South America Match-Up Trivia Quiz

Brazil is the largest country in South America by area and one of the largest in the world, although it is exceeded in size by Russia, Canada, China and the United States. It makes up half of the continent, borders every other country except Chile and Ecuador, and includes half of the Amazon rainforest. Unlike the other countries in the quiz, its official language is Portuguese.

Chile stretches further south than any other country in the world, extending into the 55° south latitude, slightly further than Argentina. It has experienced much violence in its history. Like with several other countries in the quiz, the Incas ruled much of Chile in the 1400s and 1500s.

The Spanish Empire colonized Chile in the mid-1500s, though they failed to enslave some groups such as the Mapuche. Chile gained independence in 1818 and conquered territory from Peru and Bolivia. In 1973, U.S.-backed Augusto Pinochet violently overthrew the elected socialist Salvador Allende in the beginning of a military dictatorship.

Over two thousand years ago, native people in the region that is now Peru had developed highly sophisticated agricultural production and irrigation systems. Peru was the origin of the Inca Empire.

An eighth of the Amazon Rainforest is found in Peru. The country's diverse habitats also include mountains - the Andes, which pass through seven South American countries - and a significant coastline. This means it has lots of biodiversity. Peru's flag has vertical red and white stripes. It uses the sol (divided into one hundred cents) as its currency.

Argentina is the second-largest country in the continent, after Brazil, and its capital is Buenos Aires. It is divided into dozens of provinces and has a federal system. Argentina and the United Kingdom have engaged in significant conflict over ownership of the Falkland Islands, visible on the map just east of Argentina.

In 1974, the right-wing leader Isabel Peron became the first female president in the world (though she was not directly elected), but she is perhaps not the best-known female Argentinian politician. Eva Peron ("Evita"), a figure with substantially different politics, was the First Lady and a campaigner for women's suffrage and labor rights.

Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, which underpins its tumultuous political history since their discovery during World War I. Moreover, between the country's founding in 1830 and the discovery of oil reserves that revolutionized Venezuela's economy, Venezuela was run mostly as a military dictatorship.

The term "Moreno" describes a large amount of the population, with mixed indigenous, African and European heritage. Most people are Roman Catholic. Their currency is the bolivar.

Uruguay is a small region whose indigenous peoples resisted European colonization for several centuries. The Spanish and Portuguese empires established some settlements in the 1600s, but the first major colonization, by Spain, was the capital Montevideo in the 1700s.

The country shares a national symbol, the Sun of May, with Argentina. It appears on Uruguay's flag alongside blue and white horizontal stripes.

The Incas discovered in Ecuador highly organized confederations of indigenous people, who eventually became part of the Inca Empire. At the same time Ecuador was achieving independence from Spain, Charles Darwin was studying tortoises and mockingbirds on the Ecuadorian Galapagos Islands. Today, oil and agriculture play significant roles in Ecuador's economy.

Suriname is the smallest country in the continent and covered almost entirely by rainforests. Many of its residents live in the capital city, Paramaribo. The Dutch Empire exploited Suriname for sugar production and used African slave labor until the abolition of slavery, following which it transported Asian indentured servants to the region. Suriname became independent in 1975.

Colombia has a large number of urban areas across its 32 departments. Some Caribbean and Pacific islands are territories of Colombia. The country controlled territory around the Panama Canal that France unsuccessfully planned and the United States successfully built. Colombia's close cooperation with the U.S. led it to join the Korean War. Colombia's currency is the peso.

Paraguay is one of two landlocked countries in South America, alongside its neighbor of twice the size, Bolivia. The territory of Paraguay was in contention for a long time, decreasing by a quarter in the 1860s Paraguayan War, but winning disputed territory from Bolivia in the 1930s Chaco War. Guarani, known as "the people's language", is spoken by many rural Paraguayans.

The largest metropolitan area is the capital Asuncion.