South America contains Brazil.
Brazil ( listen ) , is the largest country in both South America and Latin America . Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east , Brazil has a coastline of 7491 km It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47.3 % of the continent 's land area . South America . The reference to South America instead of other regions ( like Latin America or the Southern Cone ) has increased in the last decades due to changing geopolitical dynamics ( in particular , the rise of Brazil ) . It includes twelve sovereign states ( Argentina , Bolivia , Brazil , Chile , Colombia , Ecuador , Guyana , Paraguay , Peru , Suriname , Uruguay , and Venezuela ) , a part of France ( French Guiana ) , and a non-sovereign area ( the Falkland Islands , a British Overseas Territory though this is disputed by Argentina ) . Brazil is by far the most populous South American country , with more than half of the continent 's population , followed by Colombia , Argentina , Venezuela and Peru .