South America was first populated approximately 14,000 years ago by migrants from Asia by way of a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska. These indigenous people spread throughout North and South America creating small communities and large empires. Their descendants are known as Pueblos Indígenas (Indigenous People) in most of South America. There are more than 350 indigenous groups in South America. Each tribe has their own language and religious beliefs. 

In 1494, South America was divided by a treaty between Spain and Portugal and in 1616 the Dutch settled in Guyana. Portuguese is the most common language spoken in South America followed closely by Spanish. Dutch, which is the official language of Suriname comes in third. English, French and Indigenous languages are also spoken on the South American continent.