Map of South America

South America is home to 12 sovereign countries with a combined population of about 436,755,013 people—roughly 5% of the world total—and a total land area of about 17,737,675 km² (6,848,555 sq mi), some 13% of the world’s land. Its most populous nation is Brazil (around 213,421,037 people), while the least populous is Suriname.

The largest country in South America by area is Brazil at about 8,515,767 km², and the smallest is Suriname at about 163,820 km². Of the 12 countries, 2 are landlocked and 0 are island nations with no land borders. The continent is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean.

On average each country in South America covers about 1,478,140 km² and is home to about 36,396,251 people, though the real spread is wide. The three most populous—Brazil, Colombia and Argentina—together account for roughly 72% of everyone living on the continent.

The countries of South America use 12 different official currencies and recognise 7 languages between them. At the smaller end of the scale, the three least populous countries are Suriname, Guyana and Uruguay.

Taken together, South America has an average population density of about 25 people per km², and 10 of its 12 countries have a sea coastline. Local clocks across the continent run from UTC-06:00 to UTC-02:00. The country sharing land borders with the most neighbours is Brazil, with 9.

South America’s countries span from roughly -34° to 8° latitude and -78° to -55° longitude, giving the continent its particular reach across the globe. Every nation is listed below in alphabetical order with its capital city. Start typing in the search box to filter the list instantly, or browse the other continents and the world’s oceans to compare regions across the planet. Open any South America country below to see its own interactive map, capital, land borders and complete set of facts.