See the South Trivia Quiz

Answer: West AND South Hemispheres

The Northeastern hemisphere dominates the world's tallest mountains, boasting 188 of them taller than Aconcagua - however, the Western and Southern Hemispheres have no other peaks taller than the South American peak.

Answer: Southernmost city in the world

Ushuaia is the "southernmost city in the world," lying as it does on a bay bordering the Beagle Channel. It's so far south that its railway is called the "End of the World Train," and its tourism is largely based on its exotic, extreme location.

Answer: Cape Horn

Cape Horn is the southern area of Chile on the Hornos island, and traversing the area was necessary for Atlantic-to-Pacific sea travel until the construction of the Panama Canal. The Drake Passage is the name of the waterway south of the Cape, and the Straits of Magellan are to the north.

Answer: Ecuador

The Atacama desert is so dry, there are places that go without rain for several years, and some places have gone without "significant" rainfall for centuries. As an added bonus, it's the oldest desert on earth and has experienced some form of extreme lack of rain for continuous millennia. It has area in Peru as well as Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia.

Answer: Lake Titicaca

This Peruvian/Bolivian lake is considered the highest navigable waterway in the world, and it also has distinction as the largest lake in South America by volume. (Maracaibo has the largest surface area.) The elevation is due to Lake Titicaca's positioning in the Andes mountains.

Answer: Parana Plateau

Iguazu Falls is where the Iguazu River flows over the plateau, and hits the Parana River. This intersection is a tourist attraction for its three-country border point, and even Eleanor Roosevelt was impressed by it. Iguazu also has the second-highest flow of any waterfall (after Niagara) due to its unique breadth.

Answer: Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi, a legendary volcano that has taken on a mythic life of its own through native and nonnative stories and depictions, is a still-active volcano relatively near Quito. Its most recent eruption was in 1940, and a particularly large eruption would pose a great risk to Ecuadoreans.

Answer: Altiplano

La Paz, a capital of Bolivia, actually is situated on the Altiplano (and that's hardly the only major city there), which shows the extent of this expanse. The other answer choices are all large plateaus, but the Bolivian Plateau, also known as the Altiplano, is the only Andean one. Even though it looks like plains, don't mistake this area for lowlands, as this flat expanse is at 14,000 feet, so bring along some oxygen!

Answer: Rio de la Plata

The Rio de la Plata (river of silver, or River Plate) is the confluence of the Uruguay River and Parana Rivers, among others. It is a mix of fresh water and salt water. One way to remember that this river is near Buenos Aires is the song from "Evita" where Buenos Aires is mentioned along with several features of the town, including a belted declaration of "Rio de la Plata!"

Answer: Colombia

Colombia is the proud owner of the extreme northernmost point in South America. It also has Punta Gallinas, the northernmost point of mainland South America - if you want to see the north of the south, Colombia is the nation to seek out!