| 1 | South America's physiography is dominated by the Andes Mountains in the west and the Amazon Basin in the central north. Much of the remainder is plateau country. |
| 2 | Half the realm's area and just over half its population are concentrated in one country - Brazil. |
| 3 | South America's population remains concentrated in peripheral zones. Most of the interior is sparsely peopled. |
| 4 | The leading population trend is cityward migration. No realm has urbanized more rapidly since 1980. |
| 5 | Regional economic contrasts and disparities, both in the realm as a whole and within individual countries, are strong. In general, the south is the most developed, the northeast the least. |
| 6 | Interconnections among the states of the realm remain comparatively weak. External ties are frequently stronger. |
| 7 | Strong cultural pluralism exists in the majority of the realm's countries, and this pluralism is often expressed regionally. |
| 8 | With the exception of three small countries in the north, the realm's modern cultural sources lie in a single sub region of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish is the lingua franca, except in Portuguese speaking Brazil. |
| 9 | Lingering politico-geographical problems beset the realm. Boundary disputes and territorial conflicts persist. |
| 10 | The Catholic church dominates life throughout the realm and constitutes one of its unifying elements. |