Population South America is over 350 million people.
Until the end of the 15th century, South America was inhabited by Indian tribes and peoples who spoke languages such as Tipigua Rani, Quechua and Chibcha. They settled mainly in the Central Andean Highlands (its high mountain valleys). But with the advent of Europeans (Spaniards, Portuguese), indigenous people began to be exported to Peru, Venezuela, as slaves, to work on plantations and mines, and immigrants from Italy, Germany and other European countries began to settle in the countries of South America.
For the most part, the modern population is of Indian-European and Negro-European origin. In addition, large Indian peoples live in many countries of South America, for example, in Peru and Ecuador - Quechua, and in Chile - Araucans.
- Indians;
- Europeans;
- immigrants from Asian countries;
- black people.
On average, 10-30 people live per 1 km2, but the smallest number of people live in the Amazon rainforests and some mountainous areas of the Andes. As for densely populated areas, one such area is Pampa (it occupies the whole of Uruguay and the northeast of Argentina).
Official language- Spanish, but, for example, in Brazil - Portuguese, and Trinidad, Guyana and Tobago - English.
Major cities: Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Bogotá, Salvador.
The population of South America professes Catholicism, Protestantism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.
Lifespan
On average, residents of South American countries live up to 65-70 years. For example, in Chile this figure is 76, in Ecuador - 71, and in Suriname - 69 years.
Despite relatively high life expectancy rates, the continent is characterized by a fairly high mortality rate among young people and people of pre-retirement age.
The main causes of death of the population: oncological, cardiovascular, infectious diseases, as well as poisoning, injuries and accidents.
Traditions and customs of the peoples of South America
Rituals are the main traditions of the peoples of South America. For example, in Brazil, the marriage of young people must necessarily be consecrated in the church, and a “sorcerer” must be present at the holiday itself, whose task is to help young people protect themselves from the evil eye.
Venezuela is famous for its main traditions - festivals, which are accompanied by dances and songs. In addition, the calendar of Venezuelans is full of different holidays, which they celebrate cheerfully and noisily.
Close attention deserves the traditions of the inhabitants of Bolivia - the Indians living here and descendants from mixed marriages (their traditions are the embodiment of the true traditions of South America). They express their feelings through songs and dances (popular folk dances are auchi-auchi, kueka, tinki).
Bolivians are engaged in folk art - weaving and knitting (over the past 3000 years it has not changed at all).
Another local custom is the use of coca leaves in everyday life - it is customary to chew them, insist, make tea from them and season some dishes with them (in European countries, coca leaves are considered a drug, and in Bolivia they are a tonic).
If you decide to go to South America, you will right choice- you can plunge into the mysterious life of this mainland.
By population of south america ranks fourth among all world continents. At the end of 2010, the population of South America amounted to more than 385.7 million people. , obtained as a result of summing up all the main indicators on the number of inhabitants of all South American states, amounted to about 21.5 people per square kilometer of territory. If compared with the population density, for example, of North America, then this figure is comparable to it. The distribution of the population in South America, as well as in North America, can be extremely heterogeneous.
If we talk about the distribution of the population of South America, we can say that the largest observed near the northern coast and in the southwest of the continent. The north of South America has significant oil and gas reserves, so the growth of industrial cities is understandable here. The population of Venezuela and Colombia is trying to migrate to those areas where the standard of living is higher than in the outback. This creates certain problems that our country has already encountered. As in Russia, many countries in South America are experiencing increasing urbanization. For example, in Uruguay, almost half of the population lives in the country's capital, the city of Montevideo. In this connection South American population density in terms of the urban component is steadily growing, which even now does not always have a positive effect on the development of agriculture in some countries of the region. In Argentina, the mass movement of citizens to large cities has not yet been observed, so the country has found its economic balance between industrial and agricultural development. Therefore, Argentina, like Brazil, remain the most developed countries in Latin America. By the way, the population of these countries mostly consists of the descendants of European immigrants, the flow of which poured into South America during the First World War, as well as the revolutions in Russia.
Speaking about the population of South America, it is worth dwelling on the distribution of inhabitants by gender. Thus, according to a recent census, it was found that there are approximately 1.7% more women on the continent (and this is almost 8 million people) than men. According to one of the analytical agencies working at the UN, the downward trend in the male population of South America will continue for more than a decade. This is evidenced by large-scale monitoring, which shows that over the past 30 years the population of South America has been increasing, including due to the high birth rate of girls.
However, there are states on the South American continent where the male population still outnumbers the female population. This is, for example, Suriname, where women are less than men by about 9,000 people, with a population of Suriname of 487,000 inhabitants.
South America Population Density continues to grow in those sub-regions where there is a high level of economic growth. So in the Brazilian São Paulo, the density reaches 9,000 people per 1 sq. km. According to statistics, it continues to grow due to the high birth rate and migration.
See also:
Indigenous peoples of South America
Considering the indigenous population of South America, it is worth noting that the Latin American continent is the region of the planet where the Indians are allowed not only to live and develop freely, but also to occupy responsible leadership positions of national importance.
The population of Latin America: ethnic composition
Population Latin America is far from being a regional subject of the national cluster. In our time, one can observe serious ethnic changes associated with the migration of subnational communities.
South America is a part of the world with an area of about 18 million km2. South America was discovered during Spanish sea expeditions.
For a long time, the states of South America were in colonial dependence on European powers. After the fall of the mother countries, a period of reconstruction began in South America.
South American population
The population of South America can be divided into three categories according to ethnicity: whites, mestizos and Indians. Mestizos predominate in such states as Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. The inhabitants of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile are of European descent.
In states such as Bolivia and Peru, the descendants of the natives live - ethnic Indians. At the beginning of the 19th century, the states of South America were covered by a wave of migrants from Europe.
Today, every fifth inhabitant of South America is a direct descendant of Spaniards or Italians. The vast majority of the population of the continent professes Christianity (Catholicism, Protestant movements).
In remote regions, ancient national beliefs have also been preserved. Socio-economic The population of South Americans depends on which country they live in. So the most developed state of the continent is Argentina.
In countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Paraguay, social inequality is observed - wealthy people (15% of the total population) own 60% of state wealth. About 50% of the population of these states is below the poverty line.
The high level of urbanization in the states of South America does not correspond to the real numbers of jobs. This leads to an increase in crime in some states. A prime example The false urbanization in South America is the urbanization of Brazil.
Mainland countries
South America consists of fifteen countries that are located directly on the continent, as well as in the territories adjacent to it.
South American countries: Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Antarctica and Venezuela.
South American states are categorized developing countries. Every country has rich natural resources, scientific and human potential.
The main economic partners of the South American states are the USA, China, Great Britain and Germany. The largest cities in South America are: Rio de Janeiro (6 million), Sao Paulo (11 million), Buenos Aires (3 million), Lima (7 million), Caracas (3 million).
South America is a region according to our classification and a continent geographically. Located in the southern hemisphere. South America is washed Pacific Ocean in the west and in the east - the Atlantic. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Strait of Magellan to the south. The border between North and South America is the Isthmus of Panama.
The predominant part of the continent (5/6 of the area) is located in the Southern Hemisphere. The continent of South America has the greatest width in equatorial and tropical latitudes. This continent is the western part of the once-existing supercontinent Gondwana.
South America is the fourth largest and fifth most populated continent on Earth. The area with the islands is 18.3 million km. sq. The archipelago is also part of South America. Tierra del Fuego, Chilean Islands and Galapagos.
Nature and population
There are few lakes in South America. The exceptions are oxbow lakes and mountain lakes in the Andes. On the same continent is the largest alpine lake in the world - Titicaca, in the north there is a large lagoon lake Maracaibo.
Large areas on the mainland are occupied by humid equatorial and tropical forests and different types woodland, savannah. But there are no deserts characteristic of and in South America.
In general, there are much more indigenous people in South America - Indians than in North America. In Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, they even make up about half of the total population.
The population that arrived from Europe gradually mixed with the indigenous peoples of the continent. The Spanish and Portuguese conquerors came here without families, they took Indian women as their wives. That's when mestizos began to appear. Now there are almost no "pure" representatives of the European race left, all have admixtures of Indian or Negro blood.
South America. Climate and nature
The most significant mountain formation is the Andes mountains. They stretched along the west of the continent. The nature of South America is all diverse, how great is its length from north to south. There are high mountains, forests, plains and deserts. The most high point- Mount Aconcagua, a mountain of 6960 m high. The largest rivers of South America:
- Amazon,
- parana,
- Paraguay
- Orinoco.
The climate on this continent is subequatorial and tropical, subtropical and temperate in the south, and equatorial and constantly humid in the Amazon.
Continent countries
On the modern map continent South America there are 12 independent states. In terms of area and economic power, Brazil remains the undisputed leader. The second largest state is Argentina, which is located in the south of the mainland.
Chile occupies a narrow and long territory in this region. It is mainly a mountainous country, on the territory of which are the Andes mountain ranges.
Venezuela is located in the north of the continent, as well as the small and little-known states of Guyana and Suriname.
1. Sao Paulo
It is the largest city in terms of population in the Southern Hemisphere and the financial center of Brazil. The city is located in the valley of the river Tiete. Its motto is: "I am not ruled, but I am ruled."
The population of Sao Paulo in 2011 is over 11 million people, together with the suburbs - about 20 million. The city is the most ethnically diverse locality Brazil. Over a hundred ethnic groups are represented here. Among them are the largest:
. 6 million Italians.
. 3 million Portuguese.
. 1 million Arabs.
. 400 thousand Germans.
. 326 thousand Japanese.
. 120 thousand Chinese.
2. Lima 
Capital and The largest city Peru, Lima, is the main cultural, economic and political center of the state. Together with the suburbs, the population is over 9 million people. Among other South American capitals, Lima stands out for its rich diversity of racial and ethnic composition. Among them:
. 40% are white.
. 44% are mestizos.
. 8% are Asians.
. 5% - Indians.
. 3% are African Americans.
3. Bogotá 
The capital of Colombia and its largest city, Bogota, has a population of 7.5 million people, together with the suburbs - 8.7 million, which is 1/6 of the population of all of Colombia. It is the most important political, cultural and economic center of the country. In addition, it is one of the most influential cities on the continent.
Colombia is a cosmopolitan city. In addition to the Colombians live here a large number of foreigners. Among the inhabitants in Bogota, mestizos predominate. A smaller part are the descendants of Europeans, as well as mulattoes, blacks and purebred Indians. Thus, approximately 3/4 of the population of Bogota are of mixed blood.
4. Rio de Janeiro 
The population of one of the largest cities in Brazil and an important tourist center of the world, Rio, is more than 6.3 million people, together with the suburbs - 11.8 million. The city is famous for its attractions: the grandiose statue of Christ the Redeemer, the legendary Copacabana beach and the symbol of the city - Sugar head. In addition, Rio is famous for its annual Carnival.
The racial composition of Rio:
. About 54% are white.
. About 34% are colored.
. 12.3% are black.
. 0.5% - Asians and Indians.
5. Santiago 
The capital of Chile, Santiago, is located in the central valley of the state at the foot of the majestic Andes. Its area is approximately 600 sq. km. The area of the entire metropolitan area is over 2 thousand sq. km. The population of Santiago is about 5.5 million people, together with the suburbs - 6.4 million. This makes the Chilean capital the fifth largest settlement in South America in terms of the number of inhabitants.
