South America Travel Guide
Ranking as the 4th largest continent in terms of land area and 5th in terms of
population out of all continents, little do people know that South America is
home to most of the world's astonishing sights which usually leave most tourists
in breathless awe.
South America can be divided into four separate regions: Amazonia, The Pantanal,
The Andes and Tierra del Fuego. You can choose to land in any of these 12
countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, French Guiana,
Falkland Islands, Guyana, Peru, Paraguay, South Georgia or Suriname, South
Sandwich Islands, Uruguay or Venezuela.
The Amazonian region is around 7 million square kilometers and covers nine
nations. Brazil houses more than 60% of the precious rainforest while the rest
of territory is scattered amongst Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia,
Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. All nations are working towards the
preservation of the rich tropical forest since they are now suffering from
deforestation due to rapid urbanization.
If you have read John Grisham's The Testament, you already have a brief idea of
what The Pantanal is. Its name originated from the Portuguese word "Pântano"
which literally means swamp or marsh. Considered as the world's largest
freshwater wetland ecosystem, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site mainly
for protection of its diverse flora and fauna. Other protected areas in the
region are the Pantanal Matogrossense National Park and SESC Pantanal Private
Natural Heritage Reserve.
The name Andes may have been shorthand of old Spanish term "Andenes" or "Andenerías".
Others argue that it might have originated from the Quechan word (Native
American language) "Anti" which literally means "high crest". But regardless of
its etymology, The Andes remains to be one of the longest and highest mountain
range in the world and the sight is simply breathtaking. The Andean range
extends to over seven countries or Andean states namely Argentina, Bolivia,
Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Ski centers in Andean states
offers accommodation during winter months for those who wishes to enjoy the Alps.
Tierra Del Fuego is an archipelago which literally means 'land of fire' in
Spanish. The eastern part (Tierra Del Fuego Province) including Rio Grande and
Ushuaia belongs to Argentina while the western part (Magallanes Province)
including the main towns of Porvenir and Puerto Williams belongs to Chile. To
get there, you can either get a flight from Buenos Aires and land at Ushuaia and
Rio Grande or you can come from Punta Arenas and arrive at Chilean territories.
The National Park, which is one of the major attractions, is usually accessed
from the Argentinian side. Other places worth visiting in the area are the
beaver dam (Castorera) which is a 400m walk in a series of ponds created by the
beavers and The Lookout which is a walk through lenga forest for an overlooking
view of Lapataia Bay.
To cap off a memorable trip in this charming peninsula, it is most worthy to
visit archeological man-made wonders that will gain your absolute admiration and
deeper respect for ancient civilization. These includes Macchu Picchu and other
Inca cities in Peru, Moais in Easter Island, the oldest rock paintings in
Americas at Serra de Capivara in the Northeast region of Brazil and of course,
the outstanding modern and European architecture which can be seen in Brasilia
and Buenos Aires, respectively.
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