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

Native to South America, nutrias were originally brought to the U.S. in the early 1900s to breed and reproduce for a fur trade that was never successful.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The Earth appears to us as upside down, with the western Sahara and Iberian peninsula visible to the left and the eastern portion of South America to the right.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Rhinoceroses have a long evolutionary history spanning more than 40 million years, once inhabiting nearly every continent except South America and Antarctica.

From Science Daily • Mar. 24, 2026

In recent years the semi-aquatic capybara -- native to South America -- has gained a devoted following online, and its image is increasingly used on toys, clothing and home decor items.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s capital city at that time, was the second stop on Roosevelt’s planned tour of South America.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple