Argentina vs. Bolivia
Geography
| Argentina | Bolivia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay | Central South America, southwest of Brazil |
| Geographic coordinates | 34 00 S, 64 00 W | 17 00 S, 65 00 W |
| Map references | South America | South America |
| Area | total: 2,780,400 sq km land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 43,710 sq km | total: 1,098,581 sq km land: 1,083,301 sq km water: 15,280 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US | slightly less than three times the size of Montana |
| Land boundaries | total: 11,968 km border countries (5): Bolivia 942 km, Brazil 1263 km, Chile 6691 km, Paraguay 2531 km, Uruguay 541 km | total: 7,252 km border countries (5): Argentina 942 km, Brazil 3403 km, Chile 942 km, Paraguay 753 km, Peru 1212 km |
| Coastline | 4,989 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest | varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid |
| Terrain | rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border | rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Cerro Aconcagua (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza; highest point in South America) 6,962 m lowest point: Laguna del Carbon (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz) -105 m mean elevation: 595 m | highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m mean elevation: 1,192 m |
| Natural resources | fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium, arable land | tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 53.9% (2018 est.) arable land: 13.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 39.6% (2018 est.) forest: 10.7% (2018 est.) other: 35.4% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 34.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 3.6% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 30.5% (2018 est.) forest: 52.5% (2018 est.) other: 13.2% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 23,600 sq km (2012) | 3,000 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding in some areas volcanism: volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (2,997 m) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchon-Peteroa, San Jose, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma | flooding in the northeast (March to April) volcanism: volcanic activity in Andes Mountains on the border with Chile; historically active volcanoes in this region are Irruputuncu (5,163 m), which last erupted in 1995, and the Olca-Paruma volcanic complex (5,762 m to 5,167 m) |
| Environment - current issues | environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation (erosion, salinization), desertification, air pollution, and water pollution | the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography - note | note 1: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere; shares Iguazu Falls, the world's largest waterfalls system, with Brazil note 2: southeast Bolivia and northwest Argentina seem to be the original development site for peanuts | note 1: landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru note 2: the southern regions of Peru and the extreme northwestern part of Bolivia are considered to be the place of origin for the common potato, while southeast Bolivia and northwest Argentina seem to be the original development site for peanuts |
| Total renewable water resources | 876.24 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 574 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | one-third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated | a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population; a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes |
Source: CIA Factbook
