Map of Chaco
Chaco is a first-level division of Argentina. Its largest mapped city is Resistencia, with about 387,158 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Chaco, and the tables list its 6 mapped cities.
- Cities Mapped
- 6
- Largest City
- Resistencia
- Country
- Argentina
Interactive Map of Chaco
About Chaco
Chaco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtʃako]; Wichi: To-kós-wet), officially the Province of Chaco (Spanish: Provincia del Chaco [pɾoˈβinsja ðel ˈtʃako]) is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina. Its capital and largest city is Resistencia. It is located in the north-east of the country.
It is bordered by Salta and Santiago del Estero to the west, Formosa to the north, Corrientes to the east, and Santa Fe to the south. It also has an international border with the Paraguayan department of Ñeembucú. With an area of 99,633 km2 (38,469 sq mi) and a population of 1,142,963 as of 2022, it is the twelfth most extensive, and the eleventh most populated, of Argentina's provinces.
In 2010, Chaco became the second province in Argentina to adopt more than one official language. These are the Kom, Moqoit and Wichí languages, spoken by the Toba, Mocovi and Wichí peoples respectively. Chaco has historically been among Argentina's poorest provinces, and currently ranks last both by GDP per capita and Human Development Index.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Chaco Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Chaco in Depth
History
The area was originally inhabited by various hunter-gatherers speaking languages from the Mataco-Guaicru family. Native tribes including the Toba, and Wichí survive in the region and have important communities in this province as well as in Formosa Province.
In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a huge mass of iron, which he had heard that natives used for their weapons. The natives called the area Heavenly Fields, which was translated into Spanish as Campo del Cielo. This area is now a protected region situated on the border between the provinces of Chaco and Santiago del Estero where a group of iron meteorites fell in a Holocene impact event some four to five thousand years ago.
Geography
The province of Chaco lies within the southern part of the Gran Chaco region, a vast lowland plain that covers territories in Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
Chaco Province covers an area of 99,633 km2 (38,469 sq mi) and ranks as the twelfth largest Argentinian province. The highest ground in the province is also the most western, near the municipality of Taco Pozo, at an elevation of 272 m (892 ft) above sea level.
The Paraná and Paraguay rivers separate Chaco province from Corrientes Province and the Republic of Paraguay. To the north, the river Bermejo forms another natural border, dividing Chaco Province from Formosa Province.
Economy
Chaco's economy, like most in the region, is relatively underdeveloped, yet has recovered vigorously since 2002. It was estimated to be US$4.397 billion in 2006, or US$4,467 per capita (half the national average and the third-lowest in Argentina). Chaco's economy is diversified, but its agricultural sector has suffered from recurrent droughts over the past decade.
Agricultural development in Chaco is predominantly associated with the commercial growing of quebracho wood and cotton. Chaco currently produces 60% of Argentina's national cotton production. Agricultural food production accounts for 17% of Argentina's output. This includes crops such as soy, sorghum, and maize. Sugarcane is also cultivated in the south, as well as rice and tobacco to a lesser degree.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Chaco Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Chaco: Key Facts
| Population | 1,129,606 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Area | 99,633 km² |
| Capital | Resistencia |
| Head of government | Leandro Zdero |
| Established | 8 August 1951 |
Facts from Wikidata Q44757 (CC0).
History of Chaco: Empires and States
The atlas records 4 polities whose mapped territory included part of Chaco, from The Spanish Empire in 1582 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| The Spanish Empire | 1582–1810 CE |
| Río de la Plata | 1811–1833 CE |
| Argentine Confederation | 1834–1929 CE |
| Argentine Republic | 1930–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Chaco
Chaco on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Chaco
6 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resistencia | 387,158 | Chaco | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Presidencia Roque Saenz Pena | 81,879 | Chaco | Populated place |
| 3 | Villa Ángela | 30,051 | Chaco | Populated place |
| 4 | Charata | 18,297 | Chaco | Populated place |
| 5 | Juan José Castelli | 9,421 | Chaco | Populated place |
| 6 | Pampa del Infierno | 2,921 | Chaco | Populated place |
Chaco: Quick Answers
- Where is Chaco?
- Chaco is a first-level division of Argentina, in South America. Its mapped cities centre on 26.9193° S, 60.5234° W.
- What is the largest city in Chaco?
- Resistencia is the largest city mapped in Chaco, with a metropolitan population of about 387,158.
- How many cities are in Chaco?
- YearMaps maps 6 cities and towns in Chaco, with a combined metropolitan population of about 529,727. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.