South America

noun

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

South America

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)

South America

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

Notes

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 Words From

• South American adjective noun

Example Sentences

The reason for this drop in carbon dioxide — which appears in climate records from South America and Greenland — is unknown, but it allowed for an eventual migration northward.

From Science News

The genus is exceptionally diverse, with more than 270 species adapted to a wide range of habitats all over South America.

From Science News

In soccer, players born in the first quarter of their selection year are overrepresented throughout major leagues in Europe and South America.

From FiveThirtyEight

Over the second half of the last decade the internet has indeed reached more of that next billion particularly in the busy, fast-growing urban areas of Africa, Asia, Central and South America.

From Quartz

Europe and Asia recorded their hottest average temperatures on record in 2020, with South America recording its second warmest.

From Science News

The next time all the presidents from North and South America meet will be at the Summit of the Americas in Panama in April.

From The Daily Beast

We shake hands and he immediately begins a monologue about prison breaks and South America.

From The Daily Beast

When most of us think of the premier retirement destination for unrepentant Nazis, our minds immediately turn to South America.

From The Daily Beast

Dr. Neal is a spine surgeon who made a trip to heaven while drowning in a kayak accident in South America.

From The Daily Beast

Hundreds of submissions began to pour in from across Europe, the United States, and South America.

From The Daily Beast

He had meted out stern justice to his own son, when he had banished big Reginald to South America; but he had his virtues.

From Project Gutenberg

In no part of the world is smoking so common as in South America; here all classes and all ages use the weed.

From Project Gutenberg

Tobacco is found growing along the whole western sea-board of South America until we reach the northern boundaries of Patagonia.

From Project Gutenberg

After a voyage of over two months, the coast of South America came in sight.

From Project Gutenberg

The foregoing undated report was written after his return to England from South America.

From Project Gutenberg