South America
Amazon River
Cruising the Amazon River in luxury is an experience not to be missed. At every turn, the vegetation is deep green and lush, with over 18,100 plant species. The temperature is pleasant on the river, as high humidity is common only in the deep jungle. Keep an eye out for gorgeously colored tropical birds: there are more than 500 varieties. Its size and mind-boggling amount of flora and fauna makes it the mightiest river in the world.
Central America
Central America cruises visit ports on the Caribbean and/or Pacific sides of Central America. On a Central America cruise along the Pacific coast, you'll find drier weather and more mountainous terrain onshore. Central America travel on the Caribbean coast will be characterized by a more humid climate and lush vegetation.
On a Central America cruise, you can scuba dive or snorkel in the reefs around Roatan, Honduras; go zip-lining in the jungles of Belize; traverse the Panama Canal; or visit the lush national parks and amazing diversity of wildlife in Costa Rica. Central America travel is always warm, and cruises are available year-round.
Galapagos Islands
The province of Galapagos encompasses the Galapagos archipelago, which lies 600 miles off the coast. Discovered in 1535, the Galapagos are made up of 13 major islands, 5 of which are inhabited. It was declared a national park in 1959. The total population in 1989 was 9,000.
South American Coast
South America, the fourth largest of the earth's seven continents (after Asia, Africa, and North America), occupying about 17,819,100 sq km (about 6,880,000 sq mi), or about 12 percent of the earth's land surface. It lies astride the equator and tropic of Capricorn and is joined by the Isthmus of Panama, on the north, to Central and North America. The continent extends about 7400 km (about 4600 mi) from the Caribbean Sea on the north to Cape Horn on the south, and its maximum
width, between Cabo de São Roque, on the Atlantic Ocean, and Punta de Pariñas, on the Pacific Ocean, is about 4830 km (about 3000 mi). South America has a 1993 estimated population of 310 million, less than 6 percent of the world's people. The continent comprises 12 nations. Ten of the countries are Latin: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Two of the nations are former dependencies: Guyana, of Great Britain, and Suriname, of the Netherlands. South America also includes French Guiana, an overseas department of France. Located at great distances from the continent in the Pacific Ocean are several territories of South American
republics: the Juan Fernández Islands and Easter Island (Chile) and the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador). Nearer the coast, in the Atlantic Ocean, is the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, which is a Brazilian territory, and, farther south, the British dependency of the Falkland Islands, which is claimed by Argentina as the Islas Malvinas. The coastline of
South America is relatively regular except in the extreme south and southwest, where it is indented by numerous fjords.
