Top 10 cities of South America facts

Rio de Janeiro. Rio was the capital of Brazil from 1763 to 1960, both during the Portuguese colonial era and as an independent nation. With the population of 6.3 million, it is the second largest city in Brazil, after São Paulo (11M).

Oscar Niemeyer. In 1956, Juscelino Kubitschek, newly elected Brazilian president, visited Niemeyer: ‘I am going to build a new capital for this country and I want you to help me’. Niemeyer organized a competition for the lay-out of Brasília, the new capital, and the winner was the project of his old master and great friend, Lúcio Costa. Niemeyer would design the buildings, Lucio the plan of the city.

São Paulo with its 11 Million inhabitants (up to 27M in Greater São Paulo) is the largest city not only in Brazil, but also the largest in the southern hemisphere and the Americas.

In Brazil. A favela is a slum in Brazil. The original favela was built in 1897 on the Morro da Providência in Rio de Janeiro by the families of soldiers returning from the war against the settlers of Canudos. Their formations were disbanded and soldiers were left with no work and place to live.

Paramaribo is famed for its diverse ethnic makeup, including Creoles, Indian, Multiracials, Maroons, Javanese, Indigenous, Chinese, Europeans, Lebanese and Jews.

Caracas. Despite being just 10 miles (15km) from the Caribbean Sea, Caracas has no sea access. It is separated from the coast by a steep 2,200-metre-high (7,200 ft) mountain range, Cerro El Avila.

Santiago de Chile. The city is flanked by the main chain of the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west. The mountains around Santiago are quite tall; the tallest is the Tupungato volcano at 6,570 m (21,555 ft).

Lima is old - it was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535. The National University of San Marcos, founded in 1551, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.

Over 7 million. Lima is one of the largest and the oldest colonial city in the Americas. It was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535. The National University of San Marcos, founded on May 12, 1551, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.

Montevideo has consistently been rated as having the highest quality of life of any city in Latin America: by 2015 has held this rank every year during the last decade.