FILE 001South America🦎only lizard in the world that swims in the oceanThe Galápagos marine iguana is the only lizard in the world that swims in the ocean.SrcNational GeographicPass the claimOpen file
FILE 002South America🌎Sharedilutes the ocean's saltinessThe Amazon River discharges so much water that it dilutes the ocean's saltiness for over 100 miles offshore.SrcNOAA
FILE 003South America🏛️Sharemassive geoglyphsThe Nazca Lines in Peru are massive geoglyphs — some over 1,200 feet long — that can only be fully seen from the air. Scientists still debate their purpose.SrcNational Geographic
FILE 004South America🏔️Sharehighest navigable lake in the worldLake Titicaca on the Peru-Bolivia border is the highest navigable lake in the world at 12,507 feet above sea level.SrcNational Geographic
FILE 005South America🦜Share6% of the world's oxygenThe Amazon Rainforest produces about 6% of the world's oxygen and is home to 10% of all species on Earth.SrcWWF
FILE 006South America🌎Share25,000 miles longThe Inca Empire built a road network over 25,000 miles long — longer than the Roman road system — through some of the world's most difficult terrain.SrcSmithsonian
FILE 007South America🌿Share10% of all species on EarthThe Amazon Rainforest is home to 10% of all species on Earth — and scientists discover new species there almost every day.SrcWWF
FILE 008South America🏛️Sharemassive geoglyphs visible only from the airThe Nazca Lines in Peru are massive geoglyphs visible only from the air — some stretch 1,200 feet. They're over 2,000 years old.SrcUNESCO
FILE 009South America🏛️Shareoldest known cities in the AmericasCaral in Peru is one of the oldest known cities in the Americas — founded around 2600 BC, about the same time as the Egyptian pyramids.SrcUNESCO
FILE 010South America🏛️Sharenever discovered by Spanish conquistadorsMachu Picchu was built around 1450 AD but never discovered by Spanish conquistadors — it remained hidden until Hiram Bingham reached it in 1911.SrcNational Geographic
FILE 011South America🗿Share1,000 years before the IncaTiwanaku in Bolivia was a major city that flourished 1,000 years before the Inca — its stone blocks weigh up to 130 tons.SrcUNESCO
FILE 012South America🌎Sharesalt flat so large and flatBolivia has a salt flat so large and flat (Salar de Uyuni) that satellites use it to calibrate their instruments.SrcNASA
FILE 013South America🌿Sharefish than the entire Atlantic OceanThe Amazon contains more species of fish than the entire Atlantic Ocean — over 3,000 known species.SrcSmithsonian
FILE 014South America🌎Sharelargest tropical wetland on EarthThe Pantanal in Brazil is the largest tropical wetland on Earth — 10 times the size of the Everglades.SrcWWF
FILE 015South America🏛️SharequipuThe Inca used a system of knotted strings called quipu instead of written language to record information — some contained over 2,000 strings.SrcSmithsonian
FILE 016South America🏔️Sharelongest mountain range on EarthThe Andes are the longest mountain range on Earth — stretching over 4,300 miles along South America's western edge.SrcNational Geographic
FILE 017South America🌎Sharetallest waterfall at 3,212 feetAngel Falls in Venezuela is the world's tallest waterfall at 3,212 feet — so tall that water turns to mist before hitting the bottom.SrcUNESCO
FILE 018South America🌋Sharedriest non-polar desertThe Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest non-polar desert on Earth — some weather stations have never recorded rain.SrcNASA
FILE 019South America🌎Share175 yearsThe Galápagos tortoise can live over 175 years — making it one of the longest-lived vertebrates on Earth.SrcDarwin Foundation
FILE 020South America🏔️Sharemortar, wheels, or iron toolsMachu Picchu was built without mortar, wheels, or iron tools — the stones fit so precisely that you can't slide a knife between them.SrcUNESCO
FILE 021South America🌿Shareswims in the oceanThe Galápagos marine iguana is the only lizard that swims in the ocean — it dives up to 30 feet to feed on algae.SrcDarwin Foundation
FILE 022South America🌎Share47% of South America's land areaBrazil covers 47% of South America's land area and shares a border with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.SrcCIA World Factbook