THE SUB-ANDINE REGION.—Beyond the grassland regions there lies to the north-west, west, and south, a country of thorn scrub, which passes gradually into one where poor steppe or semi-desert conditions prevail. The whole of this region, which may be called the sub-Andine Region, can be divided into two parts—a northern and a southern. To the north of the thirty-fifth parallel the land generally exceeds 1,500 feet in height ; in winter it lies between the isotherms of 43° and 68° F., and in summer between those of 71° F. and 82° F., the actual temperature varying with altitude ; and the rainfall is low, rarely exceeding 10 or 12 inches. Notwithstanding these apparently unfavourable climatic condi tions, this region is far from being undeveloped. The rivers from the Andes are utilised for irrigation, and, besides alfalfa and maize, many sub-tropical fruits are grown in the valleys of those districts which lie near the Andes or on the east of the Sierra de Cordoba. The cultivation of sugar is the chief industry of Tucuman, and Mendoza has long been noted for its vineyards. Tobacco, cotton, and hemp are also grown in this region.
The southern part of the sub-Andine region stretches from the thirty-fifth parallel to the extremity of the continent. The eleva tion of the land is less than in the north, the temperature much lower, and the rainfall, except along the foot of the Andes, no greater. In the territories of the Chubut and Rio Negro, especially in the valleys, where irrigation is possible and where there is a fertile soil, good wheat crops have recently been raised. These districts are, however, too remote from the main lines of communication to possess much importance at the present time. Stock-raising is gradually becoming a considerable industry in the region. Sheep are able to stand the cold of winter, and it is probable that one fifth of the total number of sheep in the Argentine are south of the Rio Colorado. Cattle are found chiefly in the west along the foothills of the Andes, where much good grazing land is believed to exist.
MANUFACTURES.—So far, economic development has been of an agricultural rather than of an industrial nature. The only im portant manufactures are those which prepare for the market the raw material produced at home, flour-milling, sugar-refining, wine-making, meat-freezing, dairying, the extraction of quebracho, etc. The extent of the mineral resources of the country are only partially known, but as yet they have proved of no great value.
Gold, iron, copper, and lead occur in various places, and small quantities of coal are obtained, but borax, from the northern part of the sub-Andine region, is the only mineral at present noteworthy.
COMMUNICATIONS.—The communications of the country are as yet only partially developed. The waterways are of considerable importance, more especially in the woodland region, where they still constitute the chief means of transport. The Paraguay and the Parana are navigable throughout the whole of their course within the Argentine, while the Uruguay may be ascended as far as Salto. Rosario is the present head of navigation for sea-going vessels on the Parana, and Paysandu occupies a similar position on the Uruguay. When plans for dredging the bed of the Paraguay-Parana have been carried out, ocean-going steamers will be able to load at Asuncion, 1,000 miles from the Atlantic ; and that town, at the confluence of the Paraguay and Pilcomayo, and Corrientes, at the confluence of the Paraguay and Parana, will become important river ports. By removing some rocks and gravel from the Uruguay, that river might be ascended from the sea as far as Concordia.
There are now in the Argentine 19,000 miles of railway, constructed largely by British capital, and situated chiefly in the valley of the Parana and in the wheat-growing districts. Among the most important lines are the Buenos Aires Great Southern, which serves the province of Buenos Aires, and goes to Neuquen, but has the greater part of its system within 200 miles of the capital or Bahia Blanca ; the Central Argentine, which runs from Rosario to Cordoba and Tucuman ; a government line from San Cristobal by Tucuman and Jujuy to La Quiaca on the frontier of Bolivia ; the Entre Rios and Argentine North Eastern, which serves the country to the east of the Parana ; and last, but not least, the Buenos Aires and Pacific, which connects with the Chilean railway to Valparaiso by means of the tunnel under the Uspallata Pass. The heavy gradients on the Andine sections of this line, the break of gauge at Mendoza and again at Los Andes on the Chilean side of the frontier, and the difficulty of keeping the line open in the moun tains during the winter months, will all tend to prevent much heavy traffic on this route, though it will probably become very popular for the conveyance of passengers.