Argentina is a country in southern South America. It ranks second in land area in South America, and eighth in the world.
Argentina occupies a continental surface area of 2,766,890 km² (1,078,000 sq mi) between the Andes mountain range in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east and south. It is bordered by Paraguay and Bolivia in the north, Brazil and Uruguay in the northeast, and Chile in the west and south. The country claims the British controlled territories of the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Under the name of Argentine Antarctica, it claims 969,464 km² (374,312 sq mi) of Antarctica, overlapping other claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom.
The country is formally called the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina, IPA [reËpuβlika aɾxenËtina]). For many legal purposes, Nación Argentina (Argentine Nation) is used.
Major rivers in Argentina include the Pilcomayo, Paraguay, Bermejo, Colorado, RÃo Negro, Salado, Uruguay and the largest river, the Paraná. The latter two flow together before meeting the Atlantic Ocean, forming the estuary of the RÃo de la Plata. Regionally important rivers are the Atuel and Mendoza in the homonymous province, the Chubut in Patagonia, the RÃo Grande in Jujuy, and the San Francisco River in Salta.
There are several large lakes in Argentina, many of them in Patagonia. Among these are lakes Argentino and Viedma in Santa Cruz, Nahuel Huapi in RÃo Negro and Fagnano in Tierra del Fuego, and Colhué Huapi and Musters in Chubut. Lake Buenos Aires and O'Higgins/San MartÃn Lake are shared with Chile. Mar Chiquita, Córdoba, is the largest salt water lake in the country. There are numerous reservoirs created by dams. Argentina features various hot springs, such as those at Termas de RÃo Hondo with temperatures between 30°C and 65°C.
RÃo Pilcomayo is a river in the central parts of South America, longest western tributary of the Paraguay River, and its watershed extends across 270,000 km².
The Picomayo rises in the foothills of the Andes cordillera, between the Bolivian departments of Potosà and Oruro, east of Lake Poopó. From there it flows in a southeasterly direction 2,000 km through Chuquisaca and Tarija departments, passes through the Argentine province of Formosa and the Gran Chaco plains of Paraguay before it joins the Paraguay River near Asunción.
The river basin is home to approximately 1.5 million people: one million in Bolivia, 300,000 in Argentina, and 200,000 in Paraguay.
The River Paraguay (RÃo Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese) is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil and Paraguay and running close to the border between Brazil and Bolivia as well as being the border between Paraguay and Argentina. It runs over a course of approximately 2,549 kilometers (1,584 miles) from its headwaters in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso to its confluence with the Parana River north of Corrientes. Due to the shape of the country, Paraguay is located on the west side of the river in the north of that country (Brazil on the east), while in the south Paraguay is located on the east side of the river (with Argentina in the west).
The Bermejo River is a river in South America that travels a total of 1450 km from Bolivia to the Paraguay River in Argentina. The river is generally called Bermejo in spite of its different names along its way, but it also has its own Native American names; in Toba it is called Teuco, and in Guaranà its called Ypitá.
The river is born in a mountain range known as Sierra de Santa Victoria around coordinates 22°00′14″S, 64°57′30″W near Tarija, a few kilometres southeast of Chaguaya in Bolivia, and not far from La Quiaca, Jujuy Province, Argentina. In general, it maintains a a southeastern direction. At its highest part, its main tributaries are the Lipeo River, and further downstream the Grande de Tarija, the Uriya River, and the San Francisco River.
After this important last contributor, the Bermejo becomes navigable for medium size vessels. Near the Tropic of Capricorn, the river splits in two; the smaller Bermejito, and the northern arm that known as Teuco River. When leaving the province of Salta, the Teuco (or Bermejo Nuevo) draws the limit between the provinces of Chaco and Formosa.
The southern branch (or Bermejito) of curvy and sometimes dry path, crosses Chaco near the El Impenetrable jungle. On the shores of this river can still be seen the ruins of the former towns of Concepcion del Bermejo, San Bernardo de Vértiz and La Cangayé.
The Teuco follows its course to finally and into the Paraguay River, in front of thecity of Pilar, in Paraguay.
Navigable during rainy season (February, July and November), it carries red-coloured sediments. producing irregular accumulations that can even alter the course of the river, leaving the older paths as wet depressions. In spite of the variability of its basin, given its depth, its considered a valuable still unexploited commercial route for boats, with failed attempts of canalization during the 19th century.
Note: the upper part of the Desaguadero River is sometimes also called the Bermejo.
The Colorado River (Spanish: RÃo Colorado) is a river in the south of Argentina. It has its sources on the eastern slopes of the Andes in the latitude of the Chilean volcano Tinguiririca (about 34° 48' S.), and pursues a general east-southeast course to the Atlantic Ocean, where it discharges through several channels of a delta of the Unión Bay extending from latitude 39° 30' to 39° 50' S. Its total length is about 1000 kilometres (620 miles), of which about 300 kilometres (200 miles), from the coast up to Pichi Mahuida, are navigable for vessels of up to 2 metres (7 ft.) draft.
The river has been usually described as being formed by the confluence of the Grande and Barrancas, but as the latter is only a small stream compared with the Grande it is better described as a tributary, and the Grande as a part of the main river under another name. After leaving the vicinity of the Andes, the Colorado flows through a barren, arid territory and receives no tributary of note except the Salado (or Curacó) from La Pampa Province, and is considered to be part of the ancient outlet of the now closed lacustrine basin of Urre Lauquen. The bottom lands of the Colorado in its course across Patagonia are fertile and wooded, but their area is too limited to support more than a small, scattered population.
The Colorado river marks most of the political limit between the provinces of Neuquén and Mendoza, and between Rio Negro and La Pampa. The artificial Embalse Casa de Piedra dam was constructed both as an hydroelectric central and as a water lever regulator for the arid region the river crosses.
Negro River (Spanish: RÃo Negro) is the most important river of the Argentine province of RÃo Negro.
It originates from the junction of the Limay River and Neuquén River at the border with the Neuquén Province, and flows southeast to the Atlantic Ocean, near El Cóndor beach resort some 30 kilometres downstream from Viedma, RÃo Negro province's capital.
The river allows the RÃo Negro province to produce 70% of the pears and apples of Argentina. Besides irrigation, the river is also source of hydroelectricity with small dams on its course.
The river served as natural demarcation between "civilisation" and the aboriginal territories during the Conquest of the Desert of late 19th century.
The Salado River (in Spanish RÃo Salado, literally "Salty River") is a river that crosses several provinces of Argentina, flowing 1,500 kilometres from its source in the Salta Province to end in the Paraná River, in the Santa Fe Province. Because its origin, its flow varies widely within the year, and it can dry out in some parts of its path during the winter. The only important tributary to the river is the Horcones River, which is born in Salta as Cajón River, and joins the Salado in the Santiago del Estero Province.
The Paraná River (RÃo Paraná in Spanish, Rio Paraná in Portuguese) is a river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina over a course of some 2,570 kilometers (1,600 miles). This length increases to 3,998 km (2,484 miles) if the distance is counted from the headwaters of the Paranaiba River in Brazil. It is considered second in size only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná comes from the Tupi language and means "like the sea" (that is, "as big as the sea").
2007-02-06 00:18:50
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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