The energy industry in South America
Brazil and Venezuela dominate Oil production is South America with Brazil recently overtaking Venezuela as the regions leading producer. This is due to a combination of their increased production and Venezuala's drop in output. Brazil has also been investing in offshore projects and working to entice international oil companies in to the region, and the results of this have been seen in their increased output. Brazil also has a strong presence in the mining sector, as a large producer of iron. This is supported by other countries in the region; with Chile mining for copper, Mexico silver and Peru mining for silver, copper, gold and lead.