Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
by the provinces of San Juan to the north, San
Luis to the east, and La Pampa and Neuquen to
the south. Mountains cover one-third of its
area, with arid plains in the east and piedmont
in the center comprising the remainder. Vol-
canoes, active and extinct, dominate much of
the southern landscape. Like their counter-
parts, the Andes to the west, whose peaks are
covered by eternal snow and ice, these moun-
tains extend to heights of over 6,000 meters
(19,680 feet). The most important peaks of the
Argentine Andes are in Mendoza. These
include Nevado de Juncal (6,110 meters),
Pollera (6,235 meters), Iglesia (6,300 meters),
Tupungato (6,800 meters) and, the mightiest of
all, Aconcagua (6,959 meters).
Surprisingly, the barren and desolate Andean
landscape provides the mineral-rich waters
which make agriculture the primary industry
in Mendoza. In late spring, the waters from
melting glaciers and snows rush down shallow
rock-strewn channels cut into the Andes to the
Desaguadero
, the region's principal river. It,
in turn, feeds its many tributaries, one of which
is the
Mendoza
, the main river in the province,
until the mountain waters eventually reach the
irrigation channels which serve the 2.5% of the
province which is cultivated. Of Mendoza's cul-
tivated area, 63% is dedicated to vineyards,
while fruit trees - peaches, apples, plums,
pears and almonds - cover much of the rest.
