| a continent in the S part of the Western Hemisphere. 271,000,000; ab. 6,900,000 sq. mi. (17,871,000 sq. km). |
| South America A continent of the southern Western Hemisphere southeast of North America between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It extends from the Caribbean Sea southward to Cape Horn. South American adj. & n. |
Continent in the Western Hemisphere, connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama.
Note: Exploration of the continent began in the sixteenth century with the Portugese claiming what is now Brazil and the Spanish claiming most of the remaining land. Settlement was accompanied by the defeat of many of the Native American cultures, including the Inca Empire.
Note: All of the Latin American nations in South America and Central America achieved their independence from Spain or Portugal in the first half of the nineteenth century.
