南美洲

恭喜你來到國際觀察曆的最後一站，充滿拉丁風情的南美洲。14 世紀西班牙的殖民船敲開南美洲的大門，開啟數百年的美洲殖民史。歐洲征服者在這裡待了三百多年，使得大多數人以葡萄牙語或西班牙語為主。這裡種族多元，被殖民者從非洲和印度帶過來的人們也成了南美洲的一份子。 脫離殖民後，歷經區域內的戰爭衝突、內戰、軍事獨裁，再到近代的粉紅浪潮，南美洲輾轉成為現在的樣貌，一個以左派政府為主的區域。沒有獨大的單一經濟體、沒有各國駁火戰爭、沒有本土極端主義份子，這些都使得南美洲在國際的存在感偏低。俗話說，沒新聞就是好新聞，南美洲各國暫時只需面對自己的內政和經濟問題。然而，這就夠他們忙的了。

Congratulations! Now you've arrived at the last stop on our World Calendar--South America. Beginning in the 14th century, Spain, and to a lesser extent Portugal, conquered and settled most of South America, starting a colonial period which lasted centuries. These European conquerors stayed there for nearly three centuries, so most South Americans speak Spanish or Portuguese. The region is ethnically diverse. Africans and Indians brought by the colonists also become part of the South American population. 

From colonization, regional conflicts, civil wars, and military dictatorship to the recent pink tide, South America today features mainly left-leaning governments. Without a single unified economy, cross-country warfare, and dwindling local extremism, South America has become a more peaceful continent that doesn't attract much attention these days. As the saying goes: “no news is good news.” South American countries only need to concentrate on their domestic problems for now. But, that's enough to keep them busy.