From the soaring mountains of the Andes to the Pampas of Argentina, from the indigenous Indian population to the descendants of European colonists, South America’s diversity includes geography, culture, and much more. While Spanish is the most commonly spoken language on the continent, the prevalence of Portuguese, French, Dutch, English, and a variety of indigenous languages reflect the divergent histories of the 13 nations that compose the continent. With information on capitals, years of independence, political developments, and other details on each country, the map below features the array of life that is South America.