Most of South America is in the Southern Hemisphere and lies in the tropics. It has large areas of mountains, rain forests, deserts, and plains, which are known as the Pampas. The Amazon River is the second largest river in the world, and the Amazon Basin contains the world's largest rain forest.

What is known today as Peru was the location of South America's first empire, which was ruled by the Incas. In 1531, Pizarro conquered the Incas, and the empire became a Spanish colony. Portugal founded Brazil, which became the largest colony in South America. The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France also started colonies on the continent. Venezuela and Colombia gained independence from Spain when Simon Bolivar's army defeated the Spanish army in 1819, and in 1824 Bolivar defeated the Spanish in Peru. Jose de San Martin won battles in Argentina and Chile. Brazil gained its independence in 1825.

South America is made up of a mix of Indian, mestizo, African, and European cultures. It is rich in natural resources such as minerals and timber. Sugar, coffee, cacao, and bananas are grown for export. Even so, most South American countries cannot afford the price of the goods and services that are produced.