This dataset contains the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for South America from the Hydrologic Derivatives for Modeling and Analysis (HDMA) database. The data were developed and distributed by processing units. There are 10 processing units for South America. The distribution files have the number of the processing unit appended to the end of the zip file name (e.g. sa_dem_3.zip contains the DEM data for unit 3-2). The HDMA database provides comprehensive and consistent global coverage of raster and vector topographically derived layers, including raster layers of digital elevation model (DEM) data, flow direction, flow accumulation, slope, and compound topographic index (CTI); and vector layers of streams and catchment boundaries. The coverage of the data is global (-180º, 180º, -90º, 90º) with the underlying DEM being a hybrid of three datasets: HydroSHEDS (Hydrological data and maps based on SHuttle Elevation Derivatives at multiple Scales), Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010) and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). For most of the globe south of 60º North, the raster resolution of the data is 3-arc-seconds, corresponding to the resolution of the SRTM. For the areas North of 60º, the resolution is 7.5-arc-seconds (the smallest resolution of the GMTED2010 dataset) except for Greenland, where the resolution is 30-arc-seconds. The streams and catchments are attributed with Pfafstetter codes, based on a hierarchical numbering system, that carry important topological information.