(IGP) IAS Pre: GS - Geography - World Geography General: South America

World Geography General
South America

Introduction

Latitude : 12028'N to 55059'S Longtitude : 28051'W to 920W Area: 1,7835,000-sq. km (approximately)

Size and Shape : Fourth largest continent and roughly triangular in shape.

Situation : Situated to the south of North America, mostly in the Southern Hemsphere. It is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea in the north, Atlantic Ocean in the east, Antarctic Ocean in the south and Pacific Ocean in the west.

Extent : North-South : 7640 km East-West : 4990 km

South America as well as Mexico, Central America and West Indies are collectively known as Latin America.

Important Lakes and Islands:

NAME	LOCATION
Lake Maracaibo (12,950 sq. km)	North of Venezuela, is one of the major oil producing region. Largest lak of South America.
Lake Titicaca (12,500 feet above sea level)	Situated between Bolivia and Peru. Highest navigable lake in the world.
Lake Popo	Lies in the Altiplano (high Plateau between the Andes mountain chain) in Bolivia.
Galapagos Islands	Home of many unique species of reptiles (turtles), birds and fishes.