Peoples and countries of South America. Population of South America What is the dominant population in South America?
Considering indigenous people of South America, it is worth noting that the Latin American continent is the region of the planet where Indians are allowed not only to live and develop freely, but also to occupy responsible leadership positions of national importance.
One example of how an Indian representative managed to get the presidency is the victory of Evo Morales in the elections in Bolivia. This person is a representative of the Aymara Indian tribe, that is, a representative of the indigenous population of South America. This national identity makes Evo Morales a true leader for all the indigenous peoples of South America without exception. Another representative of Indian tribes who received the highest government position is the President of the Republic of Peru, Ollanta Humala. It belongs to one of the largest Peruvian Indian tribes - the Quechua. Of course, one should not assume that the lifestyle indigenous people of South America has not undergone any changes. Both Humala and Morales are active politicians who are trying to lead their states to prosperity. Let's analyze the situation with how they are distributed indigenous peoples of South America throughout the continent.
Those states where the indigenous population makes up a large percentage of the total number of citizens are Peru, Bolivia, Mexico and Guatemala. Moreover, in a state like Peru the Indian population is 14 million people. If we consider that throughout Latin America there are no more than 48 million Indians, then this is almost 30% of the total. The indigenous population of South America is not at all homogeneous and does not have strictly defined territories of compact residence. This is how the settlement of Indians occurred and continues to occur from Mexico to the southern regions of Argentina and Chile.
Indigenous peoples of South America- These are Aymara, Quechua, who are descendants of the Incas. These are the Guarani and Mapuche, living mainly in the southern part of the continent. By the way, more often, instead of the word “Mapuche”, another version of the name of the Indian people “Araucans” is used. Indigenous people of South America- These are also the Tehuelches, who were almost supplanted by those same Araucanians. This is the Chibcha (Mosca), whose culture and history is filled with no less mysteries and legends than the Mayan culture. In the Amazonian jungle of Peru live the collective Shipibo-Konibo people, who speak their own language, and few of the representatives of this indigenous people of South America understands Spanish. Shipibo-Konibo gave the world the famous Peruvian artist Pablo Amaringo. A large number of documentaries have been made about the Shipibo-Konibo culture. Some of them were awarded international awards at European and American documentary film festivals. Another representative of the indigenous population of South America lives in Venezuela and Guyana - the Varao (Guarao) Indians. Surprisingly, this tribe leads an almost entirely vegetarian lifestyle, allowing themselves to eat only fruits, vegetables and fish. This is due to the fact that Warao culture almost completely prohibits hunting, so as not to anger the Warao gods. The indigenous population of South America is also the extremely small Botocudo tribe living in Brazil. Representatives of this tribe still preach occult beliefs, often bringing themselves to the borderline between life and death in order to see their deceased ancestors and hear their advice. Botokudo does not have a developed counting system: apart from one, these people have no other numbers.
Also see:
Common language of Latin America
If we talk about the most common language in Latin America, it is Spanish. However, there are a number of other languages that are an integral part of the culture of South American countries. We are talking about Portuguese, English, Dutch and French.
Population density of South America: analysis of the current situation
The population of South America has grown significantly in recent years. This is due not only to the high birth rate, but also to some other factors that are worth talking about in more detail.
The ethnic and racial composition of the population of South America is characterized by great complexity, which is associated with the peculiarities of its historical development. Representatives of all three major races live here: Mongoloid, Caucasoid and Equatorial. About 250 large and small nations live here. Unlike the peoples of the Old World, many of the large ethnic groups of South America were formed in modern times. Three main elements participated in their formation: the indigenous Indian population, emigrants from European countries and slaves exported from Africa.
At the same time, the first place in the social hierarchy of colonial society belonged to the Creoles - the descendants of the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors born in America. Next came the Indians, blacks and numerous mixed groups. Mixed groups included mestizos - descendants of marriages of Creoles with Indians, mulattoes - descendants of marriages of Creoles with blacks, and sambo - the result of marriages of blacks and Indians.
In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The white population of South America increased significantly. On the modern ethnic map of South America, the Spanish-Portuguese area is clearly visible, within which Romance-speaking immigrants also assimilated without much difficulty. The area where the Creole population is combined with mestizos, as well as with blacks and mulattoes, is even more extensive. Finally, in the interior regions Indian peoples continue to predominate, the total number of which by the beginning of the 1990s. amounted to 35-40 million people.
If we look at the map of the peoples of Latin America, it turns out that most of the countries in this region have a very complex ethnic composition. Thus, even without taking into account small Indian tribes, there are more than 80 in Brazil, about 50 in Argentina, and more than 25 different peoples in Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, and Chile. The countries of South America are usually grouped into several groups.
Firstly, these are countries where the basis of the respective nations was made up of Creoles and other European settlers. These include Argentina and Uruguay. Secondly, these are countries where mestizos formed the basis of nations: Ecuador, Peru, Chile. Thirdly, these are countries where Indians still predominate - Paraguay and Bolivia.
The linguistic composition of the population of South America is much more homogeneous. Since the beginning of the European conquests, Spanish, Portuguese and other European languages have been introduced here. Nowadays, Spanish serves as the state (official) language in most countries, and it is spoken by 240-250 million people. It is characteristic that in Latin American Spanish, under the influence of immigration, many borrowings from Italian, French, German, and English appeared. The second place is occupied by Portuguese, which has become the official language of Brazil. Guyana (the former British colony of British Guiana) is one of the English-speaking countries. French is adopted as the official language in French Guiana (an overseas department of France). In Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, along with Spanish, Indian languages (Aztec, Quechua, Guarani, etc.) are considered official languages.
The religious composition of the population of South America is largely determined by its ethnic composition and is also closely related to the history of its colonization. Approximately 9/10 of its population profess Catholicism. In addition to Catholics, there are also Protestants and Orthodox Christians, and among adherents of non-Christian religions there are Hindus and Muslims (among those from Asia). Some Indian groups still retain remnants of pre-Christian traditional beliefs and practices. Of course, Christianity was and remains the dominant religion in the region. Moreover, in terms of the total number of Christians (158 million), Brazil ranks second in the world after the United States.
Population distribution in South America.
For South America, the most typical density indicators are in the range of 10-30 people per 1 km 2. Only Bolivia, Suriname, Guyana and especially French Guiana have densities below this norm.
In South America as a whole, the interior regions are the least populated - the vast expanses of the Amazon rainforest, some of which are completely deserted, and some mountainous areas of the Andes. This indicates poor development of a significant part of the continent. As for the more densely populated territories, J. G. Mashbits, in his famous monograph on Latin America, divided them in accordance with two different types of population distribution: internal and oceanic.
The internal type of settlement is characteristic of most Andean countries. The bulk of their population is concentrated in areas located at altitudes from 1000 to 2500 m.
A striking example of a country of this type of settlement is Bolivia, perhaps the highest mountainous country in the world, where more than half of the population lives on the Altiplano plateau, located at an altitude of 3300-3800 m above sea level.
Unlike inland Bolivia, Colombia has wide access to two oceans. However, their coasts are quite sparsely populated. The eastern part of the country, located in the upper reaches of the Orinoco and the left tributaries of the Amazon, is even less populated. Here, in the tropical forests and high-mountain savannas (llanos), which occupy 3/5 of Colombia's territory, only 2% of its population lives, and its average density is approximately 1 person per 1 km 2. The main population is concentrated in the Andes, mainly in intermountain basins with favorable soil and climatic conditions. The main cities of the country, Bogota, Medellin, etc., are also located in such basins.
The second, oceanic type of settlement is especially characteristic of Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela, which is largely associated with the direction of European colonization.
Back in the 30s. XVI century the entire coastal territory of Brazil was divided into 15 captaincys, the lands of which the king transferred to people from the feudal Portuguese nobility. This is how the oceanic type of population distribution arose, which has survived to this day, when about half of its population lives within a narrow coastal strip, occupying only 7% of Brazil’s territory. At the same time, the western half of the country, occupying more than 1/2 of its area, accounts for only 5% of the population, and its average density here does not reach 1 person per 1 km 2.
In Argentina, the population density exceeds 100 people per 1 km 2, while Pampa has a much sparse population, and in the foothills of the Andes and Patagonia this figure is at the level of 1 person per 1 km 2.
The oceanic type of population distribution is to a certain extent characteristic of Venezuela. The vast majority of the population is concentrated here in the coastal and mountainous areas in the north and northwest of the country.
Chile can also be attributed to the same type of settlement, where 3/4 of the inhabitants live on a relatively small section of the coast between the cities of Valparaiso and Concepcion.
Largest urban agglomerations in Latin America.
South America is one of the most highly urbanized regions in the world. The region's share of the total urban population of the world is almost 14%, second only to overseas Asia in this regard. According to UN forecasts, in 2025 the number of urban residents in the region could approach 700 million people. Countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, where 80 to 90% of the population lives in cities, are among the most urbanized in the world. But we must not forget that the urban explosion in South America is largely due to the migration of poor rural populations to the cities, and this gives it the character of so-called false urbanization.
The urbanization process in South America reflects all the main features of global urbanization. These primarily include the concentration of population in large cities. In 1870, there were only 14 such cities in the entire region, in 1980 there were already 200, and in 1990 - 300. Including the number of cities (agglomerations) of millionaires increased from 4 in 1940 to 42 in the middle 1990s, when they already concentrated 38% of the total urban population. Among these largest agglomerations, the three largest ones, classified as supercities, stand out in size and importance: Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
There are 12 independent states on the Modern Political Map of South America. The fifth largest country in the world by area and the largest on the mainland of Brazil. Dependent territories include Guiana, which belongs to France and is currently its overseas department. Of the official languages, Spanish predominates, in Brazil - Portuguese, in Suriname - Dutch, in Guyana - English, in French Guiana - French.
South America is most often divided into the Andean group and the Atlantic group. Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay are sometimes also called the Southern Cone countries.
In terms of form of government, the independent countries of South America differ from the countries of foreign Europe and foreign Asia by much greater homogeneity. All of them have a republican system and all, with one exception, are presidential republics.
In terms of the form of administrative-territorial structure in South America, as well as in other large regions of the world, unitary states predominate. However, its three largest countries - Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela - have a federal government system.
The settlement of South America by humans ended later than other continents - only 12-15 thousand years ago. It is impossible to say unambiguously how the continent was populated. Most likely, man entered America from Asia. This happened during the late Paleolithic - about 35 thousand years ago. During this era, there was an ice age on Earth, and the Bering Strait, connecting Eurasia and America, was covered with ice. The ancient peoples of Asia migrated through it in search of new lands suitable for living and hunting, and so they began to explore a new part of the world - America. But it took them another 20 thousand years to reach its southernmost tip.
As you know, the indigenous peoples of America are called Indians. They were also called Indians by Christopher Columbus, who, having discovered America, was sure that he had reached the shores of India. In European languages, for example in English, the words “Indian” and “Indian” are still written and sounded the same: “Indian”. When Europeans set foot in America in 1492, it was the beginning of the end for most of its indigenous inhabitants. Very soon, European travelers began to behave like conquerors, taking from the Indians everything that they did not agree to give them for nothing. Within 30 years, on the very first islands discovered by the Spaniards, the entire indigenous population was destroyed. The colonialists carried with them the material culture of Europe: steel weapons, horses, grain, but trade with indigenous peoples always came with pressure on them, and ended with military actions against them and the destruction of tribes that stood in the way of the colonialists. At the same time, the Spaniards brought other troubles to the mainland - European diseases. To this day it is unknown how many Indians died from them, and what turned out to be more destructive for them: Spanish blades or viruses to which the local population had no immunity - a common “cold” for a European could turn out to be a fatal infection for many of the Indians. Entire Aboriginal tribes died out from measles and smallpox.
Of course, not all the peoples of South America were at the level of the tribal system, despite the fact that most of them still lived in tribes - they did not require high technology to get food. Hunting and gathering could feed a tribe for generations, and living in harmony with nature was the best survival tactic for these people. But on the mainland there were peoples with a more developed material culture. Among them, the Inca Empire stands out first. The Incas controlled large areas of western South America. They knew how to build stone buildings, lay roads, water pipelines, they had a complex social hierarchy and a strong army, with the help of which they conquered and kept many other peoples of South America in obedience. The Incas knew the processing of bronze, however, due to the lack of iron ores in the Andes on their territory, they remained at the level of the “Bronze Age”, passed by Europeans already 2-3 thousand years ago. The Incas did not have horses either. The wild horse did not survive in America, unlike Eurasia, which may be why the peoples of America never invented the wheel. Of course, the Inca Empire was not able to repel the Europeans. In 20-30 years. In the 16th century, Francisco Pizarro captured this state. Today, all that remains of the Inca Empire are stone monuments of their vanished culture. First of all, this is the city of Machu Picchu (pictured). This is a stone city built in the Peruvian Andes, which is also called the "city in the sky" or the "lost city of the Incas". After the conquest of their Empire, the inhabitants of Machu Picchu mysteriously disappeared.
Since the 16th century, the Spaniards and Portuguese gradually developed new lands, founded more and more new settlements here, which turned into large cities. It is precisely because of the dominance of Spain and Portugal in Medieval Europe, and throughout the world of those times, that South America today speaks precisely these two languages. In most countries, such as Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Spanish is the official language. The largest country on the continent, Brazil, speaks Portuguese. Together with the colonialists, the Christian religion came here, which supplanted local beliefs. Most of the peoples of South America now profess Catholicism.
To develop new lands and work on plantations in South America, from the 16th century, Europeans increasingly began to use slaves. The Indians were too freedom-loving for these purposes. They often preferred to die than to become slaves. Therefore, slaves began to be imported from Africa. In those difficult times, the slave trade was commonplace, conquered peoples were deprived of all rights and were doomed to death or slavery, and the concept of human rights or the equality of all people did not even exist - it was the dark Middle Ages, the echoes of which continued to be heard until the 19th century, when finally slavery was abolished. Black slaves were brought to America by the thousands. All these processes greatly influenced the population of the mainland. A hundred years ago, all of America was inhabited only by Indians - representatives of the Mongoloid race, but in the 16th century people of all three major races appeared here. Incest gradually occurred between these races, as representatives of different races entered into marriages quite often. So the descendants of Europeans and blacks are called mulattoes. They have dark skin and features of both Europeans and Africans. Mestizos are descendants of Indians and Europeans. Mestizo people inhabit primarily the northern part of South America - Venezuela, Colombia. As a result of the mixing of Indians and blacks, another type of appearance arose - sambo.
Today, 358.7 million people live in South America. Among them are representatives of all human races. A significant part are descendants of emigrants from Europe. Not many purebred Indians have survived; the largest indigenous peoples are the Quechua and Aymara. However, in the depths of the Amazonian jungle there are still small tribes that have never met Europeans. They live in isolation and have no idea about the existence of the rest of humanity. From time to time it is possible to discover new tribes, but their study remains almost impossible.
Racial composition of South America
Geography lesson in 7th grade “Population and countries of South America”
Target:
Teach children to name and show the largest countries by area and population;
Find out the reasons for the movement of people in different areas of the continent, the unique culture of the population of individual countries;
Cultivate interest in studying geography.
Equipment: political map, atlases, textbooks, notebooks, presentation.
During the classes
1. Checking homework.
2. Setting the topic and purpose of the lesson.
– To determine the topic of the lesson, we need to solve a crossword puzzle.
The longest mountain ranges on land in South America. ( Andes)
The largest lake, which lies in the north in a depression in the earth's crust and is connected by a narrow channel to the Gulf of the Caribbean Sea. ( Maracaibo)
The man who was the first to express the idea of the existence of lands unknown to Europeans and who took part in two expeditions to new lands. ( Vespucci)
The tallest waterfall in the world. ( Angel, 1054 m)
Russian botanist who established the origin of some cultivated plants native to South America. ( Vavilov)
What does Andes mean in Incan language? (
Copper) A river that is part of the largest river basin in the world. (
Amazon) The largest alpine lake in the world.
( Titicaca)
What are the rugged moist evergreen equatorial forests called? (
Selva) A natural zone replacing equatorial forests.
( Savannah)
Semi-desert zone located in the south of the continent. ( Patagonia)
Coniferous trees growing in the east of the Brazilian Plateau have been almost completely destroyed. (
Araucaria) A rodent whose body length is 60-70 cm. (
Vizcacha)
The largest snake on earth. (
Anaconda)
The largest birds of prey on our planet, with a wingspan of up to 3 m. (
Archaeological excavations in South America suggest that the first people appeared on the continent 15-17 thousand years ago. These were the ancestors of modern Indians from North America, which even earlier, about 25 thousand years ago, began to be populated by immigrants from Asia who crossed the land bridge across the Bering Strait, which connected Eurasia and North America. The ancient tribes based on the mainland were at a low level of development. They led a wandering lifestyle and were mainly engaged in hunting, fishing and gathering. Having no connections with the peoples of other continents, over a long historical period the peoples of South America created a unique culture. 7 thousand years ago agriculture began on the mainland. In the XV - XVI centuries. Before the arrival of Europeans, a large Indian state emerged - the Inca Empire, which included the territory of modern Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador. (Show) The majority of the population of this state were Quechua Indians. In the capital of the state, Cusco, multi-storey buildings were erected from carefully fitted stone beams. These buildings were distinguished by their extraordinary strength. The largest structure was the Temple of the Sun, decorated with gold plates. In one of the temples there was a “golden garden”, which got its name because of the image of skillfully made animals, plants and insects made of gold and silver. The Incas had widespread stone sculpture and ceramics. In the Inca culture, literature, music, choreography and other types of arts developed, and the beginnings of writing. The Incas had knowledge of mathematics, medicine and geography. Agriculture reached a high level in the Inca Empire. Canals were connected to the fields for irrigation. The lands were fertilized with guano. In the mountains, earthen terraces were built to grow maize, potatoes and other crops. The Incas were the only inhabitants of South America to breed domestic animals - llamas.
The development of the Inca culture was interrupted by the invasion of the Spaniards 1532 Two circumstances contributed to the victory of the Spaniards. Firstly, the empire was weakened by a three-year internecine war, and secondly, it was very easy for the Spaniards to move along good, stone-paved roads with bridges over deep gorges. Spanish detachment conquistadors(translated from Spanish - conquerors) commanded by the insidious and greedy Francisco Pissaro. He tricked the Supreme Leader of the Incas Atahualpu to his camp and captured it. Seeing this, the warriors accompanying Atahualpa fled. When the Supreme Inca realized that the Spaniards needed gold, in the room where he was imprisoned, he drew a line as high as his hand could reach, and promised to fill the entire room to this line. For several months, the Incas delivered gold from all over the empire. When the Spaniards thought that the Incas no longer had gold, they executed Atahualpa. The Inca Empire was plundered by the Spanish conquistadors. Many unique monuments of Inca culture have disappeared forever. But there are still many years to go 1572 The Incas continued to resist the Spaniards.
Before the arrival of Europeans, tribes lived in the lowlands of South America who were at the level of the primitive communal system. They were engaged in hunting, fishing and primitive agriculture.
The invasion of European colonialists led to the mass extermination of Indian peoples. They died from overwork on plantations and unknown diseases brought from Europe.
There are very few indigenous Indians left in the modern countries of South America. They make up a significant part of the population only in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
The reduction in the number of Indians forced the colonialists to export millions of black slaves from Africa to work on plantations. Gradually, a mixture of three races occurred on the mainland - Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid. Descendants from marriages of Europeans and Indians began to be called mestizos. Mestizos make up the majority of the modern population of South American countries.
Descendants from mixed marriages between Europeans and blacks are called mulattoes. Mulattoes make up a significant part of the Brazilian population.
Marriages from blacks and Indians formed another group - sambo. Until the mid-19th century, the dominant Europeans on the mainland were the Spaniards and the Portuguese. Since the second half of the 19th century, more and more emigrants from other countries of Europe and Asia - Italy, Germany, France, Holland, India, China, Japan - began to arrive in South America. Representatives of some nationalities have not mixed with the local population and live in separate groups. The Germans formed their own community in Paraguay and Bolivia. The Chinese, Japanese and Indians settled in large cities, often occupying entire blocks.
Indian tribes still live on the territory of South America, in whose way of life little has changed since the time the first Europeans set foot on the continent. Arawak tribes living in Brazil, Colombia, Peru; stupid– in Brazil; Chaco- in Argentina they are still at the level of the tribal system, leading a semi-vagrant lifestyle, engaged in hunting, gathering and primitive agriculture.
Other Native American peoples Quechua And Aymara in Peru and Bolivia make up approximately half the population of these countries. Most of them are peasants, many are engaged in traditional folk crafts.
Currently living in South America 280 million people The countries of South America differ in size, population and natural resources. The largest countries in South America are Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela. But even the “smallest” state in South America, Suriname, is 5 times larger in area than Holland, of which it was a colony until 1975.
The countries of South America are part of a large group of countries called Latin America. These are mainly the countries of South and Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico. The name “Latin America” comes from the fact that the Romance languages - Spanish, Portuguese, French, spoken by the majority of the peoples of these countries - are based on the Latin language.
All countries of South America are divided into two large groups:
Countries of the lowland East of the continent. Brazil – Argentina – Venezuela –
Group of Andean countries. Colombia – Ecuador – Peru – Bolivia – Chile –
Exercise: Use atlases to find these countries and write down their capitals in notebooks.
All countries of South America are independent states. They are at different levels of economic development. The most developed countries of the mainland are Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay. The economies of states such as Paraguay, Guyana, and Suriname are at a lower level of development. Foreign capital occupies a strong position in the economy of South American countries. Large external debts to foreign companies and states, primarily the United States, hinder the economic development of the countries of South America. In recent years, the countries of the continent have been joining forces to solve this most important problem for them.
Russia maintains political and economic relations with most countries in South America. These relationships are built on a mutually beneficial basis. Cultural exchanges between our country and the countries of South America are expanding. This contributes to better mutual understanding and strengthening peace on the planet.
4. Summary.
A state in the northern part of the mainland. ( Suriname)
Descendant from the marriage of a European and a black man. ( Mulatto)
Capital of Venezuela. ( Caracas)
The capital of one of the states. ( Lima)
State with capital Cayenne. ( Guiana)
One of the largest states by area. (
Argentina) Capital of Ecuador. (
Quito)
5. Homework.
Page 159-161 retelling.
History of the formation of the mainland population The population of South America was formed in several stages. It is divided into indigenous and alien. The indigenous population belongs to the Mongoloid race. Ancient tribes entered the continent approximately $17,000 years ago. These were
Quechua, Aymara, Incas tribes . The latter created a powerful state in the north of the mainland (on the territory) – modern Peru
Inca Empire . Columbus, having discovered new lands, assumed that he had arrived in India. That's why he called the locals
.
Indians
This name of the indigenous peoples of the New World has become firmly established in science.
The first colonialists were the Spaniards and the Portuguese. Next came the French, Dutch, and English.
Definition 1 People of European descent but born in the colonies were called .
Creoles mestizos Europeans brought black slaves to work on plantations. Thus, the population of South America combines representatives of all races of the planet. The descendants of marriages between Europeans and Indians are called mulattoes . And the descendants of marriages between Europeans and blacks were called , and Indians and blacks - .
sambo
Note 1
The majority of the population is made up of mixed races.
After World War II, people from Germany and allied countries who fled persecution, and former concentration camp prisoners who did not want to return to their homeland came to South America.
Population distribution across the continent
The population of South America is distributed unevenly across the continent. This is due to both natural factors and social reasons.
The bulk of the population is concentrated on the coast (especially the Atlantic). The average population density here reaches $100 people per $km²$. The lowest population density is in the interior of the continent - less than $1$ person per $km²$. The average population density is $20$ person/$km²$. Only Australia has lower figures.
Modern population structure of South America
As already mentioned, the population of the mainland has a complex ethnic structure. Nations are in the process of formation. The mixing of peoples led to a mixture of customs, traditions, and religious beliefs of the population. The barbaric attitude of the colonialists towards the Indians led to the loss of a huge layer of knowledge about the traditions and customs of the indigenous peoples of the mainland. The population of South America belongs to . The urbanization level is approximately $70$%. Today in South America there are about $40 million cities. The largest of them: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Lima . Recently, the population of large cities on the continent has been actively growing. Demographers call this process "false urbanization" , since it is not due to the proper level of development of the production forces of society, the conditions and standard of living of the large urban population of megalopolises.
The languages are dominated by Portuguese and Spanish . It was these countries that captured the largest colonies by area.
Political map of South America
On the modern political map of South America, $15$ is highlighted states and territories . The sovereign independent ones are $13$.
Most of them gained political independence at the end of the 19th century. This has led to higher rates of economic development compared to countries in Africa and Asia.
According to the level of economic development, all countries belong to the group developing countries . Their economic and political development is influenced by the main developed countries of the modern world.
The economy of these countries is multi-structured. Reforming the economic and political structure of countries will significantly improve the well-being of the continent's population.
The largest states by area:
- Brazil (capital Brasilia),
- Argentina (capital Buenos Aires),
- Peru (capital Lima),
- Chile (capital of Santiago),
- Venezuela (capital – Caracas).
The largest colony belonging to France is Guiana.
