45 photos
The group of volcanic islands is part of the territory of Ecuador. Its characteristic fauna with closely related species confined to different habitats or islands has inspired Charles Darwin to change our view of the world.
The Andes are the backbone of South America, separating the Pacific coast from the Amazon basin, the vast Pampa grasslands and the Patagonian lowlands. Whilst the southern part of the subcontinent is dominated by European influences, the traditional cultures of the northern Andes have survived the centuries of colonialism.
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Colombia
103 photos
Colombia, the northernmost country of South America, extends from the Amazon rainforest to the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. Three parallel ranges of the Andes form the backbone of the country.
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Ecuador
128 photos
Most of the population of Ecuador lives in the valleys and highlands of the Andes, the backbone of the country topped by a number of active volcanoes, and in the coastal lowlands. The East of the country, partly covered by pristine Amazon rainforest, is almost void of people.
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Peru
289 photos
The summits of the Peruvian Andes carry most of all the tropical glaciers worldwide, whereas the highlands and valleys are home to ancient cultures. This stands in sharp contrast to the capital city of Lima spreading into the coastal desert, but also to the Amazon rainforest in the East.
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Chile
361 photos
Extending over almost 4500 km along a narrow stretch between the Cordillera and the Pacific Ocean, Chile hosts a variety of landscapes and ecosystems such as temperate rainforests, the most extreme deserts, and urban agglomerations.
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Argentina
246 photos
The second largest and maybe most diverse country of South America extends from the tropical forests of Iguazú over the lowlands of the Pampa with the vast metropolitan area of Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego at the very fringe of the inhabited world.