South America

American  

noun

1. a continent in the S part of the Western Hemisphere. About 6,900,000 sq. mi. (17,871,000 sq. km).

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South America British  

noun

1. 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)

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South America Cultural  

1. Continent in the Western Hemisphere, connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama.

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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.

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.

Other Word Forms

• South American
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

South America

She also trained with shamanic communities throughout Central and South America.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

In the rainforests of South America and Southeast Asia, they became specialized hunting companions capable of following prey through thick vegetation and moving across difficult terrain.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

The naturally-occurring El Nino climate pattern, which began in June and is expected to peak later this year, has already amplified unprecedented temperatures across Central America and northern South America.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Stephenson has lived across the world in Asia, Africa and South America and never experienced bedbug bites before.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

It continued to terrorize numerous cities, especially in Central and South America.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy