South America

livestock in Colombia are raised on vast, open ranges. Overseeing the herds requires the special skills of Colombian cowboys who are known as llaneros — Spanish for "plainsmen."

Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro sits down with NPR and talks about his time in a guerrilla group and proposals to tackle poverty and climate change.

A Peruvian historian and an American archeologist say the site's re-discoverer was given bad information when he arrived at the ancient Incan ruins — and we've all been going along with it.

Ecuador's Emergency Operations Committee said the eruption on Isabela Island didn't represent a risk to humans or to native local species.

Venezuelan opponents and U.S. officials were predicting his demise years ago. But Nicolás Maduro and his Socialist Party remain firmly in power.

More than 100,000 people have crossed the Darién Gap jungle from Colombia to Panama so far this year. The environmental impact and threats from cartels are many.

FARC rebels used to chain their kidnap victims in the jungle until they received ransom. Now tourists pay ex-guerrillas hundreds of dollars to take them hiking and whitewater rafting there.

Facing backlash, Brazil's leaders now say they'll make a decision whether to host the popular soccer tournament on Tuesday. The country remains one of the world's worst pandemic hot spots.

Even though COVID-19 deaths are spiking and the country is climbing out of a deep economic downturn, the president has proposed new taxes. Colombians are defying restrictions by protesting.

U.S. policy has focused on eradicating the crop used for making cocaine in Colombia. Here's why farmers keep replanting it.

"We want to demonstrate that although we're not a rich country, we can do something that is humanitarian ... but at the same time is an intelligent and sound migration policy," Iván Duque tells NPR.

The country is the top flower exporter to the U.S. When the pandemic hit, farmers feared they'd have to destroy flower beds and lay off thousands of workers. Here's why that didn't happen.