The vast continent of South America, open to Europeans in the era of the great navigators, is a real storehouse of ancient cultures, traditions and customs. Despite the centuries under the rule of the colonialists, many local peoples retained the traditional way of life, and those that were assimilated created an amazing cocktail of Native American and European cultures.
Brazil is the largest South American country. Behind her comes Argentina. Both of these states are the 6th and 7th in terms of area among all countries of the world, respectively. The average height of South America above sea level reaches almost 600 meters. 580, to be exact. It is in South America is the wettest settlement on earth. This is the Colombian city of Buenaventura, where there is more rain than anywhere else. The driest of the hottest deserts, the Atacama, is also found on the South American mainland. Full rainfall was not here for about 400 years. In most countries in South America, the state language is Spanish, but other languages are also common. About half of the total South American population lives in Brazil. They talk here in the local Portuguese dialect.
In most major South American cities there are bad areas where even the police usually don’t come. In Brazil, they are called favelas, in some other countries they are called visas. In South America is Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the planet. Standing on its shore and looking south, you realize that there, beyond the horizon, lies only one land – Antarctica. Not all of the former colonies of the New World belong to South America. Many people confuse South America with Latin. The first is a geographical definition, and the second is more ethnographic. The only English-speaking state in the South American continent is Guyana, one of the poorest countries in the world. French is also common here. It is spoken in French Guiana, an overseas possession of France.
The overwhelming majority of the population of South America are Catholic Christians. Once there existed the empires of the Inca and Maya, but they were crushed by conquerors conquerors. In Argentina and Uruguay, the majority of the population is the direct descendants of the Spaniards and Italians, and the locals look like Europeans. And the most Indian population is in Bolivia and Peru. In South America, there is the highest mountain capital of the world, La Paz. True, the capital of Bolivia, this city is only in fact, not nominally. The South American saline Uyuni, formed on the site of a dried-up lake, during the rainy season turns into the largest mirror in the world. In Paraguay, one of the countries of South America, duels are still allowed.
Among all continents of the Earth, it is South American that is the most humid. The most famous waterfalls in the world are also located in South America. Angel is the highest of them, and Iguazu is the most powerful. Titicaca Lake located here is the highest navigable lake in the world. In total in South America there are 12 independent states plus dependent territories of other countries. In the Republic of Chile, from 10 to 25% of the population, according to various estimates, are immigrants from the Spanish Basque Country and their direct descendants.
In the same Chile, about 3% of the population are ethnic Croats, and about half a million people are Germans. The only country in South America where the Dutch language is used is Suriname, a former colony of the Netherlands. In Bolivia and Peru, drinks infused on coca leaves are popular, but they cannot be exported to other countries. It was here, in Argentina and Uruguay, that such a popular dance as tango originated. Football is the most popular sport in all South American countries.
