Some of South America's countries are republics.
Argentina ( [ ɑrdʒənˈtiːnə ] [ aɾxenˈtina ] ) , officially the Argentine Republic ( República Argentina ) , is a federal republic in the southern portion of South America . Brazil . Brazil 's current constitution , formulated in 1988 , defines it as a democratic federal republic . Ecuador ( [ ˈɛkwədɔːr ] , [ ekwaˈðor ] ) ( Ikwadur ) , officially the Republic of Ecuador ( [ República del Ecuador , ] , which literally translates as `` Republic of the Equator '' ; Ikwadur Ripuwlika ) , is a representative democratic republic in northwestern South America , bordered by Colombia on the north , Peru on the east and south , and the Pacific Ocean to the west . South America . 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 ) . Given a long history of colonialism , the overwhelming majority of South Americans speak Portuguese or Spanish , and societies and states commonly reflect Western traditions .