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There are 13 states in South America; almost half of the surface area is given by Brazil, followed by Argentina. The continent's average altitude is 590 meters, but the entire western part is crossed from north to south by the Andes mountain range; the coasts are quite plain with few islands and inlets, except for the extreme southern part.There are no large lakes, but in this continent flows the Amazon, the river with the largest drainage basin on Earth; the climate varies from tropical to equatorial and temperate in the South and in the Andean countries, up to the polar influences in the Tierra del Fuego.
Area: 17,840,000 km² (6,888,000 sq mi)
Population: 428,600,000 (2019 estimates)
Pop. density: 24 inhab/km² (62 inhab/sq mi)
Most populous city: São Paulo (11,452,000 inhab., 21,486,000 urban aggl.)
Highest mountain: Aconcagua 6,961 m (22,838 ft)
Lowest point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (-344 ft)
Longest river: Amazon River 6,437 km (4,000 mi)
Largest lake: Lagoa dos Patos 9,850 km² (3,803 sq mi)
Largest island: Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego 47,992 km² (18,530 sq mi)
Biggest cities | Highest mountains | Longest rivers | Largest lakes | Largest islands | Countries and Capitals
Falkland Islands
French Guiana
