List of sovereign states and dependent territories in South America

This is a list of sovereign states and dependent territories in South America. It includes both fully recognized states and dependent territories of both South American and non-South American states. It lists 12 sovereign states and 3 non-sovereign territories.

South America is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean. North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. South America has an area of approximately 17,840,000 square kilometres (6,890,000 sq mi), or almost 3.5% of the Earth's surface. As of 2008, its population is more than 380 million, according to estimates of population in the The World Factbook. South America ranks fourth among all continents in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America).

The division between North and South America is unclear, lying somewhere in the Isthmus of Panama, however, Panama is considered to be part of North America.

Sovereign states

Further information: Sovereign state

A sovereign state is a political association with effective sovereignty over a population for whom it makes decisions in the national interest. According to the Montevideo convention, a state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. The following states are all members of the United Nations and members of the Union of South American Nations.

Flag	Map	English short and formal names	Domestic short and formal names	Capital	Population	Area
		Argentina Argentine Republic	Spanish: Argentina — República Argentina	Buenos Aires Spanish: Ciudad de Buenos Aires	41,769,726	2,780,400 km2 (1,073,518 sq mi)
		Bolivia Plurinational State of Bolivia	Spanish: Bolivia — Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia	Sucre Spanish: Sucre	10,118,683	1,098,581 km2 (424,164 sq mi)
		Brazil Federative Republic of Brazil	Portuguese: Brasil — República Federativa do Brasil	Brasília Portuguese: Brasília	203,429,773	8,514,877 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi)
		Chile Republic of Chile	Spanish: Chile — República de Chile	Santiago Spanish: Santiago	16,888,760	756,102 km2 (291,933 sq mi)
		Colombia Republic of Colombia	Spanish: Colombia — República de Colombia	Bogotá / Santa Fe de Bogotá Spanish: Bogotá	46,366,364	1,138,910 km2 (439,736 sq mi)
		Ecuador Republic of Ecuador	Spanish: Ecuador — República del Ecuador	Quito Spanish: Quito	15,007,343	283,561 km2 (109,484 sq mi)
		Guyana Co-operative Republic of Guyana	English: Guyana — Co-operative Republic of Guyana	Georgetown Spanish: Georgetown	744,768	214,969 km2 (83,000 sq mi)
		Paraguay Republic of Paraguay	Spanish: Paraguay — República del Paraguay Guarani: Paraguai — Tetã Paraguai	Asunción Spanish: Asunción	6,459,058	406,752 km2 (157,048 sq mi)
		Peru Republic of Peru	Aymara: Perú Quechua: Perú Spanish: Perú — República del Perú	Lima Spanish: Lima	29,248,943	1,285,216 km2 (496,225 sq mi)
		Suriname Republic of Suriname	Dutch: Suriname — Republiek Suriname	Paramaribo Dutch: Paramaribo	491,989	163,820 km2 (63,251 sq mi)
		Uruguay Eastern Republic of Uruguay	Spanish: Uruguay — República Oriental del Uruguay	Montevideo Spanish: Montevideo	3,308,535	176,215 km2 (68,037 sq mi)
		Venezuela Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela	Spanish: Venezuela — República Bolivariana de Venezuela	Caracas Spanish: Caracas	27,635,743	912,050 km2 (352,144 sq mi)

Non-sovereign territories

Dependent territories

Flag	Map	English name	Legal status	Domestic name	Capital	Population	Area
		Falkland Islands	British overseas territory	English: Falkland Islands	Stanley English: Stanley	3,140	12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi)

Other areas

Flag	Map	English name	Legal status	Domestic name	Capital	Population	Area
		French Guiana	French overseas region	French: Guyane	Cayenne French: Cayenne	250,109	83,534 km2 (32,253 sq mi)

Economic statistics

Name	Currency	GDP (PPP) per capita (2008 est. in U.S. dollars)	Notes
Argentina	Argentine peso	14,200
Bolivia	Boliviano	4,500
Brazil	Brazilian real	10,100
Chile	Chilean peso	14,900
Colombia	Colombian peso	8,900
Ecuador	United States dollar	7,500
Falkland Islands (UK)	Falkland Islands pound	35,400 (2002 est.)
French Guiana (France)	Euro	6,000 (2001 est.)
Guyana	Guyanese dollar	3,900
Paraguay	Paraguayan guaraní	4,200
Peru	Peruvian nuevo sol	8,400
Suriname	Surinamese dollar	8,900
Uruguay	Uruguayan peso	12,200
Venezuela	Venezuelan bolívar	13,500

See also

• List of South American countries by population
• List of South American countries by population density
• List of South American countries by GDP per capita
• List of South American countries by GDP (PPP)
• List of predecessors of sovereign states in South America