ARGENTINA: THE CAPITAL, INDIVIDUAL PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES
THE CAPITAL
=Buenos Aires=, the metropolis of South America, the largest city
on that continent, and fourth in all America, has also a wide
reputation as the second Latin city in the world. Its population is
well towards 2,000,000, its area is more than double that of Paris.
All its splendors may not here be rehearsed. The attractions of its
74 beautiful parks and plazas, its fine avenues, its magnificent
Capitol and other public buildings, its beautiful opera house, almost
the finest in the world, the many artistic and sumptuous residences,
the excellent hotels, with many other admirable features make it a
city delightsome to tourist and resident. The city is spoken of as a
very expensive place to live, but in ordinary times, some things were
cheaper than in New York while others were much dearer. Rents were
high, the prices of fruit and vegetables, etc. In general, in other
places in Argentina prices were higher for poor accommodations than
in Europe before the War for far better. As a business centre, Buenos
Aires naturally is of prime importance for the southern part of the
continent. From here it is easy to visit Uruguay, Paraguay, and since
the opening of the Trans-Continental, Chile also; while in every
direction railways radiate to the chief cities of Argentina, even to
those that are accessible by boat.
PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES
We may perhaps get the geography of the Republic most accurately if we
begin near the countries with which we are familiar at the northwest,
and come from the outskirts to the commercial and political centre of
the Republic.
=Jujuy= in the northwest corner naturally has on the north Bolivia,
which comes down a little on the west, where it is followed by a bit
of Chile, then by the Argentine Territory of Los Andes. The last is
also on the south with a longer stretch of the Province of Salta,
which extends along the entire east border as well. Here in Jujuy we
are again among the mountains, for three ranges come from Bolivia,
passing on through Salta at the south. The _puna_ at the northwest
is nearly 12,000 feet high; on this arid plateau are two salt lakes.
The mountains reach an altitude of 15,000-20,000 feet. There are low
valleys too, where there is mixed farming, not many cattle. Above are
the wild vicuñas, guanacos, and chinchillas, as in Bolivia, and various
minerals including gold, silver, petroleum, etc., not much worked.
Sugar refining and wine making are important.
The capital, Jujuy, is in a rich and picturesque valley as low as 3675
feet, from which the railway climbs rapidly to La Quiaca, on the border
of Bolivia.
=Salta= extends along the southern border of Bolivia from Jujuy to
Formosa and Gran Chaco on the east; on the south are Santiago, Tucumán,
and Catamarca; on the west Los Andes with Jujuy. The north and west
sections are mountainous and cold, with high table-lands and fertile
valleys; in the east the terrain comes down to the tropical country,
where in places there are forests though some sections are hot and dry.
Temperate and tropical products are found here; in the mountains are
many varieties of minerals. Cattle are raised, some being driven over
the mountains into Chile; hence the proposed railway to Antofagasta.
Salta, the capital, with an agreeable climate, is a considerable town,
important as a railway centre and with trade of various kinds.
=Los Andes=, a Territory at the west, is a bleak mountain region,
once belonging to Chile, and a part of the Puna de Atacama. It is but
slightly explored, dry and sandy, with salt marshes; it appears to be
rich in minerals.
San Antonio, the capital, is a place of small importance not on a
railway.
=Formosa= and Gran Chaco, Territories east of Salta, are precisely
opposite to Los Andes in character. Formosa has Bolivia on the
northwest; on the long northeast boundary the Pilcomayo River separates
it from Paraguay, which is also at the southeast, there separated by
the Paraguay River. On the southwest the Bermejo divides it from the
Chaco, while Salta is west.
The =Chaco= of similar shape has at the southeast a bit of the
Paraguay River and country, and below a little of Corrientes across
the Paraná. Santa Fé and Santiago del Estero are on the south, the
latter with Salta west. These two Territories are truly semi-tropical,
flat or undulating, sloping to the southeast, partly covered with
dense forests, not thoroughly explored; partly with open plains, lakes
and marshes, many rivers, much very fertile land suited to tropical
products, some of which are grown, and excellent pasturage where herds
of cattle are bred, horses, sheep, and goats. The quebracho industry
for tannin, and the production of sugar are important, with some cotton
plantations and castor oil factories.
Formosa, capital of that Territory, is important as a port, shipping a
variety of products down the river, and as the terminus of a railway to
go to Embarcación, opening up this rich Territory.
Resistencia, capital of the Chaco, on the Paraná River, is of equal and
growing importance. It has railway connection with Santa Fé.
=Misiones=, at the extreme northeast of Argentina, is a Territory of
some similarity to the two just mentioned, but with greater attractions
and merit. Long and narrow, it extends up between Paraguay and Brazil,
separated from the former country by the Paraná River on the west,
from the latter by the Iguassú on the north and by the Uruguay on the
southeast, Brazil enclosing it on the north, east, and south. Misiones
joins the rest of Argentina only by a small strip along the Province
Corrientes on the southwest. Misiones is a subtropical garden largely
covered with beautiful forests where the picking of _mate_ leaves is a
leading industry; there is some timber extraction, and saw mills. It is
an undulating plain with ranges of low mountains and hills. There are
various minerals, and in open spaces some cattle.
Posadas, the capital, is a pleasant town, important as a railway and
steamboat junction.
=Catamarca=, a Province again at the west, we find bordering on Chile,
south of Los Andes and Salta, with Tucumán and Santiago east, and
Córdoba and La Rioja south. The Province is largely mountainous, one
peak in the eastern range, Aconquija, being over 15,000 feet. Some
short torrential streams, formerly disappearing in salt marshes, are
now utilized for irrigation. Cereals and other agricultural products,
also cattle are raised. The Province is rich in minerals, with workings
in gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and salt.
Catamarca, the capital, on the Catamarca River, is of some importance
as the centre of a rich agricultural district.
=Tucumán=, east of Catamarca, south of Salta, with Santiago east and
south, is the smallest of the Provinces, but more varied in character
than most. It has snow-capped mountains, and well watered valleys and
plains, some quite tropical; with agriculture, or with dense forests
of quebracho, oak, pine, etc. There is activity in sugar refining and
tanning, with steam saw mills, and with cereals and fruit.
Tucumán, the capital, is a large city, especially important, as the
center of the sugar industry, and with many varied interests.
=Santiago del Estero=, more than seven times the size of Tucumán, is
south of Salta and the Chaco, with Chaco and Santa Fé east, Córdoba
south, and Catamarca and Tucumán west. Mostly in the lowlands, it is in
places covered with forest; in other parts is a salt, clayey, partial
desert which is now being crossed by railways. Here woodmen cut out
quebracho trees, though in this section it does not rain for 11 months
in the year, nor can wells, they say, be dug to get water unless they
are over 3000 feet deep, as water obtained higher is salt. The summer
temperature by day runs nearly to 120° F., while in winter it falls to
50°, with cool nights always. Water difficulties are obviously great,
worse than formerly at Iquique. To cross these partly forested deserts
by rail is a 40-hour journey. Between the two rivers, the Salado and
Dulce, both used for irrigation, the soil is fertile, producing sugar
cane, vines, wheat, alfalfa, for which the soil is favorable, coffee,
and tobacco. Some quarrying of marble and gypsum goes on; but timber is
the main industry.
The capital is a small town of the same name on the Rio Dulce.
=La Rioja= is a long, irregularly shaped Province south of Catamarca,
with that and Córdoba east, San Luis and San Juan south, the latter
running nearly all the way up on the west, leaving a small space of
Rioja bordering on Chile. Among high mountains at the west are fertile
irrigated valleys with varied agriculture; there are forests with
quebracho, _carob_, and acacia; but much of the eastern part is low,
sandy, and barren. Great mineral wealth of many varieties exists, but
silver and copper are chiefly exploited.
La Rioja, the capital, is the centre of a rich fruit growing district,
with some mining.
=San Juan=, with an extended border on Chile, has Rioja north and
east, San Luis and Mendoza on the south, on the west are lofty
mountains and well watered valleys; in the east barren sand hills and
marshes. Wine making is the most important industry; varied minerals
give promise for the future. The Province has been called rather slow,
but it is now said to be waking up; irrigation is beginning and other
improvements will follow.
=Córdoba=, an important Province, much larger, is the fourth in
population and the second in wheat production. It has Santiago north,
Santa Fé east, Buenos Aires and La Pampa south, and San Luis, La Rioja,
and Catamarca west. Although mostly rather flat, there are mountains
in the northwest of an altitude of 8000-9000 feet among which are deep
broad valleys. The country is chiefly agricultural and pastoral.
Córdoba, the old capital, founded in 1573, in a charming location
among the hills, preserves some rather mediaeval characteristics, its
university dating from 1613. A wonderful reservoir is near, the Dique
San Roque, called one of the largest semi-natural reservoirs in the
world. A wall of masonry was built across a gorge among the mountains
forming a lake which holds 825,000,000 cubic feet of water. Fifteen
miles lower is a basin from which lead two primary canals carrying
water for irrigation, which extends over 300,000 acres.
=Mendoza=, the third largest Province and the most southern of the
Andean, with a long border on Chile, is just below San Juan; has San
Luis on the east, and on the south the Territories of La Pampa Central
and Neuquen. The surface is much diversified, containing the highest
peaks of the Andes including Aconcagua at the west, and eight passes
across the Andes, among them, the famous Uspallata, at the summit of
which is the celebrated statue, the Christ of the Andes, at a height of
12,796 feet above the sea. More than 2000 feet below, the Trans-Andine
tunnel pierces the range. The Province has many rivers from which there
is extensive irrigation; for the climate and the soil are dry, though
the latter is fertile when irrigated. It is a great section for grapes.
Mendoza, the capital, is headquarters for the wine industry. Grapes are
brought thither from the regions north and south. Raisins and alcohol
are also produced. Excellent livestock, cattle, horses, mules, donkeys,
sheep, goats, and pigs are raised; in the San Rafael section, Durhams
and Herefords, many of which are sent over to Chile.
=San Luis=, east both of Mendoza and San Juan, lies south of La Rioja
and Córdoba, has the latter and La Pampa east, and La Pampa south.
The Province has mountains of the Córdoba system, some rising to a
height of 7000 feet, with fertile well watered valleys; at the west are
swamps, while the south is flat and arid. There are a number of rivers
and much attention is paid to agriculture, to cattle raising, and horse
breeding. The minerals, of great variety, are hardly noticed.
=Santa Fé=, the last of the Provinces west of the Paraná River, extends
along its right bank from the Chaco on the north a distance of nearly
500 miles to the Province of Buenos Aires on the south, with Corrientes
and Entre Rios on the other side of the river, and Córdoba and Santiago
on the west. This State, second in population to Buenos Aires, though
fifth in area, is a great plain with slight elevations, having dense
forests at the north, at the south the fertile prairie, and along
the great river many islands, covered with luxuriant vegetation. It
is an agricultural, cattle raising country, with mills and factories
also; and with extensive commerce in cereals, meat, hides, quebracho
extract, and timber, from the many fluvial ports. The chief of these,
Rosario, is the second largest city of the Republic with a population
of 317,000. The Province contains 3000 miles of railway.
=Corrientes=, east and south of the Paraná River, therefore south of
Paraguay, has Misiones at the northeast, Brazil east, across the
Uruguay River, Entre Rios south, and Santa Fé and the Gran Chaco west
across the Paraná. The Province has temperate uplands and warmer
lowlands, and is well watered by rivers and some lakes and marshes.
Corrientes is prominent as a cattle-raising State and has also large
flocks of sheep.
The capital, Corrientes, is an important river-port visited during most
of the year by vessels drawing 12 or 13 feet. Goya, farther south, is
famed for its excellent cheese.
=Entre Rios=, south of Corrientes, has Uruguay east beyond the Uruguay
River, Buenos Aires south across the Paraná, and Santa Fé beyond the
same river on the west. It is in general a fertile, well-watered
plain, with a forest region at the northwest running over into
Corrientes, containing much valuable timber. It is a stock-raising and
an agricultural region, largely devoted to cereals, with grain of the
finest quality. It has also many industrial establishments.
Paraná, the capital, is a growing centre with some fine buildings,
electric lights, and other facilities. Concordia, on the Uruguay River,
is an important commercial town.
=Buenos Aires=, the last, largest, and most important of the Provinces,
with the greatest population, is the only one with an ocean front.
Buenos Aires has on the north Córdoba and Santa Fé; northeast, on the
other side of the Paraná and La Plata, Entre Rios and Uruguay; the
Atlantic is on the east and south with a bit of Rio Negro, which with
La Pampa is on the west, with a little also of Córdoba. The land is
flat, but with two ranges of hills; the highest in one range is 1200,
in the other about 3000 feet. Several useful, some navigable rivers
flow towards the ocean. The country is agricultural and pastoral,
especially devoted to cattle and wheat, but in the numerous towns,
industries and manufactories are developing. Many great railway systems
converge at the Federal Capital. There are good roads near most of the
towns, which is not the case in the other Provinces, and good auto
roads lead from Buenos Aires to Tigre and to La Plata.
South of the Provinces, at least below Buenos Aires, is what was once
called Patagonia, now divided into Territories.
=La Pampa Central=, a Territory which extends farther north, is already
from its population entitled to be a Province. Lying south of Mendoza,
San Luis, and Córdoba, it has Buenos Aires on the east, Rio Negro
Territory south, with the Colorado River as the dividing line; and
west, Neuquen and Mendoza. The Territory is undulating, with hills,
valleys, prairie, and lakes; the soil is generally fertile, yielding
fine crops; wheat, corn, barley, linseed, alfalfa, vines, fruits. Large
herds of cattle roam over the pastures but are usually sent out for
fattening.
=Neuquen=, south of Mendoza, borders on Chile, has Rio Negro south, and
also with La Pampa, east. The north and east parts are arid, but the
west mountain section has fine fertile valleys and forests, with many
rivers and lakes. A railway now making this section accessible, it will
be more attractive to settlers.
=Rio Negro=, first of the divisions of Argentina to stretch across the
country, has Neuquen and La Pampa on the north, Buenos Aires and the
Atlantic east, Chubut south, and Chile and Neuquen west. The section
between the Negro and Colorado Rivers is fertile, also patches near
other streams; wherever irrigated, good crops of wheat, corn, oats,
and alfalfa are certain. Fruits and vines do well in the Negro Valley.
Excellent timber is exported in beams and planks. There are some towns
and many agricultural colonies; trade goes on with Chile in cattle and
sheep. Several rivers are navigable and a railway has been constructed
from the port San Antonio to Lake Nahuel-Huapi.
=Chubut=, south of Rio Negro, also extends across from the Atlantic
to Chile, with Santa Cruz on the south. The central part has little
vegetation but in the west are fertile valleys, and good grazing for
cattle and sheep. There are millions of each, and many horses. Cereals
and alfalfa are also raised in the east, with temperate zone fruits
and berries. Near the oil fields of Comodoro Rivadavia is excellent
farming land under cultivation. In this section there is now great
activity on account of the petroleum development; some railways have
been constructed and one is expected soon to cross the country. There
is trade in wool and hides; gold, copper, and salt exist.
=Santa Cruz=, the largest division next to Buenos Aires, south of
Chubut, has the Atlantic on the east and Chile on the south and west.
The northwest is rather barren and rocky, with dense forests farther
south; but near the coast and south of the Santa Cruz River are fine
pastures supporting great flocks of sheep. There are many rivers and
lakes, several, like the Buenos Aires, on or near the Chilian boundary.
Wool, frozen mutton, and timber are exported.
=Tierra del Fuego= has the Atlantic Ocean on the north, east, and
south, with the Chilian part of the island on the west. This triangular
part of the island is mountainous, but has sheltered valleys, good
pasturage, and vast forests with excellent timber, to some extent
exploited. There are large flocks of sheep; the gold and copper
deposits are unworked except for washing the sands. The capital,
Ushuaiá, on the Beagle Channel, is a small penal colony.