South America hangs below Central America, joined to it at Panama. It has twelve countries. One area on its north coast, French Guiana, is part of France, not a country. (See How Many Countries? for how countries are counted.)
Key idea
Brazil is the giant: it covers almost half the continent and borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. The Andes countries run down the west side (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile), and Argentina fills most of the south. Two countries are landlocked: Bolivia and Paraguay.
Why it works
Brazil touches so many countries because it is so large and sits in the middle of the continent's eastern half. Chile and Ecuador are both pressed against the Pacific by the Andes, with Peru or Argentina between them and Brazil. That is why they are the two that miss Brazil.
Worked example: Uruguay or Paraguay?
Which one has a coast?
- Uruguay sits on the Atlantic coast, between Brazil and Argentina.
- Paraguay is inland, north of Argentina, between Bolivia and Brazil.
Answer: Uruguay has the coast; Paraguay is landlocked.
Worked example: Counting Brazil's neighbors
Name the South American countries that do not border Brazil.
- Go around Brazil: Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana (part of France).
- Which of the twelve countries are missing? Chile and Ecuador.
Answer: Chile and Ecuador.
Common mistake
Uruguay and Paraguay are the classic mix-up: both names end in "-guay", and both are small. Tie each to a picture: Uruguay is on the coast, like a harbor between two giants. Paraguay is landlocked in the middle, north of Argentina.