South America Geography Quiz
Aconcagua, Angel Falls, the Atacama, Lake Titicaca: 15 questions on South America's countries and wonders.
Which is the largest country in South America by area?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Brazil
Brazil covers about 8.5 million square km (3.3 million square miles), nearly half the continent, and it borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.
Brazil is the only Portuguese speaking country in the Americas, a legacy of the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas that divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.
What is the capital of Argentina?
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Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires sits on the western shore of the Río de la Plata estuary and has been Argentina's capital since the country's federalization in 1880.
Buenos Aires opened the first subway system in Latin America in 1913, and some lines ran the original wooden cars until 2013.
What is the capital of Peru?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lima
Lima was founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535 as the City of Kings and became the capital of Spanish South America before serving as the capital of independent Peru.
Lima is one of the driest capitals in the world, receiving only around 10 mm (0.4 inches) of rain a year despite its coastal fog.
The Galápagos Islands belong to which country?
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Ecuador
The Galápagos lie about 1,000 km (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific, and Ecuador annexed the islands in 1832, three years before Charles Darwin's visit.
Darwin's observations of finches and tortoises on the islands helped shape his theory of evolution by natural selection.
What is the capital of Chile?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Santiago
Santiago was founded in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia and sits in a basin beneath the Andes. The national congress, however, meets in Valparaíso.
Santiago is home to the Gran Torre, at 300 m (984 ft) the tallest building in South America when it was completed in 2014.
What is the capital of Colombia?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Bogotá
Bogotá sits on a high plateau in the Andes at about 2,640 m (8,660 ft), making it one of the highest capital cities in the world.
Bogotá's Gold Museum holds around 34,000 pieces of pre-Columbian gold, the largest collection of its kind anywhere.
Montevideo is the capital of which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Uruguay
Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and sits on the northern shore of the Río de la Plata, almost directly across the estuary from Buenos Aires.
Montevideo hosted the first ever FIFA World Cup final in 1930, which Uruguay won 4 to 2 against Argentina at the Estadio Centenario.
Which lake sits on the border of Peru and Bolivia high in the Andes?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca lies at about 3,810 m (12,500 ft) above sea level and is the largest lake in South America by volume, shared almost equally between Peru and Bolivia.
The Uros people live on floating islands in the lake, built entirely from layers of totora reeds that must be constantly replaced.
Which Venezuelan waterfall has the highest uninterrupted drop of any in the world?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Angel Falls
Angel Falls plunges 979 m (3,212 ft) off the Auyán-tepui table mountain in Canaima National Park, with a single uninterrupted drop of about 807 m (2,648 ft).
The falls are named after Jimmie Angel, an American pilot who crash landed his plane on top of the tepui in 1937 while searching for gold.
Which is the highest mountain in South America?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Aconcagua
Aconcagua in Argentina rises to about 6,961 m (22,838 ft), the highest peak in the world outside the Himalaya and Karakoram and the highest in the Americas.
Chimborazo in Ecuador is lower by elevation, but because of the Earth's equatorial bulge its summit is the farthest point from the planet's center.
Which desert in northern Chile is considered the driest non polar desert on Earth?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Atacama Desert
The Atacama receives less than 1 mm of rain a year in places, and some weather stations have never recorded rainfall at all, thanks to the Andes and the cold Humboldt Current.
Its clear, dry skies make the Atacama home to some of the world's biggest telescopes, including the ALMA array and the planned Extremely Large Telescope.
Iguazu Falls sits on the border between which two countries?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Argentina and Brazil
Iguazu Falls straddles the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina's Misiones province and Brazil's Paraná state, with about 275 separate cascades across nearly 3 km.
The largest cascade, the Devil's Throat, is a U shaped chasm about 80 m (260 ft) high where roughly half the river's flow pours through.
Along with Bolivia, which is the only other landlocked country in South America?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Paraguay
Paraguay has no coastline and relies on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers to reach the Atlantic. Bolivia lost its coast to Chile in the War of the Pacific in the 1880s.
Despite being landlocked, Paraguay keeps a navy, and Bolivia still maintains one too, training on Lake Titicaca.
Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, is in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Bolivia
Salar de Uyuni covers more than 10,000 square km (3,900 square miles) of southwest Bolivia at about 3,650 m (11,975 ft), the remains of prehistoric lakes.
When a thin layer of rain covers the flat it becomes a giant mirror, and its flatness is used by satellites to calibrate their altimeters.
Which is the only country in South America where Dutch is the official language?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Suriname
Suriname was a Dutch colony until 1975 and kept Dutch as the language of government, schools and media. Neighboring Guyana uses English and French Guiana uses French.
Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America, and about 90 percent of its land is covered by rainforest.
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All Geography quizzes →About the South America Geography Quiz
South America has the tallest waterfall on Earth, the highest mountain outside Asia and the driest desert on the planet. Angel Falls drops 979 m (3,212 ft) in Venezuela, Aconcagua tops 6,900 m in Argentina, and parts of Chile's Atacama have gone decades without rain.
These 15 questions cover the capitals of Argentina, Peru, Chile and Colombia, the Galápagos, Lake Titicaca, Iguazu Falls, the continent's two landlocked countries and the only South American nation where Dutch is the official language. It suits students, travelers planning a trip down the Andes, map lovers and quiz fans who want to go beyond Machu Picchu and the Amazon.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
How many countries are in South America?
There are 12 independent countries in South America, from Brazil, the largest, to Suriname, the smallest, plus French Guiana, which is an overseas region of France.
Which South American countries are landlocked?
Bolivia and Paraguay are the only landlocked countries on the continent. Bolivia lost its Pacific coast to Chile in the War of the Pacific in the 1880s.
What is the highest mountain in South America?
Aconcagua in Argentina, at about 6,961 m (22,838 ft), is the highest peak in both the Southern and Western Hemispheres.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which is the largest country in South America by area?
Brazil Brazil covers about 8.5 million square km (3.3 million square miles), nearly half the continent, and it borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil is the only Portuguese speaking country in the Americas, a legacy of the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas that divided the New World between Spain and Portugal. - What is the capital of Argentina?
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires sits on the western shore of the Río de la Plata estuary and has been Argentina's capital since the country's federalization in 1880. Buenos Aires opened the first subway system in Latin America in 1913, and some lines ran the original wooden cars until 2013. - What is the capital of Peru?
Lima Lima was founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535 as the City of Kings and became the capital of Spanish South America before serving as the capital of independent Peru. Lima is one of the driest capitals in the world, receiving only around 10 mm (0.4 inches) of rain a year despite its coastal fog. - The Galápagos Islands belong to which country?
Ecuador The Galápagos lie about 1,000 km (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific, and Ecuador annexed the islands in 1832, three years before Charles Darwin's visit. Darwin's observations of finches and tortoises on the islands helped shape his theory of evolution by natural selection. - What is the capital of Chile?
Santiago Santiago was founded in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia and sits in a basin beneath the Andes. The national congress, however, meets in Valparaíso. Santiago is home to the Gran Torre, at 300 m (984 ft) the tallest building in South America when it was completed in 2014. - What is the capital of Colombia?
Bogotá Bogotá sits on a high plateau in the Andes at about 2,640 m (8,660 ft), making it one of the highest capital cities in the world. Bogotá's Gold Museum holds around 34,000 pieces of pre-Columbian gold, the largest collection of its kind anywhere. - Montevideo is the capital of which country?
Uruguay Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and sits on the northern shore of the Río de la Plata, almost directly across the estuary from Buenos Aires. Montevideo hosted the first ever FIFA World Cup final in 1930, which Uruguay won 4 to 2 against Argentina at the Estadio Centenario. - Which lake sits on the border of Peru and Bolivia high in the Andes?
Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca lies at about 3,810 m (12,500 ft) above sea level and is the largest lake in South America by volume, shared almost equally between Peru and Bolivia. The Uros people live on floating islands in the lake, built entirely from layers of totora reeds that must be constantly replaced. - Which Venezuelan waterfall has the highest uninterrupted drop of any in the world?
Angel Falls Angel Falls plunges 979 m (3,212 ft) off the Auyán-tepui table mountain in Canaima National Park, with a single uninterrupted drop of about 807 m (2,648 ft). The falls are named after Jimmie Angel, an American pilot who crash landed his plane on top of the tepui in 1937 while searching for gold. - Which is the highest mountain in South America?
Aconcagua Aconcagua in Argentina rises to about 6,961 m (22,838 ft), the highest peak in the world outside the Himalaya and Karakoram and the highest in the Americas. Chimborazo in Ecuador is lower by elevation, but because of the Earth's equatorial bulge its summit is the farthest point from the planet's center. - Which desert in northern Chile is considered the driest non polar desert on Earth?
Atacama Desert The Atacama receives less than 1 mm of rain a year in places, and some weather stations have never recorded rainfall at all, thanks to the Andes and the cold Humboldt Current. Its clear, dry skies make the Atacama home to some of the world's biggest telescopes, including the ALMA array and the planned Extremely Large Telescope. - Iguazu Falls sits on the border between which two countries?
Argentina and Brazil Iguazu Falls straddles the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina's Misiones province and Brazil's Paraná state, with about 275 separate cascades across nearly 3 km. The largest cascade, the Devil's Throat, is a U shaped chasm about 80 m (260 ft) high where roughly half the river's flow pours through. - Along with Bolivia, which is the only other landlocked country in South America?
Paraguay Paraguay has no coastline and relies on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers to reach the Atlantic. Bolivia lost its coast to Chile in the War of the Pacific in the 1880s. Despite being landlocked, Paraguay keeps a navy, and Bolivia still maintains one too, training on Lake Titicaca. - Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, is in which country?
Bolivia Salar de Uyuni covers more than 10,000 square km (3,900 square miles) of southwest Bolivia at about 3,650 m (11,975 ft), the remains of prehistoric lakes. When a thin layer of rain covers the flat it becomes a giant mirror, and its flatness is used by satellites to calibrate their altimeters. - Which is the only country in South America where Dutch is the official language?
Suriname Suriname was a Dutch colony until 1975 and kept Dutch as the language of government, schools and media. Neighboring Guyana uses English and French Guiana uses French. Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America, and about 90 percent of its land is covered by rainforest.
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