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Key facts on the topic “South America”
The continents of South and North America form a single part of oppression. The northern part of South America crosses the equator, the middle part – the Southern Tropic, and the southern part of the continent reaches 54 ° S. extending into temperate latitudes. Part of the world America was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, and named after the sailor Amerigo Vespucci. who proved that open lands are a new continent. The discovery and colonization of South America was carried out by the Spaniards and the Portuguese. This led to aggressive wars, the destruction of the ancient Inca culture, the formation of the colonies of Spain and Portugal. Scientific studies of the nature of the continent began in the late 18th century. and continued in the XIX century. The most outstanding were the studies of Alexander Humboldt. At the heart of South America lie three large tectonic structures South American ancient platform in the east, A young platform in the south and a young folding
belt in the west. In connection with the structure of the earth’s crust, the plain of the continent is clearly distinguished: the flat east, which includes lowlands and plateaus, and the mountainous west. South America is rich in a variety of minerals, especially metal ores and oil. South America is the wettest continent on Earth. Its climate is influenced by moist air masses, supplied with constant winds from the oceans, features of the relief and warm currents of the Atlantic Ocean. The climate of the continent is diverse: South America is located in the equatorial, two subequatorial, tropical, subtropical and temperate climatic zones. Because of the prevalence of the humid climate in South America, a very dense river network. Large rivers of the continent belong to the basin of the Atlantic Ocean. The food of the rivers is mainly rain. The most abundant and the largest on the planet area of the basin is the Amazon. The major rivers on the mainland are also Parana and Orinoco. The largest lakes of the mainland are Maracaibo and Titicaca. In South America, more natural zones were formed than in Africa or
Australia. The largest areas are occupied by moist equatorial forests, savannas and light forests, steppes and semi-deserts. Wet equatorial forests are rich in vegetation and wildlife. Savannah and woodlands of South America are poorer in the species composition of plants and animals than the savannah of Africa. The Andes is characterized by a high-altitude zonation of landscapes. The number of high-altitude belts depends on the height of the mountains and the natural zone at their foot. The population of South America consists of indigenous, alien and mixed. This is due to the history of the colonization of the continent and the importation in the past of a large number of slaves from Africa. The population on the mainland is unevenly distributed. The most densely populated is the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the adjacent territories. Peculiarities of population distribution are explained by historical and natural factors. There are 13 independent states on the territory of South America. Of these, the area and level of economic development are distinguished – Brazil, Argentina, Chile.
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