We show you which countries are in South America, with a complete and updated list, which includes maps, regions, flags and characteristics. Also, the most spoken languages.
What are the countries of South America?
The territory of South America is divided into twelve sovereign countries and one French colony (French Guiana). The countries that make up South America are:
| Country | Capital | Population | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | 45,195,000 |  |
| Bolivia | Peace | 12,222,000 |  |
| Brazil | Brasilia | 215,559,000 |  |
| Chili | Santiago de Chile | 19,661,000 |  |
| Colombia | Bogota | 51,872,000 |  |
| Ecuador | Quito | 17,643,000 |  |
| Guyana | Georgetown | 808,000 |  |
| Paraguay | Assumption | 7,132,000 |  |
| Peru | Lime | 34,050,000 |  |
| Surinam | Paramaribo | 618,000 |  |
| Uruguay | Montevideo | 3,423,000 |  |
| Venezuela | Caracas | 28,335,000 |  |
Most of these nations were colonies of Spain and Portugal from the 15th century until their emancipation at different times in the 19th century, through a long and bloody war of independence. Since then, they have constituted sovereign democratic republics.
South America, South America or South America is one of the three subcontinents into which the American continent is divided, along with North and Central America and the Caribbean. As its name indicates, it is the southernmost region of the continent.
South America is one of the most biologically, demographically, culturally and socially diverse regions on the planet. It is home to the largest tropical forest in the world: the Amazon, whose 7,000,000 km2 They are distributed among the territories of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
Map of South America
Argentina
Official name: Argentine Republic
Capital: Buenos Aires
Currency: Argentine peso
Official language: Spanish
Territory: 2,780,400 km2
Population: 45,195,000 inhabitants
Argentina is located in the Southern Cone of the subcontinent and has borders with Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is a large nation with diverse geography, in whose territory are the Andes mountain range, the great plains of the Chaco-Pampeana plain, southern Patagonia, the islands of the South Atlantic (including the Malvinas, over which there is a dispute territorial with Great Britain) and the Argentine Antarctic sector.
Bolivia
Official name: Plurinational State of Bolivia
Capital: La Paz
Currency: Boliviano
Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní and 33 other native languages
Territory: 1,098,581 km2
Population: 12,222,000 inhabitants
Bolivia is one of the two South American states that do not have maritime coasts, although it maintains a territorial claim with Chile for an exit to the Pacific. It has borders with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, and is one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity on the planet. Different pre-Hispanic civilizations that have already disappeared lived in its territory, such as the Tiwanaku and the Moxeña culture, as well as many others that still persist, such as the Colla or the Aymara.
Brazil
Official name: Federative Republic of Brazil
Capital: Brasilia
Currency: Real
Official language: Portuguese
Territory: 8,515,770 km2
Population: 215,559,000 inhabitants
Brazil has borders with all South American countries except Chile and Ecuador, and occupies more than half of the subcontinent's total surface area. It is the fifth most populated country in the world, although it has a fairly low population density, since the majority of its inhabitants live in the coastal regions. Its economy is the largest in the southern hemisphere, but at the same time it is one of the most unequal nations in the world.
Chili
Official name: Republic of Chile
Capital: Santiago de Chile
Currency: Chilean peso
Official language: Spanish
Territory: 756,950 km2
Population: 19,661,000 inhabitants
Chile is located in the south of the continent next to Argentina, a country from which it is separated by the Andes mountain range. It also has borders with Peru and Bolivia. Its territory covers three different regions: continental Chile, insular Chile in the Pacific and Oceania, and the Chilean Antarctic territory. For this reason, it is defined as a tricontinental country.
Colombia
Official name: Republic of Colombia
Capital: Bogota
Currency: Colombian peso
Official languages: Spanish and around 68 official native languages in its territories
Territory: 1,141,748 km2
Population: 51,872,000 inhabitants
Colombia is located in the northern region of South America. It has borders with Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. It is the only nation in South America with coasts on the Pacific and the Atlantic, and its territory has different climatic zones, mountain systems and plains that make Colombia one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity on the planet.
Ecuador
Official name: Republic of Ecuador
Capital: Quito
Currency: US dollar
Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, Shuar and eleven other native languages
Territory: 256,370 km2
Population: 17,643,000 inhabitants
Ecuador is a country located in the northwestern region of South America. It borders Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Although it is one of the smallest countries on the continent, it is home to a vast variety of flora and fauna, especially in the Galapagos Islands, famous for inspiring Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The country is crossed by the 0° parallel or equatorial line, which divides the world into two hemispheres and which gives it its name.
Guyana
Official name: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Capital: Georgetown
Currency: Guyanaese dollar
Official language: English
Territory: 214,969 km2
Population: 808,000 inhabitants
Guyana is the only South American country that was a British colony, from 1831 to 1966. It is located in the northeastern region of the subcontinent and has borders with Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela. With the latter country, it is carrying out a territorial dispute that covers almost three quarters of Guyana's territory, a region known as Guayana Esequiba. With Suriname, it is in another dispute over the Tigri region, a jungle area in the extreme south of both countries.
Paraguay
Official name: Republic of Paraguay
Capital: Asuncion
Currency: Guarani
Official languages: Spanish and Guaraní
Territory: 406,752 km2
Population: 7,132,000 inhabitants
Paraguay is a multicultural and bilingual state, without sea coasts and with borders with Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. Its territory is crisscrossed by large navigable rivers, such as the Paraná and the Paraguay, which give it access to the Atlantic Ocean. Its economy is mainly agricultural and industrial, with a strong emphasis on the service sector.
Peru
Official name: Republic of Peru
Capital: Lima
Currency: Sol
Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara.
Territory: 1,285,216 km2
Population: 34,050,000 inhabitants
Peru is located between the Pacific coast, the Andes mountain range and the Amazon, and has borders with Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador. Its territory combines valleys, plateaus, coasts and deserts, and it is one of the most biodiverse countries with the most mineral deposits in the world. It has a very rich mestizo cultural tradition, which combines the Inca heritage with the Spanish colony, and also an important Asian migration.
Surinam
Official name: Republic of Suriname
Capital: Paramaribo
Currency: Surinamese dollar
Official language: Dutch
Territory: 163,820 km2
Population: 618,000 inhabitants
Suriname is the only sovereign Dutch-speaking country in South America. It has borders with Brazil, Guyana and French Guiana, and maintains territorial claims with these last two nations. It is the smallest country in South America both in size and population. Its territory is mostly covered by tropical jungles, making it one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity on the planet. It was a Dutch colony until 1975, when it gained independence, although cultural and economic ties with its former metropolis remain strong.
Uruguay
Official name: Eastern Republic of Uruguay
Capital: Montevideo
Currency: Uruguayan peso
Official language: Spanish
Territory: 176,215 km2
Population: 3,423,000 inhabitants
Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America and has borders only with Brazil and Argentina. It is a country with a fundamentally agricultural economy. Initially it was one of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, until its independence in 1828. The population of Uruguay is mostly of European descent, especially Spanish and Italian, although it also has Afro-descendant and indigenous communities.
Venezuela
Official name: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Capital: Caracas
Currency: Bolívar
Official language: Spanish
Territory: 916,445 km2
Population: 28,335,000 inhabitants
Venezuela is located on the shores of the Caribbean Sea and has borders with Brazil, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, a country with which it maintains a territorial claim for Guayana Esequiba. It is the seventh country with the most biodiversity in the world and one of the countries with the greatest diversity of ecosystems, as it encompasses beaches, deserts, part of the Amazon rainforest, river plains and the Andean mountain range. In addition, it has one of the largest oil reserves on the planet and is one of the main crude oil exporters in the world.
South American languages by country
The most spoken languages in South America are Spanish and Portuguese. To a lesser extent, English, Dutch and French are also spoken. In addition, there are more than three hundred indigenous languages spoken by millions of people.
- Spanish. It is the official language in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.
- Portuguese. It is spoken only in Brazil, but is used as a native language by more than 200 million people.
- English. It is the official language of Guyana.
- Dutch. It is spoken only in Suriname.
- French. It is the official language of French Guiana.
- Quechua. It is one of the three official languages of Peru. It is spoken by more than 10 million people in Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile.
- Guarani. It is the official language of Paraguay along with Spanish. It is spoken by more than 90% of the Paraguayan population. In addition, it is spoken by more than 12 million people in Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia.
- Aymara. It is recognized as an official language in Bolivia and Peru. It is spoken by more than 2 million people.
- Other indigenous languages. In addition to Quechua, Guaraní and Aymara, there are more than three hundred indigenous languages that are spoken by millions of people descended from indigenous peoples in different countries in South America.
References
- World Bank. (2024). Population, total. https://datos.bancomundial.org/
- Dalles, P. (2013). Orography of South America. ABC. https://www.abc.com.py/
- Guerra Vilaboy, S. (1997). Stages and processes in the history of Latin America. Historical-Social Research Institute, Universidad Veracruzana. https://biblioteca.clacso.edu.ar/
- Lyons, D. (2022) The 10 most spoken languages in South America. Babbel. https://es.babbel.com/es/
