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

Derived Forms

• South American
  adjective

Example Sentences

Droughts in parts of South America and South East Asia could hit crops at a time when the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is already disrupting the distribution of fertiliser.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

The team from South America chose to spend this summer in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and occasionally leave the beach when it takes on Saudi Arabia, Cabo Verde and Spain in the group stage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Screwworm is endemic in South America and parts of the Caribbean, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

New World screwworm is endemic to South America and parts of the Caribbean.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

My parents traveled a great deal later in their lives—to Europe numerous times, to Israel and South America.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove