Consider the following statements regarding the structural geography and drainage of South America: 1. The Amazon River basin forms the largest drainage basin in the world, covered predominantly by tropical rainforest biomes known as selvas. 2. The Orinoco River basin features extensive tropical grassland plains known as llanos situated between the Andes and the Guiana Highlands. 3. The Patagonian Desert is located in northern South America, characterized by high humidity and tropical scrub vegetation. Which of the statements given above are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statement 1 is correct because the Amazon river system drains vast equatorial regions supporting dense evergreen rainforests. Statement 2 is correct as the llanos are tropical grassland plains located in the Orinoco river basin across Venezuela and Colombia. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Patagonian Desert is situated in southern South America east of the Andes in Argentina, operating as a cold rain-shadow desert rather than being located in humid northern South America. South America features highly diverse topographic regions ranging from high Andes peaks to vast interior lowlands.