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Geography of Argentina

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Argentina is the second largest country in South America, next to Brazil, in both population and size. It is nearly 3,700 kilometers long from North to South and 1,400 kilometers from East to West. The country is a plain, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east and south to the Chilean border and the soaring Andes peaks in the west. The Cerro Aconcagua is the continent’s highest mountain at 22,834 feet, and it is the highest peak on earth residing outside of the country of Asia. The country of Argentina is also bordered by Brazil and Uruguay on the east and Paraguay and Bolivia on the north.

The topography of the northern area is the swampy and moderately wooded Gran Chaco, bordering on Paraguay and Bolivia. While in the South, the topography consists of gently sloping, lush Pampas, which are abounding in agriculture and cattle- and sheep-grazing, and provide the center of Argentina’s agricultural wealth. In the south is the untamed area of Patagonia, a region of cool, barren plains with several wooded and lush portions extends down to Tierra del Fuego.

The plains in Argentina comprise a great variety. To the West and South of Buenos Aires, these plains make up one of the most fertile plains in the world. The western area of La Pampa province and the San Luis province contain much more arid plains. The plains to the north are known as Gran Chaco, and provide a primary source of tannin and timber.

There are many rivers in Argentina, with the primary being the Colorado, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the largest river, the Parana. The Parana and Uruguay flow together before joining the Atlantic Ocean. The land between these two rivers is known as Mesopotamia.

The country also lays claim to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. In addition, Argentina lays claim to nearly 1,000,000 square kilometers of Antarctica, and is known as Argentine Antarctica, where it has sustained steady possession for more than a century. In regards to its total area, Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world

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