Landforms of South America

The Marajó Archipelago is the largest fluvial-maritime archipelago on Earth. It is located in the states of Amapá and Pará in Brazil and is formed by approximately 2,500 islands. Marajó Island is the main and largest of the islands in the Marajó Archipelago.

Melimoyu is a stratovolcano located in the Aysén Region in southern Chile. The Gulf of Corcovado borders the Melimoyu National Park amidst a labyrinth of channels and fjords. Its rivers, dense mixed forests, and marine waters foster a rich, biodiverse ecosystem.

Mindo Valley is located among the western slopes of the Andes Mountains in northern Ecuador. It is known for its many species of birds, butterflies and orchids. The valley is home to the Mindo-Nambillo Cloud Forest and Ecological Reserve.

Aconcagua Provincial Park is a protected area in the Argentinean Andes, on the Chilean border. It is home to snow-capped Mount Aconcagua, South America’s tallest peak and the highest mountain in both the southern and western hemispheres.

Mount Roraima is the highest of the Pacaraima Mountains, a chain of tepui plateaus in South America. It serves as the tripoint of Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil. These tabletop mountains are considered to be the oldest geological formations on Earth.

The Nazca Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate in the southeastern Pacific Ocean off the west coast of South America. Its subduction beneath South America is responsible for the Andes Mountains. The Galápagos hotspot is accountable for the Galápagos Islands.

The Nevado del Ruiz volcano is situated northwest of Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. Part of the Cordillera Central of the Colombian Andes, the volcano is one of several that lie within Los Nevados National Natural Park. Its 1985 eruption was the fourth deadliest in recorded history.

Nevado Tres Cruces National Park is located in the Atacama Region of Chile and includes Laguna Santa Rosa, Laguna del Negro Francisco and a part of the Salar de Maricunga. It is named after the Nevado Tres Cruces massif, which dominates the landscape.

The Northern Patagonian Ice Field, located in southern Chile, is the smaller of two remnant parts in which the Patagonian Ice Sheet in the Andes Mountains of lower South America can be divided. It is wholly contained within the boundaries of Laguna San Rafael National Park.

Margarita Island, Cubagua Island, and Coche Island are the largest of 70 islands comprising Nueva Esparta state, situated off the northeastern coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. Margarita Island was discovered by Columbus in 1498 and is known as the "Isle of Pearls."