Americas-Caribbean

Venezuela ⁱ/ˌvɛnɨˈzweɪlə/ (Spanish: [beneˈswela]), officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south. Its northern coastline of roughly 2,800 kilometres (1,700 mi) includes numerous islands in the Caribbean Sea, and in the north east borders the northern Atlantic Ocean. Caribbean islands such as Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba and the Leeward Antilles lie near the Venezuelan coast. Venezuela's territory covers around 916,445 square kilometres (353,841 sq mi) with an estimated population of 29,105,632. Venezuela is considered a state with extremely high biodiversity, with habitats ranging from the Andes mountains in the west to the Amazon Basin rainforest in the south, via extensive llanos plains and Caribbean coast in the center and the Orinoco River Delta in the east.

Uruguay ⁱ/ˈjʊərəɡwaɪ/,^[5] officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,^[1][6] sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay;^[7] Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay pronounced [reˈpuβlika oɾjenˈtal del uɾuˈɣwai]) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people,^[1] of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. An estimated 88% of the population are of European descent.^[1]

Uruguay's only land border is with Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to the north. To the west lies the Uruguay River and the estuary of the Río de la Plata to the southwest. To the southeast lies the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean. With an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi), Uruguay is the second-smallest nation in South America by area, after Suriname.

Suriname^{[5] i}/ˈsɜrɨnɑːm/ (Dutch: Suriname; Sarnami: शर्नम् Sarnam, Sranan Tongo: Sranangron or Sranankondre), officially the Republic of Suriname (Dutch: Republiek Suriname), is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as Dutch Guiana. Suriname achieved independence from the Netherlands on 25 November 1975.

At just under 165,000 km² (64,000 sq mi) Suriname is the smallest sovereign state in South America (French Guyana comprises less territory, but is French territory and not sovereign). It has an estimated population of approximately 490,000, most of whom live on the country's north coast, where the capital Paramaribo is located.

Peru ⁱ/pəˈruː/ (Spanish: Perú; Quechua: Perú;^[4] Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: República del Perú, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðel peˈɾu] ( listen)), is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing.

Paraguay ⁱ/ˈpɛərəɡwaɪ/, officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spanish: República del Paraguay, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðel paɾaˈɣwai]; Guaraní: Tetã Paraguái [teˈtã paɾaˈɣʷaj]), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the country from north to south. Due to its central location in South America, it is sometimes referred to as Corazón de América, or the Heart of America.^[6]