Rough Guides, 2009. — 1044 p.The thirteen countries that comprise South America truly offer something for everyone: beach lover, adventure junky, birdwatcher and aspiring archeologist alike. Although the continent as a whole shares a common history based on its original indigenous populations, European colonization, slavery and immigration, all of its countries are fascinating for the differences within their individual borders. Portuguese-speaking Brazil, the largest, most populated country in South America, shares a border with every country in the continent except Chile and Ecuador. There’s metropolitan Rio de Janeiro, the exotic colonial city of Salvador, the cultural hub of São Paolo, plus the largest rainforest
in the world. While adventure tourists may not flock to Uruguay, its relaxed capital, Montevideo, is inviting and Punta del Este’s beach resorts are worth checking out, if only briefly by budget-conscious day-trippers. Travellers seeking authenticity should look no further than landlocked Paraguay. While not on the average itinerary, the country’s Jesuit ruins and national parks offer a glimpse of a South America untrammelled by the twenty-first century.
