Geographical position of South America. Description of the geographical location of South America

In ancient times, South America was an integral part of other land masses. After their split and drift to the southwest the continent very long existed isolated from the rest of the continents. Up to the beginning of the 20th century, two continents in the Western Hemisphere united the Isthmus of Panama. Then through it was laid the eponymous navigable canal. To a large extent, the modern look determines not only the geographical position of South America (GP) and its geological structure, but also the activities of the population.

General information on the mainland South America. Territory value

The territory of the continent (including the adjacent islands) is 18 million km ² (the fourth by area). In ancient times, strong tectonic shocks caused a split in the sushi and drift of the South American plate far to the west - towards the plate of Nazca. The result of this oncoming traffic was a powerful collision of lithosphere arrays, the formation of folded mountains (Andes). The climate became warmer, the current of the Amazon changed, a strong swamping and overgrowth by the damp impassable forests of its valley in the middle and lower reaches occurred. Thanks to the remote location in the organic world of South America, endemic and relic species of plants and animals have been preserved. Description of the geographical location of South America will help to understand what factors are determining for the formation of the modern climate and natural areas, the activities of the population.

Geographical position of South America. Plan

In shape, the continent is similar to a drop, the tip of which is facing the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Pole. A wide base lies to the north of the equator, and in the subtropics there is a narrow part. The characteristics of the mainland GP include enumeration of the main elements of its location on the globe and map, neighboring geographic objects. It is necessary to perform a number of actions:

1. To study the position relative to the equator, the initial meridian.
2. Determine the coordinates of the most extreme northern, southern, western and eastern points.
3. Briefly describe the coastline, the oceans washing the continent, the largest seas, straits and bays.

Description of the geographical location of South America

The main massif of the continent is located south of the 0 ° (equator) parallel, and in the northern latitudes - a small area. Meridian 0 ° does not pass through this continent.

Geographic position of South America in latitude:

• 12 ° with. W. - m. Galinas in the north;
• 54 ° S. W. - m. Frouord on the southern edge of the continent;
• 56 ° S. W. - an island point - m. Diego-Ramirez in the south.

The geographical position of South America in longitude is the coordinates of the two extreme points in the east and west:

• 35 ° W. Etc. - m. Cabo Branco;
• 81 ° W. Etc. - m. Parinhas.

At 10 ° parallel, the distance to the mainland reaches 4,655 km, and 5,150 km is the latitude of the continent of South America. The position relative to the equator of this territory is 5 ° S. W.

Nature of the coastline

The western edge of the continent is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its cold Peruvian current. This is a slightly rugged part of the coast. Here are the highest and longest mountain ranges of the Andes. South America and Antarctica share the strait, which was named after the pirate of the Middle Ages, Francis Drake. The water surface stretches for 460 km from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The width of the strait is from 818 to 1120 km, its depth is from 276 to 5249 m. The geographic position of the continent of South America near Antarctica caused severe conditions in the south of the continent, in the Magellan Channel and on the islands of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago . The nature of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) is also affected by the southern polar region. In the east, the banks are washed by the Atlantic, in the north by the Caribbean Sea.

Swimming Columbus

On the Greek maps and drawings of Ptolemy, the continents in the Western Hemisphere are not affected. There are a number of legends and hypotheses based on evidence of the swimming to the islands and the coast of America of the ancient peoples of Eurasia (Phoenicians, Egyptians, Vikings), inhabitants of Oceania. Scientists and travelers of the time assumed that there is a Western way to the rich states of the East. The physiographic location of South America determined the long isolation of this continent from the Old World, its poor knowledge until the 15th century. During this period, the Europeans began to settle and develop America. Navigator and trader Christopher Columbus under the flag of the Spanish crown four times (1492-1504) visited the New World. For the first time he went far to the west at the head of a small sailing squadron - to seek the shortest route to India. During the expedition, one of the Antilles was opened to them. In August 1498, Columbus ships entered the Orinoco estuary, initiating the conquest of the continent by Europeans. The navigator, landing on uncharted shores, was sure that he had reached India. Aborigines with the light hand of Columbus began to be called Indians.

Brief information on the colonization of the continent by Europeans

Amerigo Vespucci guessed first that Columbus discovered an unknown land. In honor of the brilliant assumption of the navigator, the southern continent was called America (1507). Vespucci visited America several times in his life. He drew up the maps and described them. For two centuries, the Spaniards and the Portuguese have mastered the spaces in the central and southern parts. They turned into ruins the most ancient Indian cities built by the civilizations of the Incas, Aztecs and Maya. To the large-scale colonization of South America by the people from the Iberian Peninsula in the 16th century, the French, the English and the Dutch joined. The navigators circled the continent, deepened into the impenetrable jungles of the central part in search of Eldorado's treasures, as well as the source of water that gives eternal youth. Expeditions climbed to the top of the Andes, sent up and down the Amazon, Parana, other rivers. The legendary Spanish conqueror F. Orellana crossed the continent (1542), sailing the Amazon from the sources in the Andes to the delta on the Atlantic coast.

Studies of South America (XVII-XX)

German geographer A. Humboldt in the course of his scientific expeditions compiled a detailed map of the continent, oceanic currents off its western shores. He was the first to find out the significance of cold currents for the formation of the Andes climate, described the altitude zonality and vegetation of the mountains (together with the Frenchman E. Bonplan). He studied the nature of South America in the XIX century, the famous British naturalist Charles Darwin. Observation of unusual animals of the Galapagos volcanic islands led the researcher to the idea of the evolution of organisms. Russian scientists G. Langsdorf and N. Rubtsov investigated in the XIX century the interior regions of the Brazilian plateau. Expeditions led by A. Voeikov and N. Vavilov studied the centers of origin and distribution of the most important agricultural crops (1932-1933).

The diversity of the nature of the continent

Within the South American continent, there are significant differences in nature due to a number of factors. The most important among them is the arrival of solar radiation, which depends on the geographical latitude. The nature of the continent is affected by:

• Features of the geographical location of South America;
• The size of the territory;
• Atmospheric circulation;
• Surrounding the World Ocean;
• Warm and cold currents;
• Underlying surface (mountains, plains, deserts).

In South America, not such an arid climate, as in Africa. We list the main belts (from north to south): equatorial, tropical and temperate, transitional - subequatorial and subtropical.

Conclusion

Characteristics of the geographical location of South America - an important element in the study of the continent. In the extreme antiquity the continent was not in the part of the Earth that it occupies now. He passed a long path of development - from the component parts of Pangea and Gondwana to the modern geological epoch.

The continent is located in the Western Hemisphere, mainly - to the south of the equator. In the west there is a mountain belt - the Andes. Near the coasts there is a deep-water trough, which arose as a result of a collision of two blocks of the lithosphere. In this region there are active volcanoes, there are destructive earthquakes that complicate the life and activities of the population.

Modern inhabitants of the continent are descendants of Indians, Spanish and Portuguese conquerors, slaves delivered for work on plantations. The total population of 12 countries of the continent exceeds 380 million people. The mainland is rich in sights, among which are the highest mountain peaks, waterfalls, the remains of ancient cities, many other objects of domestic and international tourism.