South America is a continent in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean. The equator divides the continent into two parts. South America is an amazing place that holds multiple records and secrets. Take this quiz to find out what this continent is famous for! Let's get started!
When hearing the words "South America", most people think about the rainforest and the Amazon River. As you might know, the Amazon basin is the largest drainage basin in the world. Which country is comparable in size to the Amazon basin?
The Amazon basin is about 7,045,000 square kilometres. Australia's area is 7,692,024 sq. km. Cuba's area is 110,860 sq. km. The areas of France and Russia are 640,679 and 17,098,246 sq. km, respectively.
Cuba
France
Australia
Russia
Let's continue talking about water. Venezuela is known for a waterfall called Angel Falls on the Churun River. Which record does this spectacular waterfall hold?
The waterfall is 1,054 meters high. According to some sources, its height is only 99 meters. Angel Falls got its name from a pilot James Angel who flew over the waterfall in 1933. The largest waterfall system Iguazu Falls is also located in South America, at the border of Brazil and Argentina. During the rain season, Iguazu Falls carries as much as 13,000 m3 per second. On June 9, 2014, the waterfall hit the record by carrying 45,700 m3 per second. Victoria Falls is the widest waterfall in the world. It's 1708 meters wide. At the same time, it's only 108 meters high. Victoria Falls is located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Niagara Falls in North America holds the record for the biggest flow rate. Each second, it carries 6,000 tons of water. It's curious to know that the name of this waterfall translates as "roaring water." Its noise can be heard at the distance of 25 km.
The largest waterfall
The tallest waterfall
The widest waterfall
The biggest flow rate
Since the bigger part of South America is located in the equatorial latitudes, it holds the record for...
Due to its location in the equatorial latitudes, South America is the rainiest continent. It is so rainy because of the humid air coming in from the oceans. For example, on the Pacific slope of the Western Andes, the average annual rainfall is so big that the water could cover our entire planet 15 m deep!
The rainiest continent
The windiest continent
The hottest continent
The driest continent
The Atacama desert in South America is one of the driest places in the world. In the territory of which country is the desert located?
The Atacama desert is located in the northern part of Chile. There, it only rains once or twice in a century. In some regions of the desert, there has never been any rain. Can you imagine that?
Argentina
Peru
Bolivia
Chile
The Andes form a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. Which world record does this mountain range hold?
The highest mountain range in the world is the Himalayas, with the highest peak at 8,848 meters (Mount Everest). The Ural Mountains are the oldest mountain chain on Earth. The Urals started to form more than 364 mln years ago. The longest mountain range (more than 9,000 km) is the Andes in South America.
The highest mountain range
The oldest mountain range
The lowest mountain range
The longest mountain range
Compared to other continents, South America has the largest deposit of which mineral product?
Chile is known for the world's largest deposits of copper. It accounts for almost 20% of global copper production.
Coal
Gold
Copper
Zinc
TLa Paz, which is the capital of Bolivia, is located in a canyon created by the Choqueyapu River, in the crater of an ancient volcano. Which record does this city hold?
La Paz is known for its exiotic location in the crater of an extinct volcano. The distance between the volcano top and the bottom of its crater is 810 meters. The center of the city is located at the very bottom, 3,600 meters above sea level. The suburbs are located at the edges of the crater, 4,000 above sea level. The bottom of the crater is the home to the most expensive and prestigious city areas.
The highest city
The oldest city
The youngest city
The poorest city
Along with Tristan da Cunha archipelago, this island is the most remote inhabited island in the world.
Easter Island is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It was discovered by the Dutch explorer and traveler Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Sunday of 1722. The island is located 3514 km away from the continental Chile. The nearest inhabited land (Pitcairn Island) is 2075 km away. Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean. Ascension Island is located in the South Atlantic Ocean. Preobrazheniya Island is located in the Laptev Sea, Russia.
Christmas Island
Preobrazheniya Island
Ascension Island
Eastern Island
In 2004, in Argentina, a new dancing record was added to the Guinness Book of World Records. As many as 269 couples performed this dance at the same time, hitting the 1973 record with 173 participant couples. Which dance was that?
Argentine tango originated at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Originally, it was the dance of poor people. Years later, tango grew popular in Paris and then conquered the entire world.
Tango
Waltz
Rumba
Paso doble
As we found out earlier, Chile has the world's largests deposits of copper. It's also known for the Atacama desert and Easter Island. Plus, Chile is the only highland country that has no...
Bats
Chinchillas
Poisonous snakes
Skunks
Chimborazo is a picturesque volcano in Ecuador. What is it famous for?
As surprising as it may sound, the highest peak of Mount Everest is not the farthest point on the Earth's surface from the center of Earth. Earth is an oval and it's slightly wider around the equator. This makes Chimborazo the farthest point on the Earth's surface from the Earth's center. The volcano is located at 6267 meters above sea level. The world's highest volcano Ojos del Salado (6,893 meters) is located at the border of Chile and Argentina.
It's the world's highest volcano
It's the farthest point on the Earth's surface from the Earth's center
It spouts white lava
Its crater is home to migratory birds
Foreign student
Well, you can do better... Or maybe you were too nervous and couldn't concentrate? Anyway, now you know the most jaw-dropping records of Souh America. We bet you're dreaming of traveling to this wonderful continent. What are you waiting for? Get your things and embark on the most amazing journey of your life!
South America expert
Wow! You can be called an expert on South America! You know its rivers, volcanos, cities, mountain ranges, and many more. You must have ready lots of books and watched countless documentaries on this mysterious continent. Continue to polish your knowledge! South America holds more secrets than you think! Keep your eyes peeled for wonders!
South America adept
Is there anything you don't know about South America? Landscape, nature, flora, fauna, art...You seem to know this exotic continent from A to Z. Maybe you're destined to live in South America? What do you think? It's time to pack your bags!