Argentina Main Facts

Argentina is traditionally divided into several major geographically distinct regions:

Pampas

These are the plains west and south from Buenos Aires. Called the Humid Pampa, they cover most of the provinces of Buenos Aires and Córdoba and large portions of the provinces of Santa Fe and La Pampa. The western part of La Pampa and the province San Luis are also mostly plains (the Dry Pampa); but they are drier and used mainly for grazing. The Sierra de Córdoba in the homonymous province (extending into San Luis) is the most important geographical feature of the pampas.

Gran Chaco

The Gran Chaco region in the north of the country is seasonal dry/wet, mainly cotton growing and livestock rising. It covers the provinces of Chaco and Formosa. It is dotted with subtropical forests, scrubland, and some wetlands, home to a large number of plant and animal species. The province of Santiago del Estero lies in the drier region of the Gran Chaco.

NEA or Mesopotamia

The land between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers is called Mesopotamia, and it is shared by the provinces of Misiones, Corrientes and Entre Ríos. It features flatland apt for grazing and plant growing, and a vast marshland: Esteros del Iberá Wetlands in central Corrientes. Misiones Province is more tropical and belongs within the Brazilian Highlands geographic feature. It features subtropical rainforests and the awe-inspiring Iguazú Falls.

Patagonia

The steppes of Patagonia, in the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz, are of tertiary origin. Most of the region is semiarid in the north to cold and arid in the far south, but forests grow in its western fringes which are dotted with several large lakes. The island of Tierra del Fuego, in the southernmost tip of the American Continent, is cool and wet, moderated by oceanic influences. Northern Patagonia (Río Negro, south of the homonymous river, and Neuquén) can also be referred as the Comahue region.

Cuyo

West-central Argentina is dominated by the rugged Andes or Cordillera de los Andes. To their east is the arid region known as Cuyo. Melting waters from high in the mountains form the backbone of this irrigated lowland oasis, at the center of a rich fruit and wine growing region, in the provinces of Mendoza and San Juan. Further north and into La Rioja Province, the region gets hotter and drier with more geographical accidents. Cuyo’s easternmost border is marked by the Sierras Pampeanas, a series of three low mountain ranges that spread north to south in northern San Luis Province.

NOA or Northwest

This region is the highest in average elevation. Many Andean peaks here raise above 6,000 m (20,000 feet), standing out of the general landscape. These mountains grow wider in geographic extent to the north. They are cut by fertile river valleys, the most important being the Calchaquí Valleys, in the provinces of Catamarca, Tucumán and Salta. Jujuy is the north westernmost province in Argentina, sitting right in the border with Bolivia. It lays mainly within the Altiplano plateau of the Central Andes. The Tropic of Capricorn crosses this region at Humahuaca Valley or Quebrada de Humahuaca.

Argentina is a megadiverse country, hosting one of the greatest ecosystem varieties in the world: 15 continental zones, 3 oceanic zones and the Antarctic region are all represented within its territory. This vast diversity of habitats positions the country high in the list of world’s biologically rich territories. Current species list account for:

• 9,372 catalogued vascular plant species (ranked 24th)
• 1,071 catalogued bird species, 16 of which are endemics (ranked 14th)
• 375 catalogued mammal species (ranked 12th)
• 338 catalogued reptile species (ranked 16th)
• 162 catalogued amphibian species (ranked 19th)

From this total, 529 species of vertebrates and at least 240 plants are threatened, mostly by conversion of natural land for agriculture and deforestation, but also by industrialization, urbanization and a growing number of alien invasive species.

Argentina is also the 9th most biocapable country in the world. As of 2013 it had a protected area network consisting of 299 continental areas (6.3% of total mainland area), 21 Ramsar sites and 11 biosphere reserves, partially sampling most of its 24 terrestrial ecoregions.

Argentina has exceptional climate diversity, ranging from subtropical in the north to subpolar in southern Patagonia. Climate patterns match roughly the geographic regional division.

Climate in the Northwest is varied, with rainfall diminishing north to south and east to west. The high Andean Puna to the west, is dry and with great temperature fluctuation but cold overall, frequently falling below freezing point at night. The Yungas to the east are subtropical montane forests, generally hot and humid.

Mesopotamia is hot and very humid overall, with subtropical climate in the north, gradually becoming temperate and semi-humid to the south.

Gran Chaco’s climate is hot subtropical, with humid summers and mild, drier winters. Rains are heavy and seasonal, and the region is subject to periodic droughts.

Cuyo is generally mild, although mountainous areas have alpine climate with temperatures below freezing most of the year.

The Pampas are temperate, with hot, stormy summers and cool winters. Humidity is higher in the east.

Patagonia is very windy, with mild summers and cold to very cold winters. Heavy snowfall and frost occurs specially in the western mountainous areas. Rainfall diminishes dramatically from west to east.