Southern Cone - Geography and Extent

Geography and Extent

The climates are mostly temperate, but include humid subtropical, Mediterranean, highland tropical, maritime temperate, sub-Antarctic temperate, highland cold, desert and semi-arid temperate regions. Except for northern regions of Argentina (thermal equator in January), the whole country of Paraguay, the Argentina-Brazil border and the interior of the Atacama desert, the region rarely suffers from heat. In addition to that, the winter presents mostly cool temperatures. Strong and constant wind and high humidity is what brings low temperatures in the winter. The Atacama is the driest place on Earth.

One of the most peculiar plants of the region is the Araucaria tree which can be found in southern Brazil, Chile and Argentina. The only native group of conifers found in the southern hemisphere had its origin in the Southern Cone. Araucaria angustifolia, once widespread in Southern Brazil, is now a critically endangered species, protected by law. The steppe region, situated in central Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil is known as the Pampas.

Central Chile has Mediterranean vegetation and climate grading southward into oceanic climate. The Atacama, Patagonian and Monte deserts form a diagonal or arid lands separing the woodlands, croplands and pastures of La Plata basin from Central and Southern Chile. Apart from the desert diagonal the north-south running Andes form a mayor divide in the Southern Cone constituting for most of its part in the southern cone the political border of Chile. In the east the river systems of La Plata basin form natural barriers and sea-lanes between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.