The La Plata Basin: Rivers, Plains, and Societies in the Southern Cone

Abstract

The La Plata River Basin is a complex network of people, plains, and rivers that covers over three million square kilometers. It spreads across southern Brazil, southeastern Bolivia, most of Uruguay, all of Paraguay, and much of central and northern Argentina. It contains three important river systems: the Paraguay, Paraná, and Uruguay. The latter two merge to form the La Plata River, an estuary that drains into the southern Atlantic. Additionally, the basin includes tributaries that originate in mountainous areas and flow latitudinally until they meet up with the mighty rivers of the plains, such as the Paraguay River, which flow south, gathering water filtered by enormous wetlands.