South America is perhaps the most mysterious continent on the planet. How many mysteries this continent holds, and how many unexplored places there are on it. La Plata lowland is one of the least explored places in South America. This article is dedicated to her.
Where is La Plata Lowland?
In the center of South America from the Andes to the Brazilian Plateau from west to east, from Argentina to Brazil from south to north lies La Plata. Its length is about 2300 km, and its width is about 900 km. On average, the territory of La Plata lies at around 200 m above sea level.
In geography, this lowland is usually divided into three sections, depending on the relief and climate. So, the Gran Chaco is the western region of the La Plata lowland. There are hills here, closer to the Andes.
The climate is not very pleasant: hot and humid, subtropical. Solonchaks and dry riverbeds are characteristic. The eastern border of the Gran Chaco runs along the Paraguay River. Part of the La Plata lowland, located near the Brazilian plateau, is called the Pantanal. This is a vast swampy area (perhaps one of the largest swamps in the world), which arose due to the spillrivers of Paraguay. A UNESCO protected nature reserve has been created here. This is due to the distribution of unique representatives of fauna and flora in this territory: armadillo, anteater, anaconda, water lily, fern and others.
La Plata lowland in the southern part is called the Pampas/Pampas. From the east, the Pampa is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, from the west, it is limited by the Andes. This is a place with fertile lands, which are actively used by the countries of the La Plata lowland (primarily Argentina) for agricultural purposes.
Which countries are located on La Plata?
Countries that are located on the La Plata lowland are Uruguay and Paraguay. This area also includes the southeastern part of Bolivia, the southern territory of Brazil, and the north of Argentina. All of these states actively use the natural resources that the La Plata lowland gives them.
The lands of the Pampa, belonging to Uruguay and Argentina, are 90% used for agriculture: export livestock, rice, cane, corn, wheat. A small area of the Pampas and a significant part of the Gran Chaco is used by Paraguay to grow soybeans, cane, and cotton. La Plata also covers the territory of Brazil - this is a large part of the Pantanal - the National Park. Gran Chaco touches the Bolivian land, here is a province called Gran Chaco. This is the area where oil reserves were found a few years ago. In the south of the largest province in Bolivia, Santa Cruz, the Caa Iya del Gran Chaco National Park has been created.
Amazon lowlands
The largest lowland on the planet is also in South America. It borders the La Plata lowland in the south. If La Plata is the main territory of the Parana basin, then the Amazonian lowland is a vast zone of the Amazon basin - the largest river in South America, stretching from west to east from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean.
The countries of the Amazon basin and La Plata lowland are Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay. At the same time, two states (Bolivia and Brazil) occupy part of the Amazon and La Plata. The countries of the Amazon and the La Plata lowland cover almost the entire continent. Only five countries do not belong to the La Plata-Amazonia region: Chile, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Guyana. Thus, the two largest lowlands on Earth are spread over a large area of South America.
Amazon and La Plata protected areas
National park for the protection of the unique nature of the Amazon Basin of the world scale is located in Brazil. This is Jau Park. Here is a great variety of flora in several tiers: palm trees, mahogany, cocoa, legumes, ferns, ficuses, creepers and many other exceptional representatives of the tropics. The fauna is very diverse: monkeys, crocodiles, river dolphins, jaguars, toucans, macaws and others.
Chaco Park in Argentina is a National Park for protection from deforestationspecial trees - quebracho. This tree does not rot and is a valuable source of tannin. The climate of the park is arid, but rich in vegetation: quebrachos, shrubs, cacti. The fauna is not very diverse, mainly rodents. Manas, capybaras, tuko-tuko, mountain cats, caimans meet here.
