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The South American plate is a major tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America as well as a sizable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the African plate, with which it forms the southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The most common demarcation in atlases and other sources follows the Darién Mountains watershed that divides along the Colombia–Panama border where the isthmus meets the South American continent (see Darién Gap). Virtually all atlases list Panama as a state falling entirely within North America and/or Central America. [2]
Scotia plate – Minor oceanic tectonic plate between the Antarctic and South American plates – 1,600,000 km 2 (620,000 sq mi) Somali plate – Minor tectonic plate including the east coast of Africa and the adjoining seabed – 16,700,000 km 2 (6,400,000 sq mi)
The South American continent also includes various islands, most of which belong to countries on the continent. The Caribbean territories are grouped with North America. The South American nations that border the Caribbean Sea — Colombia and Venezuela —are also known as the Caribbean South America.
The oceanic Nazca plate subducts beneath the continental South American plate at the Peru–Chile Trench. Just north of the Nazca plate, the oceanic Cocos plate subducts under the Caribbean plate and forms the Middle America Trench. Oceanic crust of the South American plate subducts under the Caribbean plate in the Lesser Antilles subduction zone.
English: Map of South America showing physical, political and population characteristics, in Mercator projection, with legend, as per 2018. Compiled using QGIS and CC-0 Natural Earth geodata. Compiled using QGIS and CC-0 Natural Earth geodata.
Rank Country or Region Highest point Elevation 1 Argentina Aconcagua [1]: 6,962 m (22,841 ft) 4 Bolivia Nevado Sajama [2]: 6,542 m (21,463 ft) 8 Brazil Pico da Neblina [3]
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to South America. South America is the southern continent of the two Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly (about 3/4) in the Southern Hemisphere. It lies between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.