Formosa

Birding Formosa

Formosa Province is in northeastern Argentina, part of the Gran Chaco Region. Its northeast end touches Asunción, Paraguay, and borders the provinces of Chaco and Salta to its south and west, respectively. The capital is also called Formosa.

Located within the geographic coordinates 26° – 22°30′ South, and 57°30′ – 62°25′ West, the plains run between rivers Bermejo and Pilcomayo with a slight inclination towards the Southeast. Due to this flatness, riverbeds are not stable, and small lagoons that are slowly reabsorbed arise. The average annual temperature is 21°C, and during the summer it can go up to 45°C The subtropical weather is characterized with uniform annual rains in the east (1000 mm annual), while in the rest of the country winter is a drier season (80 mm). The humidity variation results in the jungle vegetation on one side, and the Chaqueño forest in the other. The limit with the Salta Province is known as the Impenetrable (“Impenetrable”).Formosa’s protected areas are the Río Pilcomayo National Park and the Formosa National Reserve.

Poorly industralized, Formosa’s economy is based on cattle and agricultural activities like cotton and fuit cultivation, these mostly centered in the Patino, Pilagás and Pilcomayo departments. It is also known for banana growing.