Claim: Some of South America's countries are republics.
Evidence: It includes twelve sovereign states -LRB- Argentina , Bolivia , Brazil , Chile , Colombia , Ecuador , Guyana , Paraguay , Peru , Suriname , Uruguay , and Venezuela -RRB- , a part of France -LRB- French Guiana -RRB- , and a non-sovereign area -LRB- the Falkland Islands , a British Overseas Territory though this is disputed by Argentina -RRB-.
Brazil 's current constitution , formulated in 1988 , defines it as a democratic federal republic.
Argentina -LRB- -LSB- ɑrdʒənˈtiːnə -RSB- -LSB- aɾxenˈtina -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Argentine Republic -LRB- República Argentina -RRB- , is a federal republic in the southern portion of South America.
Ecuador -LRB- -LSB- ˈɛkwədɔːr -RSB- , -LSB- ekwaˈðor -RSB- -RRB- -LRB- Ikwadur -RRB- , officially the Republic of Ecuador -LRB- -LSB- República del Ecuador , -RSB- , which literally translates as `` Republic of the Equator '' ; Ikwadur Ripuwlika -RRB- , is a representative democratic republic in northwestern South America , bordered by Colombia on the north , Peru on the east and south , and the Pacific Ocean to the west.