South America: “The Continent Through the Hole in the Curtain. South America: countries and cities Tropical South America

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South America is an amazing continent; it can easily be called a continent of contrasts. Here is the longest mountain system - the Andes, the largest Amazon River, the largest tropical rain forest on the planet, the driest Atacama Desert, the largest lakes - Maracaibo and Titicaca, one of the richest seas in the world. South America has the greatest diversity of flora and fauna on Earth, spread over a fairly wide range of landscapes. This is truly a unique world. Once upon a time there was a large continent, Gondwana, in the southern hemisphere. As a result of the movement of tectonic plates, it split (about 100 million years ago) into several smaller continents: Africa, Australia, India, Antarctica and South America, which became an island cut off from the rest of the world. About 80 million years ago, as a result of the collision of tectonic plates on the continent, mountain building began, which resulted in the Andes. Mountains stretch along the entire length of the continent (more than 8,000 km) on the western border. In the north, the slopes are covered with tropical forests, the mountain peaks are so sky-high that the snow never melts, despite the fact that they are located on the equator.
In the central Andes lies the high-mountain dry Altiplano desert, further south the mountains become lower and we get closer and closer to Antarctica. In the far south, Patagonia has the largest area of ​​ice in the world (more than 18,000 km2), excluding the polar regions. Glaciers (glaciers) stretch all the way to the sea. Under the shadow of the Patagonian peaks, fierce winds blow and heavy snowfalls occur. Patagonia is a pretty harsh place to live.
The emergence of the Andes created unique natural areas both in the mountains themselves and in the lowlands. This giant barrier changed the climate of South America and remade the map of the entire continent, radically changing the direction
its main rivers. Once upon a time, part of the Amazon was a huge swamp connected to the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The rising Andes caused the rivers to flow east. The Amazon irrigates 40% of South America, 6500 km, 1/5 of all the planet's water. The largest freshwater fish in the world is found here. Covering the space from the Andes to the Atlantic with an almost continuous carpet, the Amazonian jungle surpasses any forest on the planet in terms of diversity of life. Powerful tropical rains pour into the Amazon jungle, feeding it with water. Mountains are an obstacle to winds carrying moisture, so to the west of the mountains there are areas where not a drop of rain falls for several years. The Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world, is one such area. It stretches a narrow strip between the mountains and the ocean. The humid air cools as it passes over the cold ocean current and every day the desert is covered with a dense layer of fog coming from the Pacific Ocean, and the moisture condenses on the lichens covering the cacti.
The eastern part of the south of the continent is characterized by a dry climate, but not because there is no water, but because there is wind. Here in the grassy steppes of Patagonia, the wind never stops for a minute. In windswept Patagonia, a hole in the ground makes excellent housing, even for birds. On the cliffs by the sea, parrots make holes in the sandstone for them to live in, one of the few places where parrots live on the sea coast.
For almost 100 million years, South America was separated from the rest of the world and developed on its own. But about 3 million years ago, tectonic movements raised the earth from the depths, connecting North and South America with each other. And along this bridge, like along an avenue, migration of animals began in both directions. The vast plains are one of the oldest South American landscapes. Over the entire history of the continent, they have hardly changed.
Of course, people tried to change the surrounding nature as much as possible. But due to the fact that most of the continent is inaccessible to humans and does not meet the necessary conditions for survival, there are still vast areas of pristine nature that amaze the imagination. The landscapes of South America and its nature owe their existence to the unusual history of this continent.

Information

• Territory: 17,840,000 km²
• Population: 387,489,196 (2011) people.
• Names of residents: South American, American
• Includes: 12 states
• Dependent states: 3
• Time Zones: UTC-2 to UTC-5
• Largest cities South America : Sao Paulo, Lima, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Caracas, Buenos Aires, Salvador, Brasilia, Fortaleza
• : Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Guiana, Chile, Ecuador...

Source. worldgeotour.ru

South America: geographical location. Two continents - South and North America - form a single part of the world under the common name America. These continents are connected to each other by the Isthmus of Panama, through which the navigable Panama Canal was dug in 1920, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. South America is located in the Western Hemisphere and is washed by the Pacific (in the west) and Atlantic (in the north and east) oceans. The area of ​​the continent is approximately 18 million sq. km. South America is shaped like a triangle, tapering towards the south. Extent of South America from north to south along 70 degrees west longitude. — 7350 km, and from west to east along the 10th degree north latitude. — 4655 km.

Extreme points of South America:

• Northern - Cape Galinas 12°25′ N, 71°39′ W
• Western - Cape Parinhas 4°40′ S, 81°20′ W
• Eastern - Cape Cabo Branco 7°10′ S, 34°47′ W
• South - Cape Froward 53°54′ S, 71°18′ W

In the east the continent is washed by waters Pacific Ocean, in the north and west - Atlantic. The coastline is very slightly indented. Only in the southeast there are several not very large bays: La Plata, San Matias, San Jorge and Bahia Grande. To the north is the only Caribbean Sea.

Relief and geological structure.

The relief of South America is represented by plains and plateaus in the east and mountain ranges in the west of the continent. The relief of the eastern part is based on the ancient South American platform. Large low-lying plains formed on it - Amazonian, Orinoco, La Plata, composed of strata of marine and continental sediments. The shields (elevated sections of the platform) are associated with the Brazilian and Guiana highlands with a height of 500 to 2500 m. Faults in the earth's crust divided the highlands into separate massifs, cut by gorges.

In the west of the mainland, the Andes, or Andean Cordillera, stretch for 9,000 km from north to south, separating the rest of the continent from the Pacific Ocean. This is a folded region of Alpine age; is a continuation of the North American Cordillera and consists of parallel ridges. Between the ranges are the Central Andean highlands and plateaus. Mountain-building processes in the Andes have not been completed, so earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent here.

Largest peaks : Aconcagua – 6960m(Argentina), Ojos Del Salado— 6880m (Chile), Tupungato- 6800m (Argentina-Chile), Huascaran - 6768m (Peru), Ankouma - 6550m (Bolivia), Illimani - 6402m (Bolivia).
Largest volcanoes : Llullaillaco – 6723m(Argentina-Chile), Sahama— 6520m (Bolivia), Coropuna- 6425m (Peru), San Pedro - 5974m (Chile).

Climate.

The geographical location and configuration of the continent determines how much heat it receives throughout the year. South America - wettest continent on the ground. A lot of moisture comes from the Atlantic Ocean trade winds. The road to air masses from the Pacific Ocean is blocked by the Andes.

South America is located in equatorial, subequatorial, tropical, subtropical And moderate climatic zones.

Most of the Amazonian lowland and the northeastern coast of the mainland are located in equatorial belt. Air temperature throughout the year is +25-28 °C. The amount of precipitation is from 1500 to 3500 mm, in the foothills of the Andes - up to 7000 mm.

Subequatorial belt The Northern and Southern hemispheres connect on the east coast, bordering the equatorial climate zone. There is seasonality in the distribution of precipitation here. A large amount of them – 2000 mm – falls in the summer. The rainy season in the Northern Hemisphere is from May to December, in the Southern Hemisphere - from December to May. Air temperature +25 °C. Winter comes with the arrival of tropical continental air. There is practically no precipitation; air temperature +20 °C.

Tropical climate zone.

Located only in the Southern Hemisphere. Air temperature +20 °C. It is divided into two types of climate. Humid tropical climate is formed in the east and southeast of the Brazilian Highlands under the influence of trade winds bringing moisture. There is less precipitation than in the subequatorial belt. Towards the west, the amount of precipitation decreases and forms dry tropical climate. The cold Peruvian Current has a great influence here. A temperature inversion occurs: the air is saturated with moisture, but very cool, resulting in no precipitation. This is the coastal desert Atacama.

Subtropical zone located south of 30°S. sh., within its borders three types of climate are formed. On the West Coast subtropical Mediterranean climate with dry, cool summers (+20 °C) and humid, warm winters (+10 °C, cloudy and rainy weather prevails). As you move deeper into the continent, the climate becomes continental subtropical. There is only 500 mm of precipitation. Forming on the east coast subtropical humid climate: summer temperature in January is +25 °C, and winter temperature in July is +10 °C, precipitation falls up to 2000 mm per year.

Temperate climate zone located south of 40º S. Forming on the West Coast marine temperate type climate: warm, humid winter (+5 °C), humid, cool summer (+15 °C); precipitation – up to 2000 mm or more. In the eastern part of the belt - temperate continental type climate: colder winters (0 °C), warm summers (+20 °C). Precipitation – 300 mm.

Formed in the Andes alpine type climate. Here, climatic zones replace each other according to the law of vertical zonation. At the foot of the mountains the climate is no different from the surrounding areas. As you rise, the temperature and precipitation patterns change.

Sushi waters.

South America is rich in inland waters. Most rivers are fed by rain; some receive water from melting snow and ice in the mountains. The largest river flows through the continent river Earth Amazon(6400 km). The area of ​​its river basin is equal to 7 million km2– this is almost 40% of the continent’s territory. Being in a zone of high humidity, the river is full of water all year round. The river floods twice a year: in May during rains in the Southern Hemisphere and in October-November in the Northern Hemisphere.

Unlike the Amazon River Orinoco(2730 km) and Parana(4380 km) have a pronounced seasonality of flow. The period of river flooding occurs during the summer wet season. Flowing from the Andes, the rivers in the upper reaches form waterfalls. On one of the tributaries of the Orinoco there is the highest waterfall in the world - Angel (1054 m); Iguazu Falls is located on one of the tributaries of the Parana.

Of the large lakes in South America, the most famous are: Lake Maracaibo, which is a desalinated lagoon, near the Caribbean Sea. Lake Titicaca located in the Andes at an altitude of 3800 m - the largest alpine lake in the world.

Minerals of South America

On the plateaus East There are deposits of iron, manganese ores, nickel, and deposits of bauxite containing aluminum. Oil, natural gas, and coal were found in the depressions and troughs of the platform.

Andes especially rich in non-ferrous and rare metals. The introduction of magma into sedimentary rocks led to the formation of the world's largest deposits of copper ores, as well as molybdenum, tin, silver, etc. The name of the mountains comes from the word “anta”, in the Inca language - “copper”.

Lesson summary "". Next topic:

South America is a region according to our classification and a continent in geographical terms. Located in the southern hemisphere. South America is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic in the east. In the north it borders with the Caribbean Sea, and in the south with the Strait of Magellan. The border between North and South America is the Isthmus of Panama.

The predominant part of the continent (5/6 of the area) is located in the Southern Hemisphere. The continent of South America is widest in equatorial and tropical latitudes. This continent represents the western part of the once existing supercontinent Gondwana.

South America is the fourth largest and fifth most populous continent on Earth. The area with islands is 18.3 million km. sq. South America also includes the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the Chilean Islands and the Galapagos.

Nature and population

There are few lakes in South America. The exception is oxbow lakes and mountain lakes in the Andes. The largest alpine lake in the world, Titicaca, is located on the same continent; in the north there is a large lagoon lake, Maracaibo.

Large areas on the mainland are occupied by humid equatorial and tropical forests and various types of woodlands and savannas. But there are no deserts characteristic of and in South America.

In general, there are much more indigenous people - Indians - in South America than in North America. In Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, they even make up about half of the total population.

The population arriving from Europe gradually mixed with the indigenous peoples of the continent. The Spanish and Portuguese conquerors came here without families; they took Indian women as wives. That's when the mestizos began to appear. Now there are almost no “pure” representatives of the European race left; they all have admixtures of Indian or Negro blood.

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South America. Climate and nature

The most significant mountain formation is the Andes Mountains. They stretch along the west of the continent. The nature of South America is as diverse as its length from north to south. There are high mountains, forests, plains and deserts. The highest point is Mount Aconcagua, the mountain is 6960 m high. The largest rivers in South America:

• Amazon,
• Parana,
• Paraguay
• Orinoco.

The climate on this continent is subequatorial and tropical, in the south it is subtropical and temperate, and in the Amazon it is equatorial and constantly humid.

Countries of the continent

On the modern map of the continent of South America there are 12 independent states. In terms of area and economic power, Brazil remains the undisputed leader. The second largest country by area is Argentina, which is located in the south of the mainland.

– the fourth largest continent on Earth.

Its area is 17.7 million square meters. km, but if we count all the adjacent islands, then this value is slightly larger - 18.28 million square meters. km. With its contours, South America resembles a triangle. The continent is located mainly in the Western and Southern Hemispheres and partly in the Northern.

The continent of South America is surrounded on all sides by water. It is washed from the east by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and from the west by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. From the north, South America is washed by the Caribbean Sea, which is the natural border between the two Americas.

The Isthmus of Panama in the northwest connects South America with North America.

Location of the extreme points of the continent

In degrees, the location of the extreme points of the continent is as follows:

• in the north – Cape Galinas (12° north latitude and 72° west longitude);
• on South – Cape Froward (53°54′ south latitude and 71°18′ west longitude);
• in the West – Cape Parinhas (4°40′ south latitude and 81°20′ west longitude);
• in the east there was confusion - this is Cape Cabo Branca (7°09´ south latitude 34°46) or Cape Seixas (34°47 west longitude).

History of the discovery of South America

The continent of South America was first seen by the navigator Amerigo Vespucci.

This is the Florentine traveler, after whom America was presumably named. By origin, Vespucci is a Florentine. He is a member of several Spanish and Portuguese expeditions to the shores of South America. Amerigo was the first to suggest that these lands were a new part of the world, and he proposed calling them the New World. But in 1507, cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, in his book “Introduction to Caomography,” named the land America after Amerigo Vespucci.

South American climate

South America is the wettest continent on earth. In terms of natural conditions, it is similar to Africa - wet forests with colorful birds and monkeys and endless grassy plains. But South America has far fewer deserts and far more mountains.

Thus, in most of South Africa the climate is subequatorial and tropical, in the south of the mainland it is subtropical and temperate.

If we talk about climatic zones, then there are deserts in South America.

Semi-deserts, tropical and equatorial forests, and pampas (steppes) are also found in South America.

Winter in the tropical zone is as hot as summer. Direct sunlight heats the earth's surface all year round. But this does not mean that there are no seasons at all. They are simply not cold or warm, but dry or wet.

In ancient times, South America was an integral part of other landmasses. After their split and drift to the southwest, the continent existed for a very long time in isolation from the other continents. Until the beginning of the 20th century, two continents in the Western Hemisphere were connected by the Isthmus of Panama. Then a shipping canal of the same name was built through it. To a large extent, the modern appearance is determined not only by the geographical location of South America (SA) and its geological structure, but also by the activities of the population.

General information about the continent of South America. Size of territory

The territory of the continent (including adjacent islands) is 18 million km 2 (the fourth largest by area). In ancient times, strong tectonic shocks caused the splitting of the land and the drift of the South American plate far to the west - towards the Nazca plate. The result of this oncoming movement was a powerful collision of lithospheric massifs, the formation of folded mountains (Andes). The climate became warmer, the flow of the Amazon changed, severe swamping and overgrowing of wet impenetrable forests occurred in its valley in the middle and lower reaches. Thanks to its remote location, endemic and relict species of plants and animals have been preserved in the organic world of South America. A description of the geographical location of South America will help to understand what factors are decisive for the formation of the modern climate and natural zones, and the activities of the population.

Geographical location of South America. Plan

The shape of the continent is similar to a drop, the tip of which faces the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Pole. The wide base is located north of the equator, and the narrow part is in the subtropics. Characteristics of the mainland GP include a listing of the main elements of its placement on the globe and map, and neighboring geographical objects. There are a number of steps you need to take:

1. Study the position relative to the equator, the prime meridian.
2. Determine the coordinates of the furthest northern, southern, western and eastern points.
3. Briefly describe the coastline, the oceans washing the continent, the largest seas, straits and bays.

Description of the geographical location of South America

The main mass of the continent is located south of parallel 0° (equator), and in the northern latitudes there is a small area. The 0° meridian does not pass through this continent.

Geographical position of South America by latitude:

• 12° N. w. - Gallinas metro station in the north;
• 54° S w. - Cape Froward on the southern edge of the mainland;
• 56° S w. - island point - Cape Diego Ramirez in the south.

The geographical position of South America in longitude is the coordinates of the two extreme points in the east and west:

• 35° W d. - m. Cabo Branco;
• 81° W d. - m. Pariñas.

At the 10° parallel, the distance on the mainland reaches 4655 km, and 5150 km is the largest latitudinal extent of the continent of South America. The position relative to the equator of this territory is 5° south. w.

Character of the coastline

The western edge of the continent is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its cold Peruvian Current. This is a slightly indented part of the coast. The highest and longest mountain ranges of the Andes are located here. South America and Antarctica are separated by a strait that was named after the medieval pirate Francis Drake. The water surface stretches for 460 km from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The width of the strait is from 818 to 1120 km, its depth is from 276 to 5249 m. The geographical position of the South American continent near Antarctica has led to harsh conditions in the south of the continent, in and on the islands of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The nature of the Falklands is also influenced by the south polar region. In the east the shores are washed by the Atlantic, in the north by the Caribbean Sea.

Voyages of Columbus

Continents in the Western Hemisphere are not shown on ancient Greek maps and Ptolemy's drawings. There are a number of legends and hypotheses based on evidence of the voyage to the islands and coast of America by the ancient peoples of Eurasia (Phoenicians, Egyptians, Vikings) and inhabitants of Oceania. Scientists and travelers of the time assumed that there was a Western route to the rich states of the East. The physical and geographical position of South America determined the long-term isolation of this continent from the Old World and its poor study until the 15th century. During this period, Europeans began to populate and develop America. The navigator and merchant Christopher Columbus visited the New World four times under the flag of the Spanish crown (1492-1504). For the first time he went far to the west at the head of a small sailing squadron - to look for the shortest route to India. During the expedition, he discovered one of the Antilles islands. In August 1498, Columbus's ships entered the mouth of the Orinoco, marking the beginning of the European conquest of the mainland. The navigator, landing on uncharted shores, was sure that he had reached India. With the light hand of Columbus, the aborigines began to be called Indians.

Brief information about the colonization of the mainland by Europeans

Amerigo Vespucci was the first to guess that Columbus had discovered an unknown land. In honor of the navigator’s brilliant idea, the southern continent was named America (1507). Vespucci visited America several times during his life. He made maps and described them. Over two centuries, the Spaniards and Portuguese mastered the spaces in the central and southern parts. They turned into ruins the ancient Indian cities built by the civilizations of the Incas, Aztecs and Mayans. The French, English and Dutch joined the large-scale colonization of South America by immigrants from the Iberian Peninsula in the 16th century. The sailors skirted the continent, delved into the impenetrable jungle of the central part in search of the treasures of Eldorado, as well as a source of water that bestows eternal youth. Expeditions climbed to the peaks of the Andes, went up and down the Amazon, Parana, and other rivers. The legendary Spanish conqueror F. Orellana crossed the continent (1542), sailing along the Amazon from its sources in the Andes to the delta on the Atlantic coast.

Explorations of South America (XVII-XX)

The German geographer A. Humboldt, during his scientific expeditions, compiled a detailed map of the continent and ocean currents off its western shores. He was the first to find out the importance of cold streams for the formation of the climate of the Andes, described the altitudinal zone and vegetation of the mountains (together with the Frenchman E. Bonpland). The famous British naturalist Charles Darwin studied the nature of South America in the 19th century. Observations of unusual animals on the Galapagos volcanic islands led the researcher to the idea of ​​the evolution of organisms. Russian scientists G. Langsdorf and N. Rubtsov explored the interior regions of the Brazilian Plateau in the 19th century. Expeditions led by A. Voeikov and N. Vavilov studied the centers of origin and distribution of the most important agricultural crops (1932-1933).

Diversity of the continent's nature

Within the South American continent there are significant differences in nature due to a number of factors. The most important among them is the intake of solar radiation, which depends on geographic latitude. The nature of the continent is influenced by:

• features of the geographical location of South America;
• size of the territory;
• atmospheric circulation;
• the surrounding oceans;
• warm and cold currents;
• (mountains, plains, deserts).

South America does not have as dry a climate as Africa. Let us list the main zones (from north to south): equatorial, tropical and temperate, transitional - subequatorial and subtropical.

Conclusion

Characterizing the geographical location of South America is an important element in studying the continent. In ancient times, the continent was not in the part of the Earth that it occupies now. It has gone through a long development path - from being part of Pangea and Gondwana to the modern geological era.

The continent is located in the Western Hemisphere, mainly south of the equator. In the west there is a mountain belt - the Andes. A deep-sea trench runs near the coast, resulting from the collision of two lithosphere blocks. There are active volcanoes in this region, and destructive earthquakes occur, complicating the life and activities of the population.

Modern inhabitants of the mainland are descendants of Indians, Spanish and Portuguese conquerors, and slaves brought to work on plantations. The total population 12 exceeds 380 million people. The mainland is rich in attractions, including the highest mountain peaks, waterfalls, remains of ancient cities, and many other sites of domestic and international tourism.