South America

Amazon rainforest and the Andes

South America has the biggest forest in the world — the Amazon. It's so huge that people call it the 'lungs of the planet'. Jaguars, parrots, monkeys and colourful frogs live there. And the Andes are the longest mountain range on Earth.

South America is the fourth-largest continent. The Amazon is the world's largest river by volume: it pours more water into the ocean than the next seven rivers combined. The Amazon rainforest covers 5.5 million km² and is home to 10% of all species on Earth. The Andes stretch 7,000 km; Aconcagua (6,961 m) is the highest peak outside Asia. The Atacama is the driest desert in the world. On the Galápagos Islands, Darwin found evidence for his theory of evolution.

Fun facts

• The Amazon rainforest has 390 billion trees — 50 for every person on Earth!
• Angel Falls (Venezuela) is the tallest waterfall in the world: 979 m — the water turns to mist before it lands.
• Parts of the Atacama Desert have had no rain for 400 years.
• Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world (3,812 m).