South America, 1883
South America comprises the southern portion of the American continent from the Isthmus of Panama. It is bounded on the north by the Caribbean Sea; on the west by the Pacific Ocean; on the south by the Antarctic Ocean; and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Like North America, South America may be divided into four great regions, besides the narrow strip of land between the Andes and the Pacific: the north-eastern slope or valley of the Orinoco; the great central plain or valley of the Amazon, extending from the Andes on the Pacific coast to the Atlantic Ocean, across the widest part of the continent; the Atlantic slope from the mountains of Brazil eastward; and the south-eastern slope or valley of the La Plata. The countries are: New Granada or United States of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guiana, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia or Upper Peru, Chili, La Plata or Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Patagonia.
— Modern School Geography and Atlas, 1880