From the glacial lakes of Patagonia and the tropical Amazon rainforest, to the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, South America has rightfully earned a reputation as a fascinating destination to visit.

I have been to 37 countries and multiple continents, but South America is my favorite region. I love spots like Pucón, Chile, and Florianópolis, Brazil, that sometimes fly under the radar. Argentina's ...

The Gallup poll checked up last week on U.S. knowledge of South American geography, found North Americans woefully ignorant. The problem: to identify eight of 13 countries (including British, Dutch ...