South America LastMinute Vacation Rental Holiday Condo Timeshare and LastMinute SellOff Vacation Getaway Holiday Hotel Deals from $399 South America Family Resorts

South America

South America is the southern continent of America, situated in the Western and Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest.

America was named in 1507 by cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann after Amerigo Vespucci, who was the first European to suggest that the newly discovered lands were not India, but a New World unknown to Europeans.

South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi), or almost 3.5% of the Earth's surface. As of 2005, its population was estimated at more than 371,090,000. South America ranks fourth in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America).

South America occupies the southern portion of the landmass sometimes referred to as the New World. The continent is generally delimited on the northwest by the Darién watershed along the Colombia Panama border, or (according to some sources) by the Panama Canal which transects the Isthmus of Panama. Geopolitically and geographically all of Panama including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus is typically included in North America alone and among the countries of Central America. Almost all of mainland South America sits on the South American Plate.

Many of the islands of the Caribbean (or West Indies) e.g. the Leeward and Lesser Antilles, sit atop the Caribbean Plate, a tectonic plate with a diffuse topography. The islands of Aruba, Barbados, Trinidad, and Tobago sit on the northerly South American continental shelf. The Netherlands Antilles and the federal dependencies of Venezuela lie along the northerly South American shelf. Geopolitically, the island states and overseas territories of the Caribbean are generally grouped as a part or subregion of North America. The South American nations that border the Caribbean Sea—including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana—are also known as Caribbean South America. Other islands are the Galápagos islands that belong to Ecuador and Easter Island (in Oceania but belongs to Chile), Robinson Crusoe Island, Chiloé, and the Tierra del Fuego.

South America is home to the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls in Venezuela; the largest river (by volume), the Amazon River; the longest mountain range, the Andes (whose highest mountain is Aconcagua at 6,962 m [22,841 ft]); the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert; the largest rainforest, the Amazon Rainforest; the highest capital city, La Paz, Bolivia; the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca; and, excluding research stations in Antarctica, the world's southernmost permanently inhabited community, Puerto Toro, Chile.

South America's major mineral resources are gold, silver, copper, iron ore, tin, and petroleum. The many resources of South America have brought high income to its countries especially in times of war or of rapid economic growth by industrialized countries elsewhere. However, the concentration in producing one major export commodity often has hindered the development of diversified economies. The fluctuation in the price of commodities in the international markets has led historically to major highs and lows in the economies of South American states, often causing extreme political instability. This is leading to efforts to diversify production to drive away from staying as economies dedicated to one major export.

South America is one of the most biodiverse continents on earth. South America is home to many interesting and unique species of animals including the llama, anaconda, piranha, jaguar, vicuña, and tapir. The Amazon rainforests possess high biodiversity, containing a major proportion of the Earth's species. Regions in South America include the Andean States, the Guianas, the Southern Cone, and Brazil which is the largest country by far, in both area and population.

During the last 2 decades, South American countries have experienced significant economic growth, which can be seen in many of these countries with the construction of new skyscrapers like the Gran Costanera tower in Chile, and also transportations systems like the Bogota Metro. However, because of histories of high inflation in nearly all South American countries, interest rates remain high and investment remains low. Interest rates are usually twice that of the United States. For example, interest-rates are about 22% in Venezuela and 23% in Suriname. The exception is Chile, which has been implementing free market economic policies since establishing military dictatorship in 1973 and has been increasing its social spending since the return of democratic rule in the early 1990s. This has led to economic stability and interest rates in the low single digits.

South America relies heavily on the exporting of goods and natural resources. On an exchange rate basis Brazil (the seventh largest economy in the world and the second largest in America) leads the way in total amount of exports at $137.8 billion dollars followed by Chile at 58.12 billion and Argentina with 46.46 billion.

The economic gap between the rich and poor in most South American nations is considered to be larger than in most other continents. In Venezuela, Paraguay, Bolivia and many other South American countries, the richest 20% may own over 60% of the nation's wealth, while the poorest 20% may own less than 5%. This wide gap can be seen in many large South American cities where makeshift shacks and slums lie adjacent to skyscrapers and upper-class luxury apartments.

There are 2 types of cheap last minute discount holiday vacations available at this site.

Cheap vacation condo rentals for the entire week (1) by State or (2) by check in month or (3) by resort name(scroll down further) and
Cheap weekend getaway hotels for short weekend trips for a few days instead of a week.

Our Cheap Last Minute Family Vacation Rental Deals and Beach Vacation Rentals are the Ultimate Vacation Value

These Cheap Sell Off Vacations are priced per unit per week based on size of unit and maximum occupancy. Weekly cleaning costs are included in the price of the vacation rental.
Taxes and any All Inclusive Plan (if applicable) are the only extra charges that you may have to pay related to your vacation accommodations.

• There are NO Weekly cleaning costs or other hidden costs
• There are NO booking, registration or other hidden fees
• There are NO vacation weeks to buy in advance so there are no upfront costs
• There is NO vacation club to join so there are no initial or ongoing membership fees
• There is NO timeshare to buy or upfront investment to make before you can book these vacation deals
• There is NO condo upkeep or annual maintenance fee associated with owning a condo, timeshare or vacation property
• There is NO fee charged for guests, as long as the maximum occupancy is not exceeded
• There is NO restriction on when you can travel as long the unit is available to book
• There is NO presentation to attend in order to get a great vacation deal
• There are NO high pressure sales people trying to sell you anything
• We are NOT affiliated with any organization whose purpose is to solicit sales of timeshare interests

NOTE: Prices do NOT include local taxes or the cost of an All Inclusive Plan (if applicable). If you are reserving a property or location that is required to pay tax or has a mandatory All Inclusive plan, then you will be required to pay these directly to the resort upon check-in. These are the only extra charges that you may have to pay.

Condos versus Hotels

Would you rather stay in a confined hotel room with no kitchen facilities or extras when you can get so much more for your money and stay in a spacious 1 or 2 bedroom resort condo with suite-style amenities and a partial or full kitchen?

A partial or full kitchen allows you to stay in for some meals when it is not convenient for you to go out. Breakfast is a perfect example. In a hotel your only option is room service at exorbitant prices. With a spacious resort condo you can have breakfast in bed every day.

The regular price (up to $3,000/week) for all Last Minute Vacations is discounted 6 to 8 weeks in advance to as low as $399 to $549 per week. The prices shown for these Sell Off Vacations are for the room for a week and not per person. Normal cleaning charges upon departure are included in all last minute vacations. NOTE: Prices do NOT include local taxes or all-inclusive fees for food etc. as these are paid directly to the resort. This is the only additionnal charge for our Last Minute Vacations.

South America Vacation Rental fee does not include taxes or a mandatory or optional all-inclusive fee for meals, drinks etc. Where the resort charges an all-inclusive fee, this fee is extra (from $50 and up per person per day) and is required to be paid directly to the resort at check-in. Fees, terms and conditions of packages covered by an all-inclusive fee are determined solely by the resort, and are subject to change at their discretion.