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Gran Chaco
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The Gran Chaco (Quechua chaqu, "hunting land"), is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region, of the Río de la Plata basin, divided between eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. This land is sometimes called the Chaco Plain.
he Gran Chaco is about in size, though estimates differ.
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Encyclopedia
The Gran Chaco (Quechua chaqu, "hunting land"), is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region, of the Río de la Plata basin, divided between eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. This land is sometimes called the Chaco Plain.
Geography
The Gran Chaco is about in size, though estimates differ. It is located west of the Paraguay River and east of the Andes, mostly an aluvial sedimentary plain shared between Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. It stretches from about 17° to 33° South latitude and between 65° and 60° West longitude, though estimates differ in this case too. Closer to the mountains in the west, the Alto Chaco, or Dry Chaco, is very dry and sparsely vegetated, continuing eastward to the Chaco Boreal where less arid conditions combined with favorable soil characteristics permit a higher growth thorntree seasonably dry forest and further east again where still higher rainfall, but combined with improperly drained lowland soils lead to the Bajo Chaco, or Humid Chaco, a more open savanna vegetation, consisting of palm trees, quebracho trees and tropical high grass fractions with a wealth of insects. The landscape is mostly flat and slopes at a 0.004 degree gradient to the east. This area is also one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the Parana-Paraguay Plain division.
The areas more hospitable to development are along the Paraguay, Bermejo and Pilcomayo Rivers. It is a great source of timber and tannin, which is derived from the native quebracho tree. Special tannin factories have been constructed there. The wood of the palo santo from the Central Chaco, is the source of oil of guaiac (a fragrance for soap). Paraguay also cultivated mate in the lower part of Chaco.
The Chaco offers high soil fertility and a topography that is favorable for agricultural development, but in combination with aspects that are challenging for farming: A semi-arid to semi-humid climate (600-1300mm anual rainfall) with a 6 month dry season and sufficient sweet ground water available only in roughly one third of the region.
The sandy alluvial soils of the Chaco have very high levels of phosphorus and other nutrients, an aspect that may gain more attention at a time when the price of phosphate and phosphate based fertilisers have multiplied as in 2008 and even the term "peak phosphorus" coined.
History
Gran Chaco was a disputed territory since 1810. Officially, it was supposed to be part of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, although a bigger land portion west of the Paraguay River had corresponded to Paraguay since its independence. Argentina claimed territories south of the Bermejo River until Paraguay's defeat in the War of the Triple Alliance in 1871 established its current border with Argentina. Over the next few decades, Bolivia began to push the natives out and settle in the Gran Chaco while Paraguay ignored it. It was the scene of The Gran Chaco War (1932-1935) (though violence started as early as December 5, 1928) between Paraguay and Bolivia over supposed oil in Chaco Boreal (a region north of the Pilcomayo River and to the west of the Paraguay River). Bolivia sought the Paraguay River for shipping oil out into the sea (it had become a land-locked country after the loss of its Pacific coast in the War of the Pacific) and Paraguay claimed ownership of the land. Eventually, Argentine Foreign Minister Carlos Saavedra Lamas mediated a treaty signed in 1938, which gave Paraguay three quarters of Chaco Boreal and gave Bolivia a corridor to the Paraguay River with the ability to use the Puerte Cosado and the right to construct their own port. In the end, oil was not found there.
Mennonites came into the Paraguayan part of the region from Canada in the 1920s; more came from the USSR in the 1930s and immediately following World War II. These immigrants created some of the largest and most prosperous municipalities in the deep Gran Chaco.
The region is home to around ten million people, divided about evenly between Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. The area remains relatively underdeveloped, however; to help address this, in the 1960s the Paraguayan authorities had the Trans-Chaco Highway built and the Argentine National Highway Directorate, Route 16 and Route 81. All three highways extend about 700 km (450 mi) from east to west and are now completely paved, as are a network of nine Brazilian highways in Mato Grosso do Sul State.
Flora and fauna
The Gran Chaco has some of the highest temperatures on the continent
The ecosystems of the Gran Chaco are unique, and were little understood by scientists until recent years. These ecosystems are slowly being destroyed by civilization with the introduction of cattle, burning of vegetation and irresponsible agricultural decisions. Many groups are trying to protect this unique set of ecosystems.
The Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri), which was discovered in the 1970’s, is a large mammal endemic to Chaco. Chaco is a center of Armadillo diversity, with at least eight species in the Argentine Chaco and ten species in the Paraguayan Chaco. The Guanaco was present in large numbers prehistorically, but now occurs in diminished numbers.
In September 1995, the Kaa Iya del Gran Chaco National Park was established in an area of Chaco in Bolivia. It is administered and was established solely by the indigenous peoples which include the Izoceño Guaraní, the Ayoreode, and the Chiquitano.
Chaco and fuel crops
Chaco is one of South America’s last agricultural frontiers. Very sparsely populated and lacking sufficient all weather roads and basic infrastructure (the Argentinian part is more developed then the Paraguayan or Bolivian part), it has long been too remote for crop planting. The central Chaco’s Mennonite Colonies are a notable exception.
Two aspects may substantially change Chaco in the near future. Low land valuations
and the region's suitability to grow fuel crops.
Suitability for the cultivation of Jatropha has been proven
,
Sweet sorghum as ethanol plant may prove viable, too, since sorghum for domestic and feedstock use is a traditional local crop.
Switchgrass / Pasto Varilla’s feasibility is currently studied by Argentina’s INTA , so is the Karanda’y palmtree in the Paraguay Chaco
.
While the advance of agriculture will bring some improvements on infrastructure and employment for this traditionally rather neglected and impoverished region, loss of habitat / virgin forest could be substantial.
Administrative divisions in the Gran Chaco
The following Argentine provinces, Bolivian and Paraguayan departments and Brazilian states lie in the Gran Chaco area entirely, or in part:
- Chaco Province, Argentina
- Formosa Province, Argentina
- Salta Province, Argentina
- Santa Fe Province, Argentina
- Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina
- Tucumán Province, Argentina
- Beni Department, Bolivia
- Chuquisaca Department, Bolivia
- Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia
- Tarija Department, Bolivia
- Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil
- Alto Paraguay Department, Paraguay
- Boquerón Department, Paraguay
- Presidente Hayes Department, Paraguay
Indigenous peoples of the Gran Chaco
See also
External links
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- - focuses mainly on agriculture.
- - some people claim this was the spark that ignited the war
- of the Paraguay Chaco
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