The 12 South American Countries in Alphabetical Order

South America is located in the Western Hemisphere, with the narrow Isthmus of Panama dividing it from its neighbors in the north. It has a population of approximately 439 million people, with almost half of the population located in Brazil, the largest country in South America.

Occupying much of the continent is the Amazon River Basin, the largest drainage basin and home to the world’s largest rainforest.

It also boasts the Andes Mountains, the longest mountain range above water, stretching some 5,500 miles (8,900 kilometers) across seven South American countries.

South America extends just north of the Equator to subantarctic latitudes. It is the closest continent to Antarctica, which gives rise to its glaciated coastal archipelagoes in Argentina and Chile.

The continent is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Caribbean Sea creates the boundary in the north.

Related: Countries in the Caribbean

Countries in South America in alphabetical order

Here is the alphabetical list of South American countries and their capitals. We have also included the countries’ regions, the international standard for country codes (ISO 3166), and the continent. View their country flags here.

Country	Country Capital	Country Abbreviation	Region	Continent
Argentina	Buenos Aires	AR	Southern South America	South America
Bolivia	Sucre (Constitutional), La Paz (Administrative)	BO	Central South America	South America
Brazil	Brasilia	BR	Eastern South America	South America
Chile	Santiago	CL	Southern South America	South America
Colombia	Bogota	CO	Northernwestern South America	South America
Ecuador	Quito	EC	Western South America	South America
Guyana	Georgetown	GY	Northern South America	South America
Paraguay	Asunción	PY	Central South America	South America
Peru	Lima	PE	Western South America	South America
Suriname	Paramaribo	SR	Northern South America	South America
Uruguay	Montevideo	UY	Southeastern South America	South America
Venezuela	Caracas	VE	Northern South America	South America

View all country names.

How many countries are in South America?

There are 12 countries in South America according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Other sources may include the Falkland Islands and French Guiana, but these are considered overseas territories rather than countries.

Recommended reading: Which of these countries belong to Latin America?

United Nations members in South America

The United Nations (UN) recognizes all 12 as Latin American and Caribbean regional states:

1. Argentina
2. Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 
3. Brazil
4. Chile
5. Colombia
6. Ecuador
7. Guyana
8. Paraguay
9. Peru
10. Suriname
11. Uruguay
12. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 

The UN acknowledges 33 members of the Latin American and Caribbean regional group, with the other states located on the North American continent.