Andes and the Atlantic Ocean within the Patagonian Plateau. The territory is part of. This is the only flat physical-geographical country in South America, which is dominated by a temperate climate, which has very unique features. A major role in shaping the nature of Patagonia is played by the proximity of the Andes to the west, which stand in the way of the western transfer of air masses, and to the east - the Atlantic with the cold Falkland Current. The history of the development of the region’s nature in the Cenozoic is also important: the plateau, starting from the Pliocene, experienced upward movements and was almost completely covered by Pleistocene glaciers, which left a moraine and fluvioglacial deposits on its surface. As a result, the region has natural features, which sharply distinguish it from all physical and geographical countries of the mainland.

In Patagonia, the folded (mostly, apparently, Paleozoic) basement is overlain by horizontally lying Meso-Cenozoic sediments and young basaltic lavas. Surface rocks are easily destroyed by physical weathering and wind action.

In the north, the foundation approaches the surface. Here a hill formed, cut by canyons. To the south, the relief of stepped plateaus predominates. They are dissected by wide trough-shaped valleys, often dry or with scanty watercourses. In the east, the plateau breaks down to a narrow coastal lowland or to the ocean with steep ledges up to 100 m in height. In the central parts, in some places flat watershed plains rise to a height of 1000-1200 meters, and in some points even more. In the west, the plateau descends like a ledge to the pre-Indian depression, filled with loose material - products of demolition from mountain slopes and in places occupied by lakes of glacial origin.

The climate of the region is temperate over most of the territory and only in the north, on the border with Pampa, has subtropical features. The region is characterized by aridity.

On the Atlantic coast they dominate with stable stratification. They form over the cold waters of the South Atlantic and produce little precipitation - only up to 150 mm per year. To the west, at the foot of the Andes, the annual precipitation increases to 300-400 mm, as through mountain valleys allow some moist Pacific air to pass through. The maximum precipitation throughout the territory is winter, associated with increased cyclonic activity on the Antarctic front.

IN northern regions Summer is hot, in the south it is cool (average January temperature is 10°C). Average monthly temperatures in winter are generally positive, but there are frosts down to -35°C, snowfalls, strong winds, and snow storms in the south. The western regions are characterized by winds from the Andes of the foehn type - sondas, which cause thaws, snow melting and winter floods on rivers.

The plateau is crossed by rivers flowing from the Andes, often originating from glacial lakes. They have great energy potential, which is now beginning to be used. The wide bottoms of trough-shaped valleys, composed of alluvium, protected from the winds and having water in this arid region, are used by local residents for farming. Populated areas are concentrated here.

The watershed spaces, covered by rocky moraine and fluvioglacial deposits, are occupied by xerophytic vegetation with creeping or cushion-shaped shrubs, dry grasses, and in the north with cacti, prickly pears on skeletal gray soils and brown desert soils. Only in places in the northern regions and in the Andean depression are steppes spread on chestnut and alluvial soils with the dominance of Argentine bluegrass and other grasses. Sheep farming is developed here. In the extreme south, mosses and lichens appear on the soil, and dry steppes turn into tundra.

In Patagonia, with its sparse population, the wild fauna is quite well preserved with such rare endemics as guanaco llamas, stinkhorn (zorillo), Magellanic dog, numerous rodents (tuco-tuco, mara, viscacha, etc.), including such which accumulate subcutaneous fat and hibernate during the winter. There are pumas, pampas cats, armadillos. A rare species of flightless bird has been preserved - Darwin's ostrich.

The region is rich in mineral resources. There are deposits of oil, gas, coal, iron, manganese and uranium ores. Currently, the extraction and processing of raw materials has begun, mainly in the regions Atlantic coast and along river valleys.

In this region with harsh conditions In life, the population is small, and the natural landscapes are relatively little changed. The greatest influence on the state of vegetation is caused by sheep grazing and steppe fires, often of anthropogenic origin. There are practically no protected areas. On the east coast, the protection of the Petrified Forest natural monument has been organized - outcrops of fossilized Jurassic araucaria up to 30 meters high and up to 2.5 meters in diameter.

Precordillera and Pampino Sierras

This is a mountainous region within the Extra-Andean East. It is located between the Andes to the west and the plains of the Gran Chaco and Pampa to the east in Argentina. Meridianally elongated blocky ridges are separated by deep depressions. The orogenic movements that engulfed the Andean system in Neogene-Anthropogen times involved the structures of the edge of the Precambrian platform and Paleozoic structures. The peneplains, which formed in this region as a result of long-term denudation, are divided into blocks raised by neotectonic movements to different heights. The Precordillera is separated from the Andes by a deep tectonic depression that arose recently and is still subject to earthquakes.

The relief of the Precordillera and Pampinsky (Pampian) Sierras consists of relatively narrow flat-topped and steeply sloped blocky ridges - horsts of different heights. They are separated either by depressions-grabens (bolsons) or narrow gorges (valles). In the east, the ridges are lower (2500-4000 meters), and closer to the Andes their height reaches 5000-6000 meters (the highest point is 6250 meters in the Cordillera de Famatina ridge). Intermountain valleys are filled with the products of the destruction of rising mountains, and their bottoms lie at an altitude of 1000 to 2500 meters. However, the differentiated movements here are so active that the bottoms of some depressions have low absolute heights (Salinas Grandes - 17 meters). The sharp contrast of the relief determines the contrast of other features of nature.

The region clearly shows signs of continental climate, which is not typical for the South American continent as a whole. The plains of the intermountain depressions are especially distinguished by their continentality and aridity.

The amplitudes of annual and daily temperatures are large here. In winter, when an anticyclonic regime dominates over subtropical latitudes, there are frosty nights (down to -5°C) at average temperatures of 8-12°C. At the same time, during the day the temperature can reach 20°C and above.

The amount of precipitation in the basins is negligible (100-120 mm/year), and it falls extremely unevenly. Their main quantity occurs in the summer, when the eastern air flow from the Atlantic Ocean intensifies. Large differences (sometimes tenfold) are observed from year to year.

The annual amount of precipitation decreases from east to west and is very dependent on the exposure of the slopes. The most humidified are the eastern slopes (up to 1000 mm/year). As moisture conditions change over short distances, landscape diversity is formed.

Low-water rivers flow from the eastern slopes. On the flat bottoms of intermountain plains they leave a mass of sediment in the form of alluvial cones. Rivers flow into salt lakes and swamps or are lost in the sand. Some of it is dismantled for irrigation. Bolsons are usually local internal drainage basins. Main drain goes in summer. In winter, rivers become shallow or dry up. Artesian waters are used for irrigation, but they are often saline. In general, the region is characterized by a high salt content in soils and waters. This is due to both the composition of rocks and arid conditions. There are salt watercourses, salt lakes and swamps, and many salt marshes.

The region is home to xerophytic plant formations: monte-type shrubs, semi-desert and desert communities with cacti, acacias, and hard grasses. Under them, mainly gray-brown soils and gray soils are formed. Grapes are grown on irrigated lands (in the oasis of Mendoza), or sugar cane and other tropical crops (in the Tucuman region). Forests grow only on the eastern slopes of the mountains.

The region is rich in a variety of ores, including non-ferrous ores, tungsten, beryllium, uranium, and there are uranium in the depressions.

The main problem here is the lack of water. They are not uncommon in the region, sometimes catastrophic.

America, consisting of two continents and thereby forming one part of the world, is located in two hemispheres at once.

North America, accordingly, is located in the northern hemisphere, South America in the southern hemisphere. Relative to the prime meridian, the continent of America is located in the west.

Geographical location

America refers to absolutely all the lands that are between western part Atlantic Ocean and Pacific coast. The total area of ​​this part of the world, located entirely in the western hemisphere, is 42 million km 2, which in percentage terms occupies 28.5% of the total land area on planet Earth.

In addition to the two continents, part of the world also includes small islands located next to them (for example, Greenland Island). In the North, the coast of America is washed by the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean is on the right, and the Atlantic is on the left. South and North America are located at different latitudes, but they have the same longitude.

Geographical characteristics

In this case, it makes sense to talk about North and South America separately, since the topography of the continents differs significantly from each other.

Relief of North America:

• The central plains have a slightly undulating topography, which transforms into a glacial one to the north;
• The Great Plains, which is a huge foothill plateau in front of the Cordillera;
• the Laurentian Upland, gently undulating, reaching up to 6100 meters above sea level;
• Coastal lowlands in the southern part of the mainland;
• Mountains: Cascade, Sierra Nevada system, Rocky, etc.

Relief of South America:

• Plains East;
• Mountain West with the Andes system;
• Amazonian lowland;
• Brazilian and Guiana plateaus.

There are many climatic zones in North America, including oceanic, continental, and subequatorial climates. The average monthly temperature in January varies from -36 degrees to +20 (at the extreme points of the mainland). In July it can be from -4 to +32. The most precipitation falls on the Pacific coast (about 3 thousand mm annually), the least in the Cordillera (up to 200 mm). Summers are usually warm throughout the mainland. It is accompanied by rare dry winds or, on the contrary, showers.

South America includes 6 climatic zones, of which subequatorial is repeated twice (in different territories), and tropical, temperate, subtropical and equatorial are repeated once. At the same time, the tropics and subtropics reign over absolutely most of the territory, which means that dry and wet seasons are clearly defined in South America. It is warm on the mainland: in summer (summer in the hemisphere begins in January) the temperature varies from 10 to 35 degrees, in winter - from 0 to 16. There is a lot of precipitation, especially in Chile and Colombia. There falls up to 10 thousand mm per year.

Americas

In this part of the world, especially in the northern part, the population density is very high. America unites on its territory a huge number of independent states and dependent zones, differing from each other in population size, economic well-being, level of development, etc.

Historically, North America, called the “New World” by Europeans, became more prosperous. It is on this continent that there are two countries that are considered a symbol of prosperity and monetary wealth of the 20th-21st centuries: Canada and the United States of America. In total in North America There are about 500 million people, which is approximately 7% of the world's population.

South America is also quite densely populated - the figure approaches 380 million - but the region is incomparably poorer. South America is a continent where there are countries that were once colonies of more ancient European states; In addition, the stratification between rich and poor is more pronounced here.

List of North American countries

The largest country is, of course, the USA. More than 300 million people, 9.5 million square kilometers of area, the largest industrial and commercial centers around the world allow the United States to confidently represent North America on the map.

Major countries in North America:

(with detailed description)

List of South American countries

In South America, the two leading countries are Brazil and Argentina. They are leaders in area, population, and economic success. These are the countries that can be called developing.

Major countries in South America:

(with detailed description)

Nature

North America is very rich water resources: lakes and rivers occupy most of the area, and the Mississippi and Moussuri are the longest river system on earth. On the Southern continent, however, there is also no shortage of water - the Amazon flows through it, which is one of the largest sources of fresh water in the whole world.

Nature, plants and animals of North America

North America is similar in flora and fauna to Eurasia - there are both conifers and deciduous forests, famous oaks and cedars. Animals are also typical: moose, bears, squirrels, foxes. Closer to the south, the landscape becomes deserted, dry, and both flora and fauna change...

Nature, plants and animals of South America

The southern continent is occupied by plants and animals characteristic of equatorial forests and savannas. There are large predators, crocodiles, many birds - especially parrots. A significant part of the territory is covered with tropical forests. There are a lot of fish in the rivers, including piranhas. Extensive insect population...

Climatic conditions

Seasons, weather and climate of America

North America - more precisely, most of it - is located in a temperate and cold thermal zone, which is characterized by cold (up to -32 at the extreme point) winters and warm (about 25-28 degrees) summers. There are no special weather disasters here - with the possible exception of the Pacific coast, which periodically suffers from hurricanes.

South America, located in the zone of savannas and equatorial forests, tends to be tropical and subtropical in climate. Extremely humid, hot summer reigns here in December-February, but the “summer” months familiar to residents of the other hemisphere, on the contrary, are the coldest. Temperatures in July drop to zero in some places...

Peoples of America

America is a part of the world with a very diverse population. Even the tribes of Indians, considered the indigenous population of America, differ from each other so much that they consider each other to belong to different nationalities.

Peoples of North America: culture and traditions

South America is amazing continent, which hides a lot of interesting and unusual things. After all, this is where the mysterious Mexican pyramids, the unique Amazon River and the hottest deserts in the world are located. Do you know what the area of ​​South America is? Today we will tell you everything about this continent and its size.

South America: geographical location and brief description

South America is the fourth largest continent in the world, one part of it lies in the southern hemisphere and the other in the northern hemisphere. The huge area of ​​South America has always attracted large number people from all over globe, this brought the continent to fifth place in the world in terms of population. We can say that almost every seventh person on Earth lives here. The continent is washed by two oceans - the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Features of South America

The geographical position of the continent contributed to the fact that indigenous people developed here separately and by the time the Europeans arrived had its own unique culture, in no way connected with mainland civilizations. Of course, part of the precious heritage of the South American Indians was destroyed by ruthless conquerors. But what remains untouched is still closely studied by the world scientific community.

Thanks to the discovery of South America, the world learned what tobacco, coca leaves and corn are. Many species of animals and plants living on this continent are endemic.

Natural areas of South America

The South American continent is generous to the people who inhabit it. The area of ​​natural zones of South America includes all the diversity of our planet, spread over the vast territory of one continent:

• equatorial forests;
• tropical monsoon forests;
• savannas;
• pump;
• tropical deserts;
• steppes;
• semi-deserts.

In each natural area there are preserved rare species flora and fauna that are found nowhere else on the planet. This makes the continent unique; scientists have been saying for many years that most of the continent’s lands need to be transferred to the status of a nature reserve and carefully protected from destructive human activities.

Equatorial forests are the “lungs” of our planet

Of all the natural zones of the continent, I would like to talk in more detail about the selva, or equatorial forests. It’s not for nothing that scientists call them the “lungs” of our planet, because more than 80% of oxygen is released into the atmosphere by plants growing in the jungle.

Unfortunately, over the past decades, the area of ​​equatorial forests has decreased significantly under the influence of human activity. Now South America is the third country in the world where the jungle is still preserved in its original form. More than 33% of rain forests grow in Brazil.

Ecologists are sounding the alarm about the shrinking area of ​​the jungle, because its complete destruction will lead to serious changes in the composition of the air on the planet. Perhaps these changes will become irreversible and lead to massive epidemics among people.

Many people form an opinion about the size of the continent only when they see the actual numbers in which its area is measured. So, the total area of ​​the mainland of South America, including its main islands, is 18,280,000 square kilometers. The area of ​​all islands is equal to 150,000 square kilometers. The following islands are included in the continent:

• Malvinsky;
• Tobago;
• Trinidad;
• Galapogos;
• Chonos Archipelago;
• Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

Keep in mind that the area of ​​South America is almost always measured along with its islands. Some sources immediately indicate that the islands belong to various South American countries.

South American countries

On average, the area of ​​South America is divided between 12 large countries, which are located in territories of ambiguous size:

• Brazil.
• Argentina.
• Peru.
• Colombia.
• Bolivia.
• Venezuela.
• Chile.
• Paraguay.
• Ecuador.
• Guyana.
• Uruguay.
• Suriname.

The countries of South America occupy more than 13% of the planet's land area.

General characteristics of the countries of South America

Of course, each of the countries on the continent has its own special characteristics, but there is still something in common between them. First of all this economic development, all twelve largest countries can be classified as developing. Their economy is just starting to new level, and the main activity is agriculture. Surprisingly, European intervention in the history of the development of Latin American peoples significantly influenced the linguistic base of the population. Spanish is recognized as the main language on the continent; it is spoken by residents of nine out of twelve countries.

What is the area of ​​the largest country on the South American continent?

Most large country Brazil is considered the mainland, with an area of ​​approximately 8,500,000 square kilometers. It is worth saying that Brazil is also the most populous country on the continent, its population exceeds 200,000,000 people.

In the world, Brazil ranks fifth in terms of territory size and number of inhabitants. Many analysts attribute this to a kind of “right soli”, which allows a child born in the country to acquire Brazilian citizenship regardless of the citizenship of his parents.

You can talk about the continent of South America for an infinitely long time, because everything here is surprisingly unusual and so different from what Europeans are used to seeing around them. No wonder the navigators who discovered America called it a real “wonder of the world.”

South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with an area of ​​18.13 million km², most of which is located in the Southern Hemisphere. South America is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It was connected to North America very recently (in a geological sense) with the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. The Andes, a relatively young and seismically unstable chain of mountains, extend along the western border of the continent; The lands east of the Andes are occupied mainly by tropical forests, the vast Amazon River basin.

South America ranks fourth in area, after Eurasia, Africa and North America. It ranks fifth in terms of population, after Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

It is believed that human settlement occurred through the Bering Isthmus, now the Bering Strait, and there is also speculation about migration from the South Pacific Ocean.

From the 1530s, the native population of South America was enslaved by European invaders, first from Spain and later from Portugal, who divided it into colonies. During the 19th century, these colonies gained independence.

South America also includes various islands, most of which belong to the countries of the continent. The Caribbean territories belong to North America. South American countries that border Caribbean Sea- including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana - are known as Caribbean South America.

The largest country in South America by area and population is Brazil. Regions of South America include the Andean States, Guyanese Highlands, Southern Cone and Eastern South America.

Climate

The climate is mostly subequatorial and tropical, in the Amazon it is equatorial, constantly humid, in the south it is subtropical and temperate. The entire northern lowland part south of America to the southern tropics has average monthly temperatures of 20-28 °C. In summer they drop to the south to 10 °C, in winter on the Brazilian plateau to 12 °C, in Pampa to 6 °C, on the Patagonian plateau to 1 °C and below. The windward slopes of the Andes in Colombia and southern Chile, Western Amazonia and adjacent slopes of the Andes, the eastern slopes of the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus, and in the rest of the east up to 35 °S receive the greatest amount of precipitation per year. w. 1-2 thousand mm falls per year. Dry areas west of Pampa, Patagonia, south Central. The Andes and especially the Pacific slope between 5-27 °S. w.

Natural areas

Equatorial forests (selva) are located on both sides of the equator, occupying almost the entire Amazonian lowland, the slopes of the Andes and the northern Pacific coast.

Along the Atlantic coast there are tropical rainforests close to typical Hyla. The soils are red ferrallitic. The trees reach 80 m (ceiba), melon tree, cocoa, and rubber-bearing hevea grow. The plants are entwined with vines, there are many orchids, in the Amazon - Victoria regia.

The fauna is associated with numerous tree layers; there are few terrestrial animals. Near the water there are tapirs, capybaras, in the rivers there are gharial crocodiles, in the treetops there are howler monkeys, sloths, among the birds there are macaws, toucans, hummingbirds, boas, including anacondas, are typical. There is an anteater, among the predators - jaguar, puma, ocelot.

Savannas occupy the Orinoco Lowland and most of the Guiana and Brazilian highlands. The soils are red ferrallitic and red-brown. In the northern hemisphere, among the tall grasses (llanos) there are tree-like spurges, cacti, mimosas, and bottle trees. The southern one (campos) is much drier and has more cacti. There are no large ungulates, but there are peccaries, armadillos, anteaters, rhea ostriches, pumas, and jaguars.

The South American steppes (pampa) have fertile reddish-black soils, dominated by cereals. Typical species are fast pampas deer, pampas cat, several species of llamas, and rhea ostriches.

Deserts and semi-deserts are located in the temperate zone in Patagonia. Soils are brown and grey-brown, dry cereals, cushion-shaped shrubs. The fauna is similar to the pampa (nutria, small armadillos).

Areas of altitudinal zonation. The most complete set of belts is in the equator region.

On the mainland there are two large regions- East and Andes. In the East, the Amazon, the Brazilian Highlands, the Orinoco Plains, and Patagonia are distinguished.

Inland waters

The rivers are huge river systems. It is fed by rain; most rivers belong to the Atlantic Ocean basin.

History of discovery

Europeans became reliably aware of the existence of South America after the voyage of Columbus in 1498, who discovered the islands of Trinidad and Margarita and explored the coastline from the Orinoco River delta to the Paria Peninsula. In the 15-16th centuries. The greatest contribution to the exploration of the continent was made by Spanish expeditions. In 1499-1500, the Spanish conquistador Ojeda led an expedition to the northern coast of South America, which reached the coast in the area of ​​modern Guiana and, following in a northwest direction, explored the coast from 5-6 ° S. w. to the Gulf of Venezuela. Ojeda later explored the northern coast of Colombia and founded a fortress there, marking the beginning of the Spanish conquests on that continent. The survey of the northern coast of South America was completed by the Spanish traveler Bastidas, who in 1501 explored the mouth of the Magdalena River and reached the Gulf of Uraba. The expeditions of Pinzón and Lepe, continuing to move south along the Atlantic coast of South America, in 1500 discovered one of the branches of the Amazon River delta, explored the Brazilian coast to 10 ° S. w. Solis went further south (to 35° S) and discovered the La Plata Bay, the lower reaches of the largest rivers Uruguay and Parana. In 1520, Magellan explored the Patagonian coast, then went to the Pacific Ocean through the strait later named after him, completing his study of the Atlantic coast.

In 1522-58. The Pacific coast of South America was studied. Pizarro walked along the shores of the Pacific Ocean to 8° S. sh., in 1531-33. he conquered Peru, plundering and destroying the Inca state and founding the City of Kings (later called Lima). Later - in 1535-52. - spanish conquistadors Almagro and Valdivia descended along the coast to 40° S. w.

Research into inland areas was stimulated by legends about the hypothetical “land of gold” - Eldorado, in search of which the Spanish expeditions of Ordaz, Heredia and others crossed in 1529-46 different directions Northwestern Andes, traced the flows of many rivers. Agents of German bankers Ehinger, Federman and others examined mainly the northeast of the continent, the upper reaches of the Orinoco River. In 1541, Orellana's detachment first crossed the continent in its widest part, tracing the middle and lower reaches of the Amazon River; Cabot, Mendoza and others in 1527-48 walked along large rivers Parana Basin - Paraguay.

Extreme southern point continent - Cape Horn - was discovered by the Dutch navigators Lemaire and Schouten in 1616. The English navigator Davis discovered the “Land of the Virgin” in 1592, suggesting that it was a single landmass; Only in 1690 Strong proved that it consists of many islands and gave them the name Falkland Islands.

In the 16th-18th centuries. detachments of Portuguese mestizo-Mamiluks, who carried out campaigns of conquest in search of gold and jewelry, repeatedly crossed the Brazilian plateau and traced the course of many tributaries of the Amazon. Jesuit missionaries also took part in the study of these areas.

To test the hypothesis about the spheroidal shape of the Earth, the Paris Academy of Sciences sent an Equatorial Expedition led by Bouguer and Condamine to Peru in 1736-43 to measure the arc of the meridian, which confirmed the validity of this assumption. In 1781-1801, the Spanish topographer Asara conducted comprehensive research La Plata Bay, as well as the Parana and Paraguay river basins. Humboldt explored the Orinoco River basin, the Quito plateau, visited the city of Lima, presenting the results of his research in the book “Travel to the Equinox Regions of the New World in 1799-1804.” The English hydrographer and meteorologist Fitzroy in 1828-30 (on F. King's expedition) surveyed the southern coast of South America, and later led the famous trip around the world on the Beagle, in which Darwin also took part. The Amazon and the Brazilian plateau adjacent to it from the south were explored by the German scientist Eschwege (1811-14), the French biologist Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1816-22), the Russian expedition led by Langsdorff (1822-28), and the English naturalist A. Wallace (1848- 52), French scientist Coudreau (1895-98). German and French scientists studied the Orinoco River basin and the Guiana Plateau, American and Argentine scientists studied the lower reaches of the Parana and Uruguay rivers in the La Plata region. Russian scientists Albov, who studied Tierra del Fuego in 1895-96, Manizer (1914-15), Vavilov (1930, 1932-33), made a great contribution to the study of this continent.