1. <u>Brazil</u>. This country, the largest in South America, is a federative republic and is the only American country to use Portuguese as its official language
2. <u>Venezuela</u>. This country was once a Spanish colony and is one of the major exporters of oil in the Western Hemisphere.
3. <u>Andes</u>. This mountain range is found in South America and was home to the Incan Empire.
4. <u>Amazon</u>. This is the largest river (by volume of water) in the world and it runs through the northern regions of South America.
5. <u>Caribbean</u>. This body of water to the north of South America contains the countries of Cuba and Jamaica.
6. <u>Pacific Ocean</u>. This body of water stretches from North and South America westward to Australia and the eastern coast of Asia.
7. <u>Panama.</u> This country is located in an isthmus between Central and South America.
8. <u>Mexico.</u> This country was once home to the Maya and Aztec civilizations, came under Spanish control in the 1500s, and since 1917 has been a representative, democratic republic with a presidential system.