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South America possesses abundant reserves of several important minerals. Its deposits of iron found mainly in Brazil and Venezuela represent almost one-fifth of the world’s total. South America’s imports substantially out-weigh exports, and many countries suffer chronic balance-of-trade deficits.

Most export trade is with the USA and the members of the European Community (EC). Intraregional trade within the continent is slowly increasing. Agriculture employs approximately one-fourth of the overall South American work force. Despite the continent’s reputation as a food producer, agricultural productivity is generally low, and land utilization is inefficient.

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Four main ethnic components have contributed to the present-day population of South America: American Indians, who were the continent’s pre-Columbian inhabitants; the Iberians, Spanish and Portuguese who conquered and dominated the continent until the beginning of the 19 th century; the Africans, imported as slaves by the colonizers; and finally, the post-independence immigrants from the overseas, mostly Germans and Southern Europeans but also Lebanese, South Asians, and Japanese. Spanish is the official language throughout South America except for Portuguese and Brazil, French in French Guiana, English in Guyana, and Dutch in Suriname. Less than 10 percent of South America’s total population are speakers of Indian languages. South America is predominantly Christian in religious affiliation.

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Страны Южной Америки три века были колониями Испании и Португалии. Политической независимости они добились в начале 19 века, но затем оказались в экономической зависимости от европейских государств, а затем – от США. Сравнительно недавно освободились от колониальной зависимости Гайана и Суринам. Сохраняет свой колониальный статус Гвиана – «заморский департамент» Франции. Государства Южной Америки относятся к группе развивающихся стран. Они сильно различаются по уровню социально-экономического развития. Наиболее развитые страны Южной Америки – Аргентина, Бразилия, Уругвай.