Argentina shares with Chile the most southerly point on earth, controlling the Drake Passage which links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
In size, it is the seventh largest country in the world, and the second largest in South America. This vast extent is responsible for one of its most typical characteristic: the tremendous variety and contrast that can be found between one region and another, in terms of climate, scenery and people. There is no exaggeration in the official slogan which calls it “The land of the six continents”. From the dense jungles of the north to the semi-arid steppe of windswept Patagonia or the eternal ice of Antarctica, in the south; from the powerful majesty of the Andean cordillera in the west to the fertile basin of the River Plate and the Atlantic coastline in the east.
The hottest climates are to be found in the subtropical north western and north eastern provinces, characterised by dry and wet seasons; Mediterranean climate in the dry season near the Paraná. The harshest climate in terms of temperature is to be found in the Andean region and in Patagonia, except, of course, for the never-ending polar winter of Antarctica. But in general, its position on the South American continent means that the whole country belongs to a climatic zone that can be described as temperature, or moderate. This is particularly notable in the centre of the country, a vast temperature belt where there is a clear differentiation between the four seasons. Because of its location, the part north of the River Plate is influenced by the winds from the Atlantic, while the southern sector receives the influence of winds from the Pacific, even though the great natural barrier of the Andes has a modifying effect here.
Argentina is bounded to the north by Bolivia and Paraguay, and with this latter country it also shares the strategic north eastern frontier, which follows the rivers Pilcomayo, Paraguay and Paraná. To the east, its borders are with Brazil and Uruguay, before the immensity of the Atlantic Ocean is reached. To the west, the Andes form a natural frontier with Chile.
The relief of Argentina is comparable to that of Africa and Australia, but with the difference that it does not have the deserts that characterize both Africa and Australia. On the contrary, and thanks to the benign influence of the easterly winds, the extraordinary Chaco-Pampas plain has been able to develop with its climate that ranges from subtropical to temperate.
This plain, which is bounded to the east by the basin of the River Plate, is comparable in fertility to the Mississippi plains in North America.
The mountains in the country are relatively young; that they all lie in the western part of the country is explained by the fact that since the Palaeozoic period acrogenic forces have always come from the Pacific, and the uplifting of the Andes had repercussions on the whole of the country, since it completely rejuvenated its soil.
Because of its very special geographical features, Argentina is a country of plains, mountains –the highest peak in the southern hemisphere, Aconcagua (6.959 m) is to be found in the country-, lakes, valleys, beaches, eternal ice, contrast.
