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

Lead researcher Dr Keren Papier said research in South America - where many people drink a very hot herbal beverage called mate - had already shown a similar link between hot drinks and oesophageal cancer.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

It inflated northern regions and compressed equatorial ones, making Europe and North America appear much larger, while shrinking Africa and South America.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

A larger supply of lean meat from South America could temporarily lower prices for ground beef sold at grocery stores or found in fast-food restaurants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The swamp hen, known by its scientific name, Porphyrio martinica, is mostly found along the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean as well as parts of South America.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Sargo was also working to overthrow the governments of Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, and Brazil, so that pro-Nazi leaders could be installed across South America.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield