9781422286371

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Land of Contrasts

Salta, San Miguel de Tucumán, San Juan, and Mendoza. These large towns were settled from Peru and Upper Peru (Bolivia) in the second half of the 16th century. In the 19th century, railroads linked them to the east coast, carrying their wine, sugar, fruit, corn, and livestock. The mines of the Monte yield lead, zinc, tin, copper, and salt. Oil is drawn from the ground here, too. Occupying the southern part of Argentina is Patagonia, a gigantic, bleak, and windswept plateau. Several large rivers flow in deep valleys eastward across Patagonia to the sea. Its cool grazing grounds support enormous flocks of sheep. Patagonia also holds significant reserves of oil and coal. But the poor soils of Patagonia and its cool and dry climate do not favor agricul- ture without irrigation. Patagonia is sparsely populated and largely unde- veloped, with a few small river-mouth ports on the Atlantic coast such as Viedma, Rawson, Puerto Deseado, and Río Gallegos. Ushuaia, in the Tierra The western part of Argentina lies within the Andes, the great mountain system of the South American continent. For long stretches, the continental divide marks the Argentine-Chilean frontier. The mountains of the Patagonian Andes, which form a natural boundary between Argentina and Chile, are comparatively low, seldom exceeding about 12,000 feet (3,660 meters) in elevation. But from the northern end of this range to the Bolivian frontier, the main Andean cordillera begins. The peaks here rise above 21,000 feet (6,405 meters) in some places. Aconcagua at 22,834 feet (6,960 meters) is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, and the tallest mountain in the del Fuego region, is the southernmost town in the world. Soaring Mountains, Deep Rivers, and Lakes