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The Humid Pampas ( es, Pampa Húmeda) is an extensive
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
of flat, fertile
grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...
of loessic origin in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. It has a
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
average of 900 mm per year, in contrast with the Dry Pampas to the west, which average less than 700 mm.


Setting

Like the
Pampas The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazi ...
in general, the region's terrain is predominantly hilly and of a temperate climate, though rich
mollisols Mollisol is a soil type which has deep, high organic matter, nutrient-enriched surface soil (a horizon), typically between 60 and 80 cm in depth. This fertile surface horizon, called a mollic epipedon, is the defining diagnostic feature of M ...
are more abundant here than to the west, where soils of loessic origin are more common. Except for a few bluffs near the Paraná and
Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...
rivers, as well as the Tandilia and Ventania mountain ranges to the south, the region's slope rarely exceeds 6 degrees. It covers Buenos Aires Province almost completely, the centre and south of
Santa Fe Province The Province of Santa Fe ( es, Provincia de Santa Fe, ) is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco (divided by the 28th parallel south), Corrientes, Entre RÃ ...
, most of Córdoba Province and the eastern third of La Pampa Province, totalling at least 600,000 km². The
Uruguayan savanna The Uruguayan savanna, also known as the Brazilian-Uruguayan savanna, is a subtropical grassland and savanna ecoregion which includes all of Uruguay and southernmost Brazil, along with portions of Argentina along the Uruguay River, In Brazil, th ...
, which lies east of the rivers in
Entre Ríos Province Entre Ríos (, "Between Rivers") is a central province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires (south), Corrientes (north) and Santa Fe (west), and Uruguay in the east. Its capital is Paraná ...
of Argentina,
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
and the south of
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, is sometimes considered part of the Humid Pampa. The Uruguayan savanna is not as flat as the named aforementioned areas. The flatlands are also interrupted by low hill's ranges like Tandilia in the southeast, namely at Sierra de los Padres, Balcarce, Olavarría,
Tandil Tandil is the main city of the homonymous partido (department), located in Argentina, in the southeast of Buenos Aires Province, just north-northwest of Tandilia hills. The city was founded in 1823 and its name originates from the ''Piedra Moved ...
and like the higher system of the Sierra de la Ventana to the south, near Bahía Blanca. Finally, there are also some dunes at the Atlantic coast, such as at the city of Banderaló.


Climate

The area is characterised by four distinct seasons. Winter brings chilly, occasionally frosty nights. Humid, temperate weather characterizes spring and fall. Summer days can be extremely hot. The natural vegetation comprises
meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artificia ...
of high
grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
with isolated forests (locally referred to as ''montes'') of algarrobos, talas and chanares, which used to be common in areas near the main rivers but have been mostly cut down during the 20th century. The great rhea lives in the pampas of Argentina and eats plants, lizards, insects, frogs, small birds and snakes.


Flora

The Humid Pampa is characterized by medium-height grassland, with both perennial and annual grasses with scattered herbs and shrubs. The grasslands are interspersed with areas of dry
woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...
as well as freshwater and saltwater wetlands and lagoons. The
ombú ''Phytolacca dioica'', commonly known as ombú, is a massive evergreen tree native to the Pampa of Argentina. As its specific epithet suggests, it is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. It has an umbrella-like canopy that ...
, considered an emblem of the Humid Pampa (and not a proper tree but a herb), grows naturally north of the Río de la Plata and east of the Paraná, seldom south of the Río de la Plata and never south of the Salado. Before the introduction of cattle, horses and sheep by the Spaniards on the 16th century, the region was covered by hard grass, but the animals' grazing facilitated the growth of softer, greener grass.


Population

Due to the important
immigration to Argentina Immigration to Argentina began in several millennia BCE with the arrival of different populations from Asia to the Americas through Beringia, according to the most accepted theories, and were slowly populating the Americas. Upon arrival of ...
in the second half of the 19th century and first decades of the 20th, and because the weather allowed for two annual harvests, the lands started being heavily used for agriculture, which made Argentina a major agricultural producer (the self-styled "Granary of the World"). Being fertile and close to the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, the Humid Pampa was one of the preferred destinations of millions of immigrants, who were mostly
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
, French and
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
, but also
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
and other Europeans. The lands of the region were taken care of by the ''
gauchos A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...
'' for centuries, and the region was the centre of their culture, including their music and dances. Areas that were kept for extensive breeding of cattle and sheep stayed under the control of large estates' owners, and in lesser number to medium-size estates. Smaller farms are known as "''chacras''" (their owners being ''chacareros'' or ''chacreros''). The urban population of Argentina (89% of its 38.6 million inhabitants, as estimated for 2005) is concentrated today in cities within the Humid Pampa (
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, Córdoba and Rosario are the largest). In all, over 23 million Argentines live in this area, which produces two-thirds of the
Argentine economy The economy of Argentina is the second-largest national economy in South America, behind Brazil. Argentina is a developing country with a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. ...
. Given the commercial and agricultural desirability of most of this area for the last 130 years, not much pristine land remains. One of the best corners of unspoiled pampa is the Otamendi Natural Preserve near
Campana, Buenos Aires Province Campana is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the seat of the Campana Partido. It is located about from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, on the right-hand margin of the Paraná River. Its population is 94,333 inhabitants ...
. Established in 1990 on 2,600 hectares (10 mi2) of former grazing land, the parcel has become one of Argentina's chief points of interest in its
agrotourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...
circuit.Otamendi
/ref>


Gallery

Image:Junín Campo 01.jpg, Soy field near Junín, Buenos Aires Province Image:Ombu del Parque Rivadavia.jpg,
Ombú ''Phytolacca dioica'', commonly known as ombú, is a massive evergreen tree native to the Pampa of Argentina. As its specific epithet suggests, it is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. It has an umbrella-like canopy that ...
in a Buenos Aires city park. Prized for its copious shade, it has been planted liberally through the pampas Image:Junín PNLG 006.jpg, Sailplaning over the pampas. Popularized by German-Argentine Rolf Hossinger in the 1950s, Argentine sailplaners have won a number of world championships File:WesternHills.jpg, Sierra de los Padres hills


References


External links

* *{{NatGeo ecoregion, name=Humid Pampas, id=nt0803
Otamendi Natural Preserve
Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Ecoregions of Argentina Grasslands of Argentina Neotropical ecoregions Pampas