Cities of South America

Great cities on every continent: where they are, how people live and get around, and what to see.

8 to explore

Watch City Bogotá Bogotá is the capital and largest city of Colombia, built on a high plain in the Andes, 2,625 meters above sea level. Founded by the Spanish in 1538 on land of the Muisca people, it is home to about 8 million people (2024) and a famous museum of ancient gold.
Watch City Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, lies on the Río de la Plata, 240 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. Founded twice, in 1536 and 1580, it grew into South America's largest port and a city of wide avenues, lively neighborhoods and the tango. About 3.1 million people lived in the city in 2022.
Watch City Concepción Concepción is one of the largest cities of Chile, in the south-central part of the country, near where the Biobío River meets the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1550 and moved to its present site after a great earthquake, it is now a center of industry and learning. Its commune had 230,375 people at the 2024 census.
Watch City Curitiba Curitiba is the capital of the state of Paraná, in southern Brazil, about 930 meters above the sea. About 1.8 million people live there (2025). The city is famous around the world for its bus rapid transit, begun in 1974, and for the lakes, flood-control systems and parks it built from the 1970s.
Watch City Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro is a city of about 6.7 million people (2025) on Brazil's Atlantic coast. Forested mountains, a giant statue on Corcovado, the Sugarloaf peak and famous beaches make it one of the most recognizable cities on Earth. It was Brazil's capital until 1960.
Watch City Santiago Santiago, the capital and largest city of Chile, lies in a basin in central Chile with the high Andes to the east. Founded by the Spanish in 1541, it mixes colonial churches with the tallest skyscraper in the city, the 300-meter Gran Torre Costanera. About 5.25 million people lived in the city in 2017.
Watch City São Paulo São Paulo, capital of the state of São Paulo, is the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere. It began as a small Jesuit mission in 1554 and grew huge after coffee became Brazil's main export. About 11.9 million people live in the city (2025), with families whose roots reach from Italy and Portugal to Japan and Lebanon.
Watch City Valparaíso Valparaíso is a busy port on Chile's Pacific coast, built around a bay on steep hills. Founded in 1536, it became the leading port on South America's Pacific coast in the late 1800s. Its historic quarter, with hillside neighborhoods and funicular "elevators," is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Chile's National Congress meets here.