Patagonia

Patagonia is the territory at the extreme South of South America, lying between the Rio Colorado and the Strait of Magellan. The region is shared by Argentina and Chile. The region is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and many bodies of water that connect them, such as the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle Channel, and the Drake Passage to the south. The northern limit of the region is not precisely defined, however, the Colorado and Barrancas rivers, which run from the Andes to the Atlantic, are commonly considered the northern limit of Argentine Patagonia. The archipelago of Tierra del Fuego is sometimes considered part of Patagonia. Most geographers and historians locate the northern limit of Chilean Patagonia at Huincul Fault, in Araucanía Region.

Chilian Patagonia is a narrow strip West of the Andes, with a broken coast-line, many rocky islands and peninsulas. Its climate is temperate but very rainy, and much of it is covered with dense forests which yield valuable timber. Coal is found at Punta Arenas on the Strait. The population consists chiefly of migratory Araucanian Indians and the Chilian settlers at Punta Arenas.

Eastern or Argentine Patagonia is an extensive stretch of undulating plateaux intersected by ravines, swept by cold West winds, and rainless for eight months of the year. The base of the Andes is fertile and forest-clad, the river valleys can be cultivated, but most of the plains are covered with coarse grass or sparse scrub, and there are some utterly desolate regions. Lagoons abound, and there are many rivers running eastward from the Andes. Herds of horses and cattle are bred on the pampas. The Indians of this region are among the tallest races of the world. There are thousands of settlers at Patagones on the Rio Negro, and an area on the Chubut that was formerly a Welsh colony.

Nearby pages
Patal Ganga, Pataliputra Lok Sabha Constituency, Patan District, Patan Lok Sabha Constituency, Patan Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Chhattisgarh