South American Countries Wheel Spinner
This wheel picks a random South American country from a continent of twelve, which is small enough that a full wheel gives every country a real chance of coming up.
All twelve South American countries are on the wheel, so Guyana, Suriname and Paraguay are as likely as Brazil.
South America is unusual among the continents in that you can fit all of it on one wheel without the slices becoming unreadable. Twelve sovereign countries: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Chile, the five people name first, plus Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The second seven are the ones students never pick for themselves. Suriname and Guyana in particular sit outside the Spanish-and-Portuguese story most classes are taught, with Dutch and English as official languages and histories that do not fit the pattern. A draw that surfaces them does more for a unit on the continent than another project on Brazil.
Travellers can use the same wheel to break a tie between routes that have been under consideration for too long.
What is on the wheel
All 12 of them, already loaded:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Guyana
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Suriname
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
South American Countries Wheel Spinner - questions
How many countries are in South America?
Twelve sovereign countries: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. French Guiana is an overseas department of France rather than an independent country.
Are all twelve countries on the wheel?
Yes. Twelve slices stay readable, and Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, the countries students rarely choose for themselves, come up exactly as often as Brazil.
Can each student get a different country?
Turn on "Remove after spin" and each country leaves the wheel once drawn, so twelve students get twelve different countries.