ABSTRACT
The continent of South America comprises the southern nearly nine-tenths of the cultural region of Latin America but contains only two-thirds of that region's total population. South America also has some unique cultural features. The most outstanding common characteristic that ties the countries of the continent together is the three-century period of colonization that ended in the second and third decades of the nineteenth century. Most of the countries of South America have undergone a rapid decline in their agricultural population, with the possible exception of Paraguay. In the process of development there are a number of persistent problems that confront South American countries, but the problems typify much of the underdeveloped world and generally become more manageable with development. The continent of South America provides contrasts in both the physical landscape and cultural characteristics so that the individual countries have to contend with differing circumstances in their quest for socioeconomic development.
