Southern Atlantic rivers

Abstract

Patagonia, at the southern tip of South America, is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of over one million square km shared by Chile and Argentina. The Colorado River (Chapter 20) has been considered the political northern limit for Patagonia in Argentina (37°S). As a geological unit, the physiographic northern border has more recently been moved southward to the Huincul fault (39°S) that separates two different crustal sectors (Ramos et al., 2004). This separation can be traced across the Andean Cordillera to the west and along the Río Negro valley to the east. Meanwhile, in Chile, Patagonia is reserved to name the region south of 42°S.