AGRICULTURAL SURVEY OF SOUTH AMERICA 11 
and in a strip 100 miles or more wide west of the Parana, an abundant 
supply of subsoil water is found near the surface. 
NATURAL REGIONS 
There are four characteristic regions of considerable extent and 
importance in Argentina. 
THE PAMPA 
The Pampa of Argentina is a region similar to portions of the Great 
Plains country west of the Mississippi, especially portions of Texas, 
Oklahoma, and Kansas. It includes all of the Province of Buenos 
Aires and the Territory of La Pampa, and portions of Santa Fe, 
Cordoba, San Luis, Mendoza and Neuquen. It is an immense 
region and is so nearly flat that only rarely can any sign of an eleva- 
tion or depression in the surface be detected, and so smooth that for 
hundreds of miles there is no break in the surface by gully, creek, 
brook, or river. The surface is covered with native grasses and weeds, 
alfalfa pastures, or grainnelds. The atmosphere is usually clear. 
The Pampa extends from the eastern coast westward to the Andes, 
a distance of 600 miles, and from the Rio Negro northward to the 
mountains of Cordoba and the timber line in northern Santa Fe, a 
distance of approximately 500 miles. The only trees seen in this region 
are a few native trees along the Parana River, calden woods in the 
western part of the Territory of La Pampa, native trees near the 
mountains of Cordoba, and groves of trees that have been planted 
about the farm and ranch houses and buildings. The western 
portion of the Pampa is semiarid, but the eastern half has ample 
rainfall and constitutes the great pastoral and cereal belt of Argentina, 
in which approximately 80 per cent of the crops and livestock of the 
Republic are produced. It is the most important region in Argentina 
and is dotted with cities and towns and covered with a network of 
railways. 
MEDITERRANEAN 
This region is almost entirely surrounded by rivers — La Plata on 
the south, the Parana on the west, the LTuguay on the east, and the 
Upper Parana on the north. It comprises the Provinces of Entre 
Rios and Corrientes and the Territory of Misiones. It is different 
from the flat Pampa and Chaco country, from which it is separated 
by the Parana River, in that it has an undulating, rolling surface with 
many small streams, often with a narrow belt of trees on both sides, 
and in general appearance it is like portions of Texas and Oklahoma. 
It has more rain than the Pampa and generally the soils are less fertile. 
The southern hah has a climate similar to that of the Pampa, but the 
northern portion is subtropical like the Chaco. It produces about 
10 per cent of the grain and flaxseed of the Republic, but the prin- 
cipal industry is livestock raising. Considerable quantities of 
tobacco, peanuts, and citrus fruits are grown, especially in the 
north, and in the east-central portion near Concordia is a flourishing 
fruit industry, especially grapes and citrus fruits. Cotton is beginning 
to be grown in the north. This region is not so well populated or so 
well provided with railways as the Pampa and there is great room for 
agricultural development/ 
