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Four main components have contributed to the present-day population of South America—American Indians (Amerindians), who were the pre-Columbian inhabitants; Iberians (Spanish and Portuguese who conquered and dominated the continent until the beginning of the 19th century); Africans, imported as slaves by the colonizers; and, finally, postindependence immigrants from overseas, mostly Italy and Germany but also Lebanon, South Asia, and Japan. Before the beginning of the epoch of European exploration and conquest in the early 16th century, South America was almost completely occupied by diverse peoples. Nearly all of those cultural groups practiced agriculture, and most exhibited an extraordinary understanding of ...(100 of 23598 words)