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What is the most populous city of South America?

Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo (Portuguese for "St. Paul") in terms of population is the largest city of Brazil and South America, and also one of the largest cities in the world.

Name the only Latin American nation which derives its language and culture from Portugal.

Brazil. Brazil is the largest country of South America. It borders ten countries. Portugal began its colonisation in 1532.

Which country is the largest Spanish-speaking country of South America?

Argentina. Argentina is the second largest (both in population and size) country of South America. It occupies almost the whole of the south-east of the continent.

It is the smallest of the Central American countries and the only one without an Atlantic coastline.

El Salvador. El Salvador is situated on the Pacific coast of Central America. Its area is 21,041 sq. km (equal to that of Massachusetts). The capital and the largest city is San Salvador. "Salvador" is the Spanish word for "Saviour".

Name the only South American country with coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Colombia. Colombia borders the Caribbean Sea between Panama and Venezuela, and the Pacific Ocean between Ecuador and Panama.

Which South American city is the highest administrative capital city in the world?

La Paz. La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia (the legal capital is Sucre) and its largest city, is situated at an altitude of 11,910ft (3,630m). The city's full name is La Paz ("La paz" means peace in Spanish) de Ayacucho, after a Bolivian victory at Ayacucho, Peru, in the independence war in the 19th century.

It is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world. What is the name of this lake?

Titicaca. Titicaca has an altitude of 12,507ft (3,812m). It belongs to both Bolivia and Peru. It is the second largest (after Maracaibo) lake of South America. There are around 41 islands in the lake; on the greatest of them, the Island of Sun (Isla del Sol, Isla de Titicaca), the ruins of an ancient Inca temple can be found.

Which Latin American country prides itself on being home to the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world?

Venezuela. The waterfall Salto del Angel is 979m high. It was discovered by an American, J. Angel, and was named after him.

The southernmost point of South America, Cape Horn, belongs to which country?

Chile. Cape Horn lies in the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for "Land of Fire"). It was discovered and first rounded by a Dutch navigator Willem Schouten in the 17th century, and named after a town Hoorn in the Netherlands. Rounding the Cape Horn, because of strong winds and violent storms, is a challenge for navigators.

In which country is the highest peak of South America, Aconcagua, situated?

Argentina. Aconcagua (6,960m - 22,834ft) is the highest peak of the Western Hemisphere. It is of volcanic origin.

Where can you find the driest place on Earth, called Atacama Desert?

Chile. Its surface is 54,000 sq. meters. It is a place with virtually no vegetation; in some parts of Atacama Desert, it never rains.

Which country is the greatest producer of emeralds in the world?

Colombia. Colombia supplies 90% of the world production of this precious stone. Its trade is the fifth largest export of this country.

The Galapagos Islands belong to which country?

Ecuador. Galapagos Islands, which became a part of Ecuador in 1832, lie in the Pacific Ocean, around 600 miles (966 km) west of the South American coast. The archipelago was discovered in the 16th century by a Spanish navigator Tomás de Bertanga and named after gigantic land tortoises ("galapagos" = tortoises in Spanish) that live there.

Where is the famous seaside resort, Acapulco, situated?

Mexico. Acapulco lies in southern Mexico, on the Pacific coast. Called the Riviera of Mexico, it is famous for beautiful sandy beaches and many hotels.

Where can you find the so-called "Pompeii of America"?

El Salvador. Joya de Ceren is an agricultural village in Salvador that, like ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum, was buried under a volcanic eruption around the year 600 (A.D.). Ceren is called the "Pompeii of the New World" or "Pompeii of America".