MISSIONARY PLATEAU: LOCATION, CHARACTERISTICS, FLORA, FAUNA - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The M Eseta missionary is located in the province of Misiones in Argentina. On this plateau is the Iguazú National Park that occupies a large part of its area. This park covers a total of 492 km² and in it are the Iguazu Falls. In 1984, UNESCO designated the Iguazú National Park as a World Heritage Site.

A plateau is understood to be all flat and raised landforms that rise sharply over the area around it on at least one side. Plateaus occur on all continents and occupy a third of the Earth. They are one of the four most important landforms, along with mountains, plains, and hills.

On the other hand, the province of Misiones became Argentine territory after years of disputes with Paraguay and Brazil. This happened, specifically, after the War of the Triple Alliance (from 1864 to 1870). It then became a territorial state. The colonization of the land of this new territorial state began in the 1880s.

From then on, a variety of groups of different nationalities began to found human settlements. Among these were Poles, Ukrainians, Japanese, Brazilians, and Germans. This activity continued until the middle of the 20th century. In 1953 the territory gained provincial status.

Location

The Missionary Plateau is located in the northeast of the province of Misiones. This province comprises a part of the Paraná basin, which is widely exposed in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

It is located between the Upper Paraná River and Paraguay to the west, the Iguazú River (and tributaries) and Brazil to the north, the Uruguay River (and tributaries) and the Brazil River to the east and southeast, and the province of Corrientes de Argentina to the southwest.

Main characteristics of the Missionary plateau

Formed by layers of basalt and quartz sandstones

The Missionary Plateau is the continuation of the Brasilia massif. It is made up of successive layers of basalt of Cretaceous origin and quartz sandstones. The latter are the result of the action of erosive agents, mainly of fluvial origin.

Wavy relief

Due to the erosive action of the rivers, the plateau is not completely flat. Its relief is rather wavy, or vaulted.

Consequently, it has a maximum elevation of 800 m asl, in the northeast between San Pedro and Bernardo de Irigoyen and a slope that descends towards the course of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers.

Another characteristic of this undulating relief is the presence of raised formations called mountain ranges. Among them are the Imam, Santa Victoria and Misiones.

Rocky outcrops

Rocky outcrops (rocks not covered by soil or other rocks) can also be found very frequently, which produce jumps in rivers and streams.

Flora

The predominant flora in the missionary plateau is of jungle characteristics. Among its flora stand out black laurel (Nectandra megapotamica), white guatambú (Balfourodendron riedelianum), cancharana (Cabralea canjerana), tail-itá (Lonchocarpus Leucanthus) and maria preta (Diatenopteryx sorbifolia).

To the east of the plateau you can find giant rosewood (Aspidosperma polyneuron) and palm heart (Euterpe edulis). While towards the Iguazú River and its tributaries, white sarandí (Phyllanthus sellowianus), eye-mata (Pouteria salicifolia), dragon's blood (Croton urucuruno) and ingá (Inga uruguensis) grow, among others.

In the area of ​​the Iguazú Falls, with high humidity, you can see on the one hand, a dense cupay forest (Copaifera Iangsdor fi n) and, on the other, hygrophilous pastures of Paspalum Lilloi with the orchid Habenaria bractescens and the bromeliad Dyckia distachya. Curupay (Anadenanthera colubrina) and ibirá catú (Xylopia brasiliensis) are also found growing there.

Fauna

Birds

On the Missionary Plateau, the presence of some 418 different species of birds has been confirmed (including 156 species that nest in that area). This is the ecosystem that houses the largest number of indigenous species (58 species).

There are also some threatened species in Argentina, such as the macuco (Tinamus solitarius), the yacutinga (Aburria jacutinga), the cinnamon-faced woodpecker (Dryocopus galeatus) and the large esparvero (Accipiter poliogaster).

In addition, the presence of the short-eared heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) and the great toucan (Ramphastos toco) has been recorded. Other sightings include the common magpie (cyanocorax chrysops), the green-headed warbler (Pyrrhura frontalis), the yellow tangara (Euphonia violacea) and the great anole (Crotophaga major).

Mammals

Similarly, this ecosystem is rich in mammals. A total of 70 native species have been detected so far (including some in danger of extinction).

Among the threatened species we can mention the great cabassu (Cabassous tatouay), the anteater and the tamanduá-flag (Myrmecophoga tridactyla).

The Moorish or yaguarandí cat (Herpailurus yaguarandí), the ocelot or ocelot cat (Leopardus pardalis), the tirica cat (Margay tigrina), the margay cat (Margay wiedii) and the jaguar (Leo onca) are also in danger.

Weather

The climate of the Missionary Plateau is of the subtropical type, it does not have a dry season, and the biome is jungle. The prevailing winds are from the northeast, southeast and east.

In relation to jungle biomes, these are found in low latitudes. They are characterized by having an average annual temperature of around 25 ° C and high humidity (from 77% to 88%). In fact, the Missionary Plateau is one of the wetlands in the country.

With regard to the seasonal regime, there are no major changes during the year. There are no seasonal changes as with other biomes. Almost every day there is rainfall due to high humidity. This mixes with the heat, creating cumulus clouds.

At present, the original biome of this plateau remains unchanged thanks to the protection of the Iguazú National Park and other provincial parks and reserves.

However, the climate has been changing in recent years. There are fewer and fewer cold days and more droughts, which is unusual in this type of biome. This is due to global warming and the indiscriminate felling of trees, which has increased in this province.

Economy

The economic activity of the missionary plateau is represented by agriculture and livestock. Both activities are concentrated in the south of the area.

The main crops are: yerba mate, tea, tobacco, corn and rice. The cattle that are raised are especially the zebu. There is also production for domestic consumption of poultry and pigs.

However, certain practices related to this agricultural activity are progressively degrading the forest. One of these activities is indiscriminate felling for the planting of crops by peasant settlements.

They also sometimes kill wild animals to prevent them from causing damage to livestock or crops. This undermines protected species.

Likewise, one of the economic activities in the region that shows a notable increase is tourism. The main reason for this development is the Iguazú Falls.

Every year waves of tourists visit these falls. For them, there are comfortable shelters prepared and good access to the waterfall area.

The panorama is complemented by other natural attractions that can also be visited. Among them are: the Itaipú Dam, the Jesuit Missions, the Moconá Falls and the Parque de la Cruz.

References

1. Nagel, C. (s / f). Missionary Plateau - Chaco Plain - Correntino Esteros. Retrieved on February 9, 2018, from historiaybiografias.com.
2. Encyclopædia Britannica. (2013, June 04). Missions. Retrieved on February 9, 2018, from britannica.com.
3. Banda Tarradellas, E. and Torné Escasany, M. (2000). Geology. Buenos Aires: Editorial Santillana.
4. Chebez, JC (2005). Guide to the natural reserves of Argentina. Buenos Aires: Editorial Albatros.
5. Argentina Xplora. (s / f). Eco-system of the Paranense Forest. Retrieved on February 9, 2018, from argentinaxplora.com.
6. Ramos, V. (2000). The geological provinces of the Argentine territory. Argentine Geology. No. 29, pp. 41-96.