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Geography and Environment of Argentina
Terrain, climate, natural resources, hazards, and environmental conditions of Argentina.
Speed
Overview
second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Cerro Aconcagua is South America's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere
Detailed geography
Physical Features
- Terrain
- rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
- Climate
- The vast Pampa region fanning out 500 miles from Buenos Aires has an average annual rainfall ranges from 20 inches in the west to 40 inches in the east. The Andean region extends from the dry north to the heavily glaciated and ice covered mountains of Patagonia. Its trajectory includes the dry mountains and desert west of Cordoba and south of Tucuman and embraces the irrigated valleys on the eastern slopes and foothills of the Andes. Annual precipitation ranges from 4 to 24 inches in the arid regions and 20 to 120 inches in the heaviest rainfall areas. Patagonia is a region of arid, windswept plateaus, covering about 300,000 square miles. Except for some irrigated valleys, this is poor, scattered pastureland. Far south, the weather is continuously cold and stormy; the region has no summer, and winters can be severe. The alluvial plain of the Chaco in the north has a subtropical climate with dry winters and humid summers. Rainfall decreases from 60 to 20 inches, and temperatures reach 120°F. The Argentine Mesopotamia, which consists of the provinces between the Uruguay and Parana Rivers, is made up of floodplains and gently rolling grassy hills The greatest precipitation falls in the extreme north of Misiones Province, where it amounts to about 80 inches yearly. Buenos Aires, located on the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata, borders on the vast Pampa. The terrain within the city varies from low flatland only inches above the high tide line to slightly rolling countryside with a maximum elevation of 129 feet. Average rainfall in Buenos Aires is 39 inches, distributed evenly throughout the year. Humidity is high year round (the yearly mean is 76%). High humidity makes winters seem colder and summers hotter. Abrupt temperature changes are experienced throughout the year, bringing relief from summer’s heat and winter’s cold.
- Weather Patterns
- http://voap.weather.com/weather/oap/ARBA0009?template=TRVLH&par=1003114983&unit=0&key=5b85ae1d85877a1b34827fba743e2133
- Highest Point
- 6960 — Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza)
- Lowest Point
- -105 — Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz)
Borders and Area
- Area (Comparative)
- slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
- Border Countries
- Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
- Maritime Claims
- territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM contiguous zone: 24 NM
Natural Resources and Hazards
- Natural Resources
- fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium
- Natural Hazards
- San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
Environment and Land Use
- Current Environmental Issues
- environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution
- International Agreements
- party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation