Patagonia (English spelling)

Japanese: パタゴニア（英語表記）Patagonia

The area south of the Colorado River, which flows eastward around 39° south latitude, in southern South America. Originally it covers both Chile and Argentina, but generally refers only to the Argentine territory east of the Andes. It consists of the four provinces of Neuquén, Rio Negro, Chubut, and Santa Cruz, from north to south, and has an area of about 700,000 ^km2 . It may also include Tierra del Fuego (Tierra del Fuego Territory) to the south. Most of the plateau is covered with sparse forests of grass and shrubs, and slopes downward from the Andes to the east, forming a steep cliff on the eastern edge that looks out onto the Atlantic Ocean. The deep east-west valleys carved into this plateau are the beds of rivers that once flowed down from the Andes, but only a few rivers, such as the Colorado, Negro, and Chubut, still flow throughout the year. The area is in the westerly wind belt, and moist westerly winds blow from the Pacific Ocean. However, the moisture is lost before it crosses the Andes, and by the time it reaches Argentine territory, the winds are dry, making the area an arid region with an annual precipitation of less than 500 mm, and in many places less than 200 mm. The average monthly temperature is 12-20°C in the north and 6-13°C in the south. The indigenous people are thought to be Indians who came from the Tierra del Fuego, and when the Spanish explored the area in the 16th century, they lived by hunting guanacos (wild llamas) and rheas (American ostriches), but there are almost none left today. From the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century, the Spanish and British often tried to settle the area, but all were unsuccessful. After that, Argentina, which became independent, promoted settlement, but there were no large numbers of immigrants, and only a little over 3% of the total population lives in this area, which accounts for more than a quarter of the country's land area. The main industries are sheep farming and oil extraction, and the country's largest oil field is located around Comodoro Rivadavia on the central coast. The north of the country is also blessed with large iron ore deposits, as well as other mineral resources such as manganese, tungsten, lead, copper, and uranium. Agriculture is limited to irrigated areas. The lakes and marshes that line the eastern foot of the Andes include national parks such as Nahuel Huapi and Los Glaciares, and tourism has been developing in recent years.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

南アメリカ南部，南緯 39°付近を東流するコロラド川より南の地域をさす。本来はチリ，アルゼンチン両国にわたるが，一般にはアンデス山脈以東のアルゼンチン領のみをさし，北からネウケン，リオネグロ，チュブト，サンタクルスの4州から成り，面積約 70万 km²。さらにその南のフエゴ島 (ティエラデルフエゴ准州) を含める場合もある。大部分が草と低木の疎林におおわれた砂漠状の台地で，アンデスから東に向って段丘状に低くなり，東縁で急崖をなして大西洋にのぞむ。この台地に深く刻まれた東西方向の谷はアンデスから流下したかつての川の河床であるが，現在も年間を通して水が流れているのはコロラド，ネグロ，チュブトなどごくわずかな川だけである。偏西風帯にあたり太平洋から湿気を帯びた西風が吹きつけるが，水分はアンデスを越えるまでに失われ，アルゼンチン領に達したときは乾いた風になっているため，この地域は年降水量 500mm以下の乾燥地帯となっており，200mm以下のところも多い。月平均気温は北部で 12～20℃，南部では6～13℃。先住民はフエゴ諸島からやってきたインディオと考えられ，16世紀スペイン人がこの地域を探検したときにはグアナコ (野生のラマ) やレア (アメリカダチョウ) などを狩猟して生活していたが，現在はほとんど残っていない。 16世紀末から 19世紀初めにかけてスペイン人やイギリス人がしばしば入植を試みたが，いずれも不成功。その後，独立したアルゼンチンが入植を進めたが，大量の移住者をみるにいたらず，国土の4分の1以上を占めるこの地域に総人口の3%強が住んでいるにすぎない。主産業は牧羊と石油採取で，中部沿岸のコモドロリバダビア周辺には同国最大の油田がある。また北部には大規模な鉄鉱床があり，ほかにマンガン，タングステン，鉛，銅，ウランなどの鉱物資源に恵まれる。農業は灌漑地帯でわずかに行われる程度。アンデス東麓に連なる湖沼地帯にはナウエルワピ，ロスグラシアレスなどの国立公園があり，近年観光業が発展してきている。

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