How to teach the countries of South America

Grade 3 to Grade 6

South America has twelve countries, few enough to fit on one map, so the trick is to anchor from the giant, Brazil, in the centre, then work around the edge. Learn the shapes on a blank map first, then add the capitals. It is a good continent to start country study with because the small number of countries makes the whole map learnable.

How to teach it

1. Start with Brazil, which fills almost half the continent, then place the countries around its rim.
2. Use the coasts and mountains as anchors: the long thin Chile down the Pacific, the Andes along the west, the three small Guianas in the north-east.
3. Learn the countries in groups: the northern (Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas), the Andean (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia), and the southern (Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay).
4. Pair each country with its capital once the shapes are secure, and watch the traps: Bolivia has two capitals (Sucre is the constitutional capital), and several capitals sit on the coast.
5. Handle the edges honestly: French Guiana is part of France, not an independent country, and the Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory, so they show on the map but are not labelled as countries.

Common mistakes

• Confusing the three small north-eastern neighbours, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
• Assuming the biggest city is the capital (Brazil's capital is Brasilia, not Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo).
• Mixing up Paraguay and Uruguay, which sound alike and sit near each other.
• Forgetting that a country and its capital can have quite different names.