SOUTH AMERICA: TOTAL COUNTRIES: 12 | TOTAL POPULATION: 442 million Jim McMahon (map)

2026 Facts & Figures: SOUTH AMERICA

November 3, 2025

CURBING CHILD MARRIAGE

via Instagram

An Instagram post from a Colombian lawmaker gathering signatures for the marriage law

In February 2025, COLOMBIA enacted a new law entitled “Son Niñas, No Esposas” (“They’re Girls, Not Wives”), which raises the minimum marriage age to 18. The legislation closed a long-standing loophole that had allowed minors to marry with parental consent or to enter informal unions. Unicef estimates that about 12 million girls under age 18 become brides each year worldwide, and Colombia has long struggled to end the practice.

^{Source: CNN}

THE FISH HAVE RIGHTS

If you’re not careful, a fish in ECUADOR might sue you. In January 2025, the nation’s Constitutional Court ruled that Ecuador’s coastal marine ecosystems possess legal rights—including the right to exist and maintain their natural life cycles. The ruling extended Ecuador’s pioneering “Rights of Nature” framework, which grants rights to nature and recognizes ecosystems as legal entities that can sue or be sued in court. The framework allows for legal actions to protect marine life.

^{Source: Pressenza}

RITUAL COMBAT

In the Andean mountain town of Santo Tomas, PERU, a centuries-old tradition known as Takanakuy takes center stage every year on December 25. Takanakuy (meaning “to hit each other” in the Quechua language) is a ritual (above) in which community members engage in fistfights to resolve disputes, vent frustrations, and start the new year fresh. Dressed in colorful costumes, thousands gather to dance, drink, and face off in the ring. The ritual, which always ends with hugs, has faced criticism for its brutality. But townspeople maintain that its ultimate goal is to bring peace.

^{Source: The New York Times}

13,250 Feet

PEAK ELEVATION of La Paz, BOLIVIA, the highest capital city in the world. La Paz (above) serves as the nation’s administrative capital, housing the executive and legislative branches of government. But Bolivia has two capital cities: Sucre is home to the Supreme Court and was the original capital until 1898, when the seat of government moved to La Paz.

^{Source: Britannica}