Argentina

I

Introduction

Argentina or Argentine Republic, officially Argentine Republic, federal republic in southern South America, bordered on the north by Bolivia and Paraguay; on the east by Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and Chile; and on the west by Chile. The country occupies most of the southern portion of the continent of South America and is somewhat triangular in shape, with the base in the north and the apex at Punta Dungeness, the south-eastern extremity of the continental mainland. The length of Argentina from north to south is about 3,330 km (2,070 mi); its maximum width is about 1,384 km (860 mi). The country includes the Tierra del Fuego territory, which comprises the eastern half of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and a number of adjacent islands to the east, including Isla de los Estados. The area of Argentina is 2,780,400 sq km (1,073,518 sq mi); it is the second-largest South American country, after Brazil. Argentina, however, claims a total of 2,808,602 sq km (1,084,120 sq mi), including the Falkland Islands, and other sparsely settled southern Atlantic islands as well as part of Antarctica. The Argentine coastline measures 2,665 km (1,656 mi) in length. The capital and largest city is Buenos Aires.

II

Land and Resources

Argentina comprises a diverse territory of mountains, upland areas, and plains. The western boundaries of the country fall entirely within the Andes, the great mountain system of the South American continent. For considerable stretches the continental divide demarcates the Argentine-Chilean frontier. The Patagonian Andes, which form a natural boundary between Argentina and Chile, are one of the lesser ranges, seldom exceeding about 3,660 m (12,000 ft) in elevation. From the northern extremity of this range to the Bolivian frontier, the western part of Argentina is occupied by the main Andean cordillera, with a number of peaks above about 6,400 m (21,000 ft). Aconcagua (6,959 m/22,831 ft), the highest of these peaks, is the greatest in the world outside Central Asia. Other noteworthy peaks are Ojos del Salado (6,893 m/22,615 ft) and Tupungato (6,800 m/22,310 ft), on the border between Argentina and Chile, and Mercedario (6,770 m/22,211 ft). Several parallel ranges and spurs of the Andes project deeply into north-western Argentina. The only other highland of consequence in Argentina is the Sierra de Córdoba in the central portion of the country. Its highest peak is Champaquí (2,850 m/9,350 ft).

Eastwards, from the base of the Andean system, the terrain of Argentina consists almost entirely of a flat or gently undulating plain. This plain slopes gradually from an elevation of about 610 m (2,000 ft) to sea level. In the north, the Argentine plains consist of the southern portion of the South American region known as the Chaco. The Pampas, treeless plains that include the most productive agricultural sections of the country, extend nearly 1,600 km (1,000 mi) south from the Chaco. In Patagonia, south of the Pampas, the terrain consists largely of arid, desolate steppes.

A

Rivers and Lakes

The chief rivers of Argentina are the Paraná, which traverses the north-central portion of the country; the Uruguay, which forms part of the boundary with Uruguay; the Paraguay, which is the main affluent of the Paraná; and the River Plate, the great estuary formed by the confluence of the Paraná and the Uruguay rivers. The Paraná-Uruguay system is navigable for nearly 3,200 km (2,000 mi). A famed scenic attraction, the Iguaçu Falls, is on the river of the same name, a tributary of the Paraná. Other important rivers of Argentina are the Colorado, the Salado, and the Negro. In the area between the Salado and the Colorado and in the Chaco region, some large rivers empty into swamps and marshes or disappear underground. There are also many lakes, particularly among the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The best known are those in the alpine lake country around the resort town of Bariloche.

B

Climate

Temperate climatic conditions prevail throughout most of Argentina, except for a small tropical area in the north-east and the subtropical Chaco in the north. In the vicinity of Buenos Aires the average annual temperature is a mild 16.1° C (61° F). The January and July averages for this area are, respectively, 23° C (74° F) and 10° C (50° F). In San Miguel de Tucumán the average January temperature is 26° C (79° F) and the average July temperature is 13° C (56° F). Considerably higher temperatures prevail near the tropic of Capricorn in the north, where extremes as high as 45° C (113° F) are occasionally recorded. Climatic conditions are generally cold in the higher Andes, Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego. In the western section of Patagonia winter temperatures average about 0° C (32° F). In most coastal areas, however, the ocean exerts a moderating influence on temperatures.

Precipitation in Argentina is marked by wide regional variations. More than 152 cm (60 in) falls annually in the extreme north, but conditions gradually become semi-arid to the south and west. In the vicinity of Buenos Aires annual rainfall is about 950 mm (37 in). In the vicinity of San Miguel de Tucumán annual rainfall is about 970 mm (38 in).