Pampa

Pampa ( Pampas ) ( Spanish: Pampa , plural Pampas ) is a steppe in the southeast of South America , mainly in the subtropical zone, near the mouth of the Rio Plata . In the west, the pampa is bounded by the Andes , in the east by the Atlantic Ocean . To the north lies the savannah of Gran Chaco .

Pampa forms two ecoregions - a wet pampa in the west and a in the east, which is characterized by less fertile soils and an arid climate.

Content

1 Flora and fauna
2 Climate
3 Geography
4 population
5 See also

Flora and Fauna

Pampa is a grassy cereal vegetation on fertile reddish-black soils that form on volcanic rocks. It consists of South American species of those cereal genera that are widely distributed in Europe in the steppes of the temperate zone ( feather grass , bearded , fescue ). With the forests of the Brazilian Highlands, the pampa is associated with a transitional type of vegetation, close to the forest-steppe, where the herbs are combined with thickets of evergreen shrubs. The vegetation of the pampa underwent the most severe extermination and is now almost completely replaced by crops of wheat and other cultivated plants. When the grass cover dies, fertile gray-brown soils are formed. On the open steppe expanses, fast-running animals predominate - pampas deer , pampas cat , and birds - ostrich nandu . A lot of rodents ( nutria , viskasha ), as well as armadillos .

Climate

Pampa becomes more arid as it moves away from the Atlantic Ocean. The climate of the pump is subtropical. In the east, temperature differences between summer and winter are less significant, in the west, the climate is more continental.

Geography

The states whose territory is affected by the pampa are Argentina , Uruguay and Brazil . Pampa is the main agricultural region of Argentina and is mainly used for cattle breeding .

Population

Aerial view of the pump

In the 17th century, a special type of local population was formed in the pampa: shepherd- gaucho (descendants from mixed marriages between Europeans and Indians, with a significant predominance of Indian blood). These were primitive shepherds who grazed half-wild cattle and spent their entire lives on horseback. Permanently living in nature, gaucho are distinguished by incredible strength and endurance, they also have pride, bordering on arrogance.

Nowadays, the pampa is quite densely populated: almost ¾ of the population of Argentina is concentrated here. The largest cities located in the pampa are Rosario , La Plata , Santa Fe .