Latin America
General
Argentina is triangular in shape and stretches 2,300 mi (3,700 km) from its broad northern region near the Tropic of Capricorn to Tierra del Fuego, an island shared with Chile, in the south. On the northeast, Argentina fronts on the Río de la Plata (an estuary and one of the major waterways of the Western Hemisphere), which separates Argentina from South Uruguay; its tributaries also act as international boundaries—the Uruguay River, with West Uruguay and South Brazil, and the Paraná, Paraguay and Pilcomayo rivers, with Paraguay. The northwest boundary with Bolivia lies in the Gran Chaco and the Andes Mountains. The western boundary with Chile follows the crestline of the Andes. The Atlantic Ocean borders Argentina on the east; there, off South Argentina, are the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), and the South Georgia, South Sandwich, and South Orkney islands, all dependencies of Great Britain that are claimed by Argentina.
Argentina also claims a sector of Antarctica. The climate of Argentina varies from subtropical in the north to cold and windswept in the south, with temperate and dry areas found throughout much of the country. Precipitation, lowest along the East Andean slopes, increases markedly North and East across Argentina. The chief rivers of Argentina are the Paraná with its tributary, the Salado; the Colorado River; the Río Negro; and the Chubut.
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In North Argentina, the Gran Chaco, with the physiographically similar Mesopotamia (between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers), is a predominantly flat alluvial plain with a subtropical climate. The region is seasonally flooded, and marshlands remain for long periods during the year because of poor drainage. Livestock, cotton and wood from the quebracho tree are the main products. Most of the principal cities of Argentina and most of its industry are found in the region. Buenos Aires, a port city on the Río de la Plata, is one of the largest cities of South America and the chief industrial centre and transportation hub of South America; it is surrounded by smaller industrial cities. Elsewhere on the Pampas are La Plata, a meatpacking and oil-refining centre; Rosario, the third largest city of Argentina, an iron and steel and oil-refining centre, and a huge grain port on the Paraná River; Santa Fe, a northern commercial and industrial centre at the junction of the Salado and Paraná rivers; Mar del Plata, a resort and fishing centre on the Atlantic Ocean; and Bahía Blanca, the largest Argentine port directly on the Atlantic Ocean, a gateway to the South Pampas and the oil fields of Neuquén Province, and a meatpacking and wool-processing centre. On the western edge of the Pampas is Córdoba, the nation's second largest city, which reflects the transition from the “Dry Pampas” to the Monte, the desolate Andean foothills. The Monte, an arid region in the rain shadow of the Andes, has natural vegetation varying from short grasses in the east to cacti in the west. Scattered throughout the great arid stretches are small but highly productive oases such as Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, San Juan and Mendoza, which were settled from Peru and Upper Peru (Bolivia) in the second half of the 16th century. The oases, whose growth and importance greatly increased after they were linked by railroad to the east coast, produce wine, sugar, fruits and corn; stock raising is also carried on there. The varied mineral deposits of this region (especially oil, lead, zinc, tin, copper and salt) are being exploited. Mendoza and Tucumán are major industrial areas engaged in food processing, oil refining and chemical production. |