South America covers about 17,840,000 km², roughly 13.1% of the world's land and the 4th largest continent. It spans 14 countries and territories, from Brazil (8,510,346 km²) down to South Georgia and the Islands.
At true size South America is about 0.40× the size of Asia. On old Mercator maps that gap shrank or swelled depending on latitude. On the new map it is simply true.
Mercator's distortion hits South America unevenly: South Georgia and the Islands is inflated about 3× at its latitude, while Ecuador, near the equator, is drawn almost honestly. Old maps therefore made South America's northern countries feel dominant while hiding the scale of its equatorial ones.
South America: largest countries by true area
| Country | True area |
|---|
| Brazil | 8,510,346 km² |
| Argentina | 2,780,400 km² |
| Peru | 1,285,216 km² |
| Colombia | 1,138,910 km² |
| Bolivia | 1,098,581 km² |
| Venezuela | 912,050 km² |
Explore South America further
Brazil · Argentina · Peru · Colombia · Bolivia · Venezuela · Chile · Paraguay · Ecuador · Guyana · Uruguay · Suriname · Falkland Islands · South Georgia and the Islands