🌎 Labeled Political Map of South America

The political map of South America names all 12 countries of the continent, marks and names every capital, and comes in a second version that adds 71 more cities, sized for A4 and printing on US Letter. Both versions are free as a PDF and a JPEG.

Because everything on it is named, it works as a reference rather than an exercise: a wall chart for the classroom, a base for planning a route, or the answer key alongside a quiz. If you want the version students fill in themselves, use the blank map of South America, which is the one to download for map tests and homework.

For the continent to the north, use the blank map of North America, and for the whole picture the labeled world map puts South America in context.

The image below shows the labeled version, with the countries, the capitals and the 71 cities all named.

The Two Free Versions

Both are free, and the difference is how much detail you want on the sheet:

• Political South America Map with Countries and Capitals: the countries named, every capital marked with a star
• Labeled South America Map with Cities: the same map plus 71 further cities marked and named

Both come as PDF and JPEG files. Both also carry the terrain detail that most political maps drop: the Andes running the length of the west coast, the Amazon basin and its tributaries, the Guiana and Brazilian Highlands, the Mato Grosso Plateau, the Atacama Desert, the Pampas, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. The Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn are drawn across the continent, and the projection is stated on the sheet as azimuthal equal-area, so areas compare honestly rather than stretching towards the poles.

The 12 Countries of South America and Their Capitals

South America has 12 sovereign countries. French Guiana is on the map as well and is often counted with them, but it is an overseas region of France rather than a country of its own, which is why the count is 12 and not 13.

The areas are fixed; the population figures are rounded and move slowly. Two entries in that table catch people out. Bolivia has two capitals: Sucre is the constitutional capital and holds the supreme court, while La Paz is the seat of government and where the president and congress actually sit, so both are marked on the map and quiz answers accept either depending on how the question is worded. And Brazil is not just the largest country on the continent but roughly the size of the other eleven put together, which is why a map that shrinks it to fit is misleading and why the equal-area projection matters here more than on most continents.

About South America and Its Geography

South America covers about 17.8 million square kilometres, which makes it the fourth largest continent, and holds roughly 440 million people. The Andes run some 7,000 kilometres down the western edge and are the longest continental mountain range in the world; Aconcagua, marked on the map at 6,962 metres, is the highest point not just of South America but of the entire western hemisphere, and Laguna del Carbón in Argentina is its lowest at about 105 metres below sea level. The Amazon carries more water than any other river on earth and drains a basin of around 7 million square kilometres, most of it in Brazil, while the Paraná, the Orinoco and the São Francisco drain the rest. Angel Falls in Venezuela drops 979 metres, the highest waterfall anywhere, and the Atacama in northern Chile is the driest non-polar desert. Only two countries are landlocked, Bolivia and Paraguay, and Brazil borders every other South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Portuguese is the language of Brazil and Spanish of most of the rest, with Dutch in Suriname, English in Guyana and French in French Guiana, which is why the capitals on this map read in four different languages.

Political Map of South America Features

• Two free versions in high-resolution PDF and JPEG
• Sized for A4 and prints on US Letter without cropping
• All 12 countries named, plus French Guiana marked as part of France
• Every capital marked with a star, including both of Bolivia's
• 71 further cities named on the labeled version, marked with dots so the hierarchy reads
• The Andes, the Amazon basin and its tributaries, the Guiana and Brazilian Highlands, the Atacama, the Pampas, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego all named
• Equator and Tropic of Capricorn drawn, with a latitude and longitude grid
• Azimuthal equal-area projection stated on the sheet, so country sizes compare honestly
• North arrow and a scale bar in both kilometres and miles
• Suitable for classroom wall charts, reference, trip planning, homework and school projects

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the questions people ask most about the political map of South America.

How to Get Your Printable Map

1. Choose the version you want above.
2. Click "Download now" for either map.
3. Get your files instantly, then print or annotate them.

Who It's For

Teachers building classroom wall charts and reference sheets, students checking their own answers, travellers planning a route across the continent, and anyone who needs a clean labeled map of South America for a project.

Download your political map of South America now and use it for learning, reference, or your own map projects.