South America is the fourth largest of the world’s continents. South America is bounded by the Caribbean Sea to the northwest and north, the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast, east, and southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Drake Passage, south of Cape Horn, separates South America from Antarctica. Relatively few islands rim the continent, except in the south. These include the glaciated coastal archipelagoes of Argentina and Chile. The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands are east of southern Argentina. In the Pacific Ocean are small oceanic islands including the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. South America is one of the most biodiverse continents on earth. South America is home to many unique species of animals including the llama, anaconda, piranha, jaguar, vicuña, and tapir. The Amazon rainforests possess high biodiversity, containing a major proportion of Earth’s species.
