page_title: South America
section_title: Demographics
hierarchical_section_title: South America / Demographics
caption_attribution_description: English: South America, seen from space at night
context_page_description: South America is a continent in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It may also be considered a subcontinent of the Americas, or America, which is how it is viewed in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions of the Americas. The reference to South America instead of other regions has increased in the last decades due to changing geopolitical dynamics.
  It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. It includes twelve sovereign states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, and a part of France: French Guiana. In addition, the ABC islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Falkland Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Panama may also be considered part of South America.
  South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers. Its population as of 2018 has been estimated at more than 423 million. South America ranks fourth in area and fifth in population.
context_section_description: South America has over 423 million inhabitants and a population growth rate of about 0.6% per year. There are several areas of sparse demographics such as tropical forests, the Atacama Desert and the icy portions of Patagonia. On the other hand, the continent presents regions of high population density, such as the great urban centers. The population is formed by descendants of Europeans (mainly Spaniards, Portuguese and Italians), Africans and Indigenous peoples. There is a high percentage of mestizos that vary greatly in composition by place. There is also a minor population of Asians, especially in Brazil. The two main languages are by far Spanish and Portuguese, followed by French, English and Dutch in smaller numbers.
caption: Satellite view of South America at night from NASA.
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