The Union of South American Nations (USAN), sometimes also referred to as the South American Union, abbreviated in Spanish as UNASUR and in Portuguese as UNASUL, is an intergovernmental regional organization set up by Hugo Chavez to counteract the influence of the United States in the region. It once comprised twelve South American countries; as of 2019, most have withdrawn.
The culture of South America draws on diverse cultural traditions. These include the native cultures of the peoples that inhabited the continents prior to the arrival of the Europeans; European cultures, brought mainly by the Spanish, the Portuguese and the French; African cultures, whose presence derives from a long history of New World slavery; and the United States, particularly via mass culture such as cinema and TV.
The following is an alphabetical list of countries in the United Nations geoscheme for the Americas grouped by subregion and intermediate region. Note that the continent of North America comprises the intermediate regions of the Caribbean, Central America, and Northern America.
Aspidosperma is a genus of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1824. It is native to South America, Central America, southern Mexico, and the West Indies.
The law of South America is one of the most unified in the world. All countries but Guyana can be said to follow civil law systems, although recent developments in the law of Brazil suggest a move towards the stare decisis doctrine.
As of 2017, South America has an estimated population of 418.76 million people.
The brown-chested martin is a species of passerine bird in the swallow family.
Aegiphila is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, first described in 1763. It was formerly classified in the Verbenaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, South America, the West Indies, and Florida.
The languages of South America can be divided into three broad groups:
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to South America.
The borders of Brazil are the international borders that Brazil shares with neighbouring countries. Brazil has terrestrial boundaries with nine countries of South America, and with the French Department of Guiana. Brazil has borders with every country in South America with the exception of Chile and Ecuador, totalling 16,885 kilometres (10,492 mi). Brazil has the world's third longest land border, behind China and Russia.
Following are links to lists of islands of the Americas which relates to all islands associated with South America and North America, including those of the Caribbean.
The following lists events that happened during 2021 in South America.
The following lists events that happened during 2022 in South America.
