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

Upon hitting South America, the Kelvin wave splits into two, one heading north, toward California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Berg, who started Psagot winery some 20 years ago, said the business exports about 60 percent of its production, with trade in Britain, the United States, Europe, South America and elsewhere.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Researchers propose that the ancestors of Dasosaurus tocantinensis reached South America by moving through North Africa sometime between 140 and 120 million years ago.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

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

"No; listen, Jake. If I handled both our expenses, would you go to South America with me?"

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway