Western point of South America. River systems of South America. Location of the extreme points of the continent

– the fourth largest continent on Earth.

Its area is 17.7 million square meters. km, but if we count all the adjacent islands, then this value is slightly larger - 18.28 million square meters. km. With its contours, South America resembles a triangle. The continent is located mainly in the Western and Southern Hemisphere and partly in Northern.

The continent of South America is surrounded on all sides by water. It is washed from the east by the waters of the Atlantic, and from the west by the waters Pacific Ocean. From the north, South America is washed by the Caribbean Sea, which is the natural border between the two Americas.

The Isthmus of Panama in the northwest connects South America with North America.

Location of the extreme points of the continent

In degrees, the location of the extreme points of the continent is as follows:

• in the north – Cape Galinas (12° north latitude and 72° west longitude);
• in the south – Cape Froward (53°54′ south latitude and 71°18′ west longitude);
• in the west – Cape Parinhas (4°40′ south latitude and 81°20′ west longitude);
• in the east there was confusion - this is Cape Cabo Branca (7°09´ south latitude 34°46) or Cape Seixas (34°47 west longitude).

History of the discovery of South America

The continent of South America was first seen by the navigator Amerigo Vespucci.

This is the Florentine traveler, after whom America was presumably named. By origin, Vespucci is a Florentine. He is a member of several Spanish and Portuguese expeditions to the shores of South America. Amerigo was the first to suggest that these lands were a new part of the world, and he suggested calling them New World. But in 1507, cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, in his book “Introduction to Caomography,” named the land America after Amerigo Vespucci.

South American climate

South America is the wettest continent on earth. By natural conditions it looks like Africa - wet forests with colorful birds and monkeys and endless grassy plains. But South America has far fewer deserts and far more mountains.

Thus, in most of South Africa the climate is subequatorial and tropical, in the south of the mainland it is subtropical and temperate.

If we talk about climatic zones, then there are deserts in South America.

Semi-deserts, tropical and equatorial forests, and pampas (steppes) are also found in South America.

Pampas - a space devoid of woody vegetation

Winter in the tropical zone is as hot as summer. Direct sunlight heats up earth's surface all year round. But this does not mean that there are no seasons at all. They are simply not cold or warm, but dry or wet.

South America is the fourth largest continent on the planet. In the east it is washed by waters Atlantic Ocean, in the west - the Pacific, and the northern coast belongs to the Caribbean Sea. Let's take a closer look at the extreme points of South America - the wettest continent on the globe.

Geographic coordinates of the extreme points of the continent of South America

The area of ​​the mainland is 17.7 million square meters. km, but if we count all the adjacent islands, then this value is slightly larger - 18.28 million square meters. km.

The continent's topography is very diverse and contrasting. The east is dominated by plateaus, lowlands and high plains, while the Andes mountain ranges are located in the west. Most high point is Mount Aconcagua - it rises above sea level at 6959 m.

Rice. 1. Aconcagua

If you draw a straight line along the continent from the southernmost point to the northern, then this distance will be 7350 km. The length from the east coast to the west in the widest part of South America will be just over 5 thousand km.

In degrees, the location of the extreme points of the continent is as follows:

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• in the north - Cape Galinas (12° north latitude and 72° west longitude);
• in the south - Cape Froward (53°54′ south latitude and 71°18′ west longitude);
• in the west – Cape Parinhas (4°40′ south latitude and 81°20′ west longitude);
• in the east - Cape Seixas (7°09′ south latitude 34°47′ west longitude).

Cape Gallinas

The northernmost outlying point of the mainland is located in Colombia on Cape Gallinas, which belongs to the Guajira Peninsula. This point in the north is very arbitrary, since the coastline has smooth contours.

Cape Galinas is notable for the fact that not far from it there is an ancient settlement of indigenous people - the Wayuu Indians. Despite everything modern achievements, they continue to live like their ancestors, observing ancient traditions and rituals.

Cape Froward

On the territory of Chile, on the small Brunswick Peninsula, the southernmost point of the mainland is located.

The name of the cape first appeared in 1587 and in translation it means “wayward”, “rebellious”. This is how the famous sea pirate Thomas Cavendish christened the cape, and this directly indicates the fact that it was not at all easy for medieval ships to pass by the cape.

Rice. 2. Cape Forward

In 1987, Cape Froward received its “insignia” - an impressive cross made of metal alloys.

Cape Parinhas

In the west, the outlying point of South America is Cape Parinhas, which belongs to Peru. It is a coastal ledge on which the lighthouse is located.

Parinhas is a fairly secluded place: to the nearest settlement distance more than 5 km. But it is precisely because of this that one can observe here in natural environment habitat for the seals that have chosen the neighboring bay.

Rice. 3. Cape Parinhas

Cape Seixas

There has been some confusion regarding the definition of the extreme point in the east. For a long time, geographers were sure that this was Cape Cabo Branco, which belonged to Brazil. A lighthouse was even built here as a memorial sign. However, later, during more accurate measurements, it was recorded that the extreme point is located nearby - it is Cape Seixas.

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Uniting incredible historical events, civilizations and . This place is the land of the ancient Incas, the great Amazon, rare species of animals and tropical forests. The mainland is surrounded by Atlantic and Pacific waters, which also hide many unique and yet unexplored things. South America - which is ranked 4th in size after Eurasia, and.

Continental extremes of South America

• Northern. It is located on Cape Gallinas, which is located on the Guajira Peninsula (12°27"31" north latitude and 71°40"8" west longitude).
• South. Located on the Brunswick Peninsula, Cape Forward (53°53"47" south latitude and 71°40"8" west longitude).
• Western. Located on Cape Parinhas in Peru (4°40"58" north latitude and 81°19"43" west longitude).
• Eastern. Located at Cape Seixas, Brazil (7°9"19"N latitude and 34°47"35"W longitude).

Extreme islands of South America

• The northernmost point is on Santa Catalina Island (13°23"18"N latitude and 81°22"25"W longitude), which is part of the Colombian Department of San Andres and Providencia. The island is connected to Providencia Island via a 330-foot-long pedestrian bridge.
• Aguila Islet, Chile (56°32"16"S latitude and 68°43"10"W longitude) is the southernmost point of the continent and is part of the Diego Ramirez Island group. Aguila is located approximately 800 km from the closest Antarctic areas such as Greenwich Island and the South Shetland Islands. It is also only 950 km from the mainland.
• Darwin Island (01°40"44"N, 92°00"33"W), the smallest island in the Galapagos archipelago, can be considered the westernmost point of South America. The island covers an area of ​​only 1 square. km, and the waters of the Pacific Ocean surrounding the island are abundant wildlife.
  Taking into account Easter Island, the westernmost point of the South American continent can be considered the island of Motu Nui, which belongs to Chile. The island serves several species of seabirds. This is a volcanic islet with a peak located at an altitude of 2000 m above sea level.
• The island of Ilha do Sul (20°29"50" south latitude and 28°50"51" west longitude) is considered the easternmost island point of South America. It is located in the Trindade and Martin Vas archipelago, which is part of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. If the South Sandwich Islands are taken into account as part of the territory of South America, then Montague Island (58°30"43" south latitude and 26°16"7" west longitude) can be considered as the easternmost point of the continent.

Extreme settlements of South America

In the north of the mainland, the most extreme permanent settlement has preserved its originality and ancient traditions. This is the village of Vayu, where the Indian people of the same name live. Only 100 people live in the village, and the total number of this people is no more than 300,000 people. In the south, the most extreme city is Punta Arenas, which belongs to Chile and protrudes administrative center commune of the same name. Just over 130,000 people live in the city.

It would seem that a lot of time has passed since the moment when the messenger on the ship “Santa Maria” shouted: “Earth!” Today, the continent of South America no longer looks as mysterious as before. But this does not mean that its history and geography are not worth being interested in. Although now there will be no conversation about the history of the continent. We'll just figure out what the southernmost point of South America is called and what place is considered the northernmost on the mainland. We’ll also tell you about the western and eastern points of this continent.

A little confusion with the eastern point

The easternmost point of the continent lies in Brazil. For a very long time it was believed that this was Cape Cabo Branco, that is, the “white cape”. A beautiful lighthouse was built here with memorial sign. Nearby, literally eight kilometers away, is the city of Joao Pessoa. Initially, the cape was given the name San Agustin. The honor of the opening belongs to the Spanish team led by Diego Lepe. This happened in 1500. But bad luck, later it was precisely established that the easternmost point was the neighboring Cape Seixas.

Both points are nearby. The distance between them is approximately 500 m, in fact they are part of the territory of the nearby city (João Pessoa). Seixas is a high rock jutting out into the sea. The height of this place is about 100 m. There are sandy beaches around.

Far, far from our latitudes, right on the shores of the Strait of Magellan, which separates Tierra del Fuego and the South American continent, there is an inconspicuous cape, which, thanks to its geographical location It is considered the most distant point of the continent in a southern direction.

We are talking about Cape Froward, because it is the southernmost point of South America, as a result of which this place is considered extremely attractive for tourists who choose the most interesting and unusual routes for their travels. By the way, the other extreme points of the mainland of South America are Cape Gallinas (the northern part of the continent with coordinates 12°27′ north latitude and 71°39′ west longitude), Cape Parinhas (the western part of the continent with coordinates 4°40′ south latitude and 81° 20′ west longitude), as well as Cape Cabo Branco ( eastern part with coordinates 7°10′ south latitude and 34°47′ west longitude). It is noteworthy that when answering the question of which point in South America is the lowest, geographers, in addition to Froward, cite another extreme point - Diego Ramirez with coordinates 56°30′ in southern latitude and 68°43′ in western longitude. This time we're talking about not about the mainland, but about the island part of South America, however, if we consider this issue exclusively at the continental level, then it is Cape Froward that is taken into account, and not a separate island, despite the fact that it is located much further north.

As for the exact location of Cape Froward, this landmark has the following coordinates - 53°54′ south latitude and 71°18′ west longitude. At the same time, tourists will find other landmarks useful, because when going trekking (popular in lately a type of hiking), you should know that the southernmost point of the South American continent is located on the Brunswick Peninsula (the largest peninsula in the area with a length of more than 112 kilometers) only 100 kilometers from the Chilean Punta Arenas. A distinctive characteristic of this picturesque place is a man-made metal cross crowning the very top of the cape, which did not appear in this area by chance. The fact is that in 1987, Pope John Paul II himself honored the most remote point on the mainland with a visit. And although plans to erect a large cross at the very top of the cape existed since the beginning of the Twentieth Century (since 1913, to be precise), the Chileans finally decided to fulfill their plan precisely after the visit of His Holiness, giving the new structure the name Cruz de los Mares, which translated from Spanish means "Cross of the Seas".

Quite interesting is more early history this unique place of its kind. So, do not forget that Cape Froward is located on the coast of the Strait of Magellan, which has become famous throughout the world for its narrow, winding outlines, which are rightfully considered very dangerous for the movement of sea vessels, unless we are talking about professional ships. Naturally, this feature entailed a huge number of shipwrecks, starting from the moment people decided to develop the designated water area. And the special attention of historians was attracted by the fact that not far from Cape Frogward, the ship of the famous English pirate of those times, Thomas Cavendish, was almost wrecked, who first fell into the trap of the famous Francis Drake, and then risked his life in the dangerous waters of the Strait of Magellan. It is noteworthy that this cruel and indifferent robber was able not only to defeat the enemy, but also to reach the shores of Cape Froward, and it was he who gave him this name, which is literally translated from English language, as “rebellious, self-willed.”

Nevertheless, having landed on Chilean soil and met the Spanish corsairs rampaging there, Cavendish and his team managed not only to repel them, but also to rob several cities and take two of the three available ships for themselves, sinking the last one due to the lack of people to control it. At that time, the navigator was only 27 years old, but despite his age, without the slightest regret he burned entire settlements along with people and robbed everyone he met to the bone. And after conquering the southernmost point of the South African continent, the pirate calmly reached the Gulf of Mexico.

Today, not far from Cape Froward, there is another attraction in the form of an old lighthouse, which illuminates the unruly peak with a man-made cross from the opposite shore. As for local residents, then the nearest settlement is located only 40 kilometers from the southernmost point of the continent.