| Located in the southern part
of South America and thus in the southern hemisphere, Argentina has an
area of almost 3.8 million square kilometers, of which 2.8 are on the
continent and the remainder in the Antarctic. Its length of 3,800 km. goes
from latitude 22° to 55°. Its frontier with Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay,
Bolivia and Chile has a perimeter of 29,038 km. and the coast, on the
Atlantic Ocean, is 5,117 km. long |
| The fundamental characteristic
of Argentina is the enormus contrast between the inmense eastern plains
and the imposing mountain range of the Andes to the west. This is the
frontier with Chile and has the highest peak in the whole western
hemisphere, the Aconcagua, 6,959 m. high.
In its passage from Jujuy to Tierra del
Fuego the range presents marvellous contrasts, the plateaus of the
Northwest, the lake region, the forests and the glaciers of the Patagonian
Andes. To the north, Chaco is a forested area which follows the rivers
Bermejo, Salado and Pilcomayo.
Between the Paraná and Uruguay, the
Mesopotamia of Argentina (the provinces of Entre Ríos, Corrientes and
Misiones) is formed by low hills where pools and marshlands show the
ancient courses of these great rivers.
La Pampa, in the centre of Argentina, is
the largest and best known area of plains. It has a large amount of
agriculture and livestock and includes the provinces of Buenos Aires,
pampean region, the south of Santa Fe and southwest of Córdoba.
Towards the south, from the Andes to the
sea, are the sterile and stony plateaus of Patagonia, swept by the wind
during most of the year. The Atlantic coast, lined with high cliffs, forms
massive indentations like the Valdés Peninsula, with its spectacular
colonies of marine animals.
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