Surrounded by rivers and full of unique and abundant flora and fauna, Chaco stands as a bio-diverse reserve of world interest. Combining strong indigenous and European traditions, the region bears a fascinating character of its own.

Located in the northwestern region of Argentina, it is bordered by Salta and Santiago del Estero in the west, and Santa Fe in the south. Four important rivers constitute the eastern and boreal border: the Paraguay river to the east –separating Paraguay from Argentina – and the Paraná river –separating the province from Corrientes; finally, the Bermejo river and its tributary, the Teuco river, stands as a natural border on Formosa.

Resistencia is located in the southeast region of Chaco. It is known as the “City of Sculptures” and as “Outdoor Museum” due to the many works exhibited on its streets.

Chaco’s vegetation is interrupted by estuaries, lagoons and streamy rivers. Two national parks and what is known as “The Impregnable of Chaco” offer an unusually unpolluted natural site.

Ethnically, the province is the home to one of the largest indigenous communities of the country: the wichis, also called matacos or tobas, and macovis. There are also European-descendant communities such as Check, Bulgarian and Yugoslavian groups, which are not found in other parts of Argentina. This particular blend of people makes visitors more eager to unveil this fascinating feature of the province.

Geography
There are two quite differentiated regions in Chaco: the Eastern region, humid and with low terrains, and the western region, with salty soil and xerophilous vegetation. Estuaries and swamps are also found as a result of the region’s clayey soil which is heavy and easily saturated, especially during the rainfall season. Most rivers in the region run northeast to southeast.

The Bermejo river is the main one in the province. Rising on the Bolivian frontier, it goes through eastern Salta and stands as the border between Argentina and Paraguay in the north. The river splits into two; the smaller Bermejito, and the northern arm that is known as the Teuco river which flows into the Paraguay river and draws Chaco’s only international limit.

The climate is warm and humid in the east. Summer rainfall is generated by tropical masses and is over 1,000 millimeters annually, whereas in the west, the rainfall eases off and the climate is warm and quite dry.

Chaco’s vegetation reflects how disparate rainfall is and features a closed forest in the west: The Impregnable (El Impenetrable), parks and savannahs in central Chaco and the jungles encircling the rivers in the east. Yatay palm trees are typical in grasslands near the Paraná and Paraguay rivers, so much so a palm tree picture is used in the province’s coat of arms. Westwards, a more continental and drier climate with a wider temperature range if found.

History
Native Chaqueños settled in the region about 6 thousand years ago. The first Spanish going through the Gran Chaco was Alejo García, who went deep into it in search of Potosí’s deposits. Sebastián Gaboto also explored this region in 1528 sailing the Paraná and Paraguay rivers all through the Bermejo river. Others were Juan de Ayolas, Domingo Martínez de Irala and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. The first European foundation in Chaco lands was led by Alonso de Vera y Aragón y Calderón on April 14th, 1585 under the name of Concepción de Nuestra Señora, nearby today’s Tres Isletas.

This foundation established missionary work and San Francisco Solano was the most renowned Franciscan. He is remembered for his sanctity and love for the aborigines.

In 1832, the National Territory of Great Chaco with its capital in Villa Occidental was created by means of a decree Domingo Faustino Sarmiento issued. He was the commander of the cantonal army in Asunsión, Julio de Vedia was the governor.

Chaco was declared a province when two laws were enacted: law number 14,037 on August 8th, 1951 and another law passed on December 20th, 1951. The province was named after President Perón. Decree-Law number 4,145 annulled this name on October 17th, 1955 and the former law was implemented.

Economy
Cotton was initially the main agricultural product and it is currently the most important crop in Chaco’s economy. This province is the main textile producer. However, Chaco farmers took to different crops which resulted in product diversification: sorghum, sunflower seed, corn and wheat. Many others also started growing citrus, vegetables, tobacco and honey. It is worth mentioning that as from 1970 and under the Chaco Rice Plan this crop gained momentum in La Leonesa, General Vedia and Puerto Bermejo.

Cattle farming was a pioneer in the Chaco territory conquest. At present, the main activity is criollo livestock breeding crossed with zebu, which resulted in the new Brangus breed. Sheep and goat farming is being boosted by the PROGRANO-North Livestock Program.

On the other hand, logging is one of the most traditional economic activities of the province. The industrialization of forestry products encouraged the setting up of sawmill, laminated wood, three-layer wood and chipboard plants as well as furniture factories supplying the domestic and foreign markets.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has enforced an industry eradication plan in the province. Basically, the aim is to foster IT companies to settle in the region through funding and subsidies for investigation projects. In fact, the Polo IT Chaco has given momentum to the software industry in the northeast of Argentina.