Page last updated on January 31, 2014

Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil

Geographic coordinates:
33 00 S, 56 00 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 176,215 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 91
land: 175,015 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the state of Washington

Land boundaries:
total: 1,648 km
border countries: Argentina 580 km, Brazil 1,068 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
660 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or edge of continental margin

Climate:
warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
More Climate Details

Terrain:
mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m

Natural resources:
arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fish

Land use:
arable land: 10.25%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 0.22%
other: 89.52% (2011)

Irrigated land:
1,810 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
139 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 3.66 cu km/yr (11%/2%/87%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita: 1,101 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:
seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising