South cone
The southern cone ( Spanish Cono Sur , Portuguese Cone Sul ) is a name for the roughly triangular southern part of South America (south of the Tropic of Capricorn). In the narrower definition it includes the states Argentina , Chile and Uruguay . In a further definition, Paraguay and some states in Brazil ( Rio Grande do Sul , Santa Catarina , Paraná , São Paulo ) are also included.
geography
The landscape of the southern cone is shaped by the hills of the Andes , the Patagonian lowlands , the forests of the La Plata region, the Atacama desert , the foothills of the Chaco and the pampas . Important rivers are the Río de la Plata , the Paraná , the Uruguay , the Bermejo , the Iguazú , the Negro , the Salado and the Tercero (which flow into the Atlantic ); west of the Andes the Choapa , the Aconcagua , the Maipo , the Maule , the Bío-Bío , the Toltén , the Bueno and the Serrano (which flow into the Pacific ). Many rivers in the southern cone have their source in the Andes.
languages
In the countries of the southern cone, mainly Spanish is spoken due to the Spanish colonization in the 16th century . If parts of Brazil are included in the southern cone, Portuguese is the second most common language. The indigenous languages Mapudungun (the language of the Mapuche ) and Guaraní (the language of the Guaraní ) as well as Quechua , Aymara and others in the northwest are also widespread . Italian , especially in its Venetian variant, is spoken in rural areas in some areas of Argentina and southern Brazil. In southern Chile and in some areas in southern Brazil and Argentina, remnants of German language islands can also be found. English is spoken in the Falkland Islands (Malwinen) . Welsh is also spoken in Patagonia , and Japanese and Korean are also spoken in the southeast . Portuñol ( Portuguese : Portunhol ) is a non-standardized mixed language of Spanish and Portuguese that is used on the border with Brazil.
Socio-economic situation
The southern cone is the economically strongest region in South America. Chile, Argentina and Uruguay are the countries with the highest GDP per capita in purchasing power parities in South America. The southern states of Brazil, which are sometimes added to the southern cone, are also among the richest in Brazil and are also in relation to South America; however, this does not apply to Paraguay, which is also sometimes counted as part of the southern cone.
