 Nestled between the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and the South Atlantic Oceans, South America is the wilder of the Americas and a continent of superlatives. The world's biggest rainforest and longest river (Amazon), the second highest mountain range (the Andes), remote islands (Galapagos, Easter Island and Fernando de Noronha), heavenly beaches (such as in Brazil's Northeastern region), wide deserts (Atacama), icy landscapes (Patagonia e Tierra del Fuego), the world's tallest waterfall (the 979m Angel Falls, in Venezuela) and one of the largest (Iguaçu Falls), as well as several other breathtaking natural attractions. Besides, the work of man has also left rare gems on the continent: ruins of ancient civilizations (Machu Picchu and other Inca cities; the Moais in Easter Island) share the continent with world-class metropolises (São Paulo, Buenos Aires e Rio de Janeiro), outstanding modern architecture (Brasilia), the oldest rock paintings in the Americas (at the Serra da Capivara), strong African heritage (in Salvador and Rio), genuine indigenous (Belém, Manaus, Cuzco, Lima, La Paz) and Eastern culture (São Paulo's enormous Japanese community), mingled with the fingerprints of Iberian colonizers. Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city and some of its biggest festivities, such as Rio's Carnival and Belem's Cirio de Nazaré are also part of this incredibly diverse and attractive continent.
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