Chaco Boreal

Chaco Boreal, region of distinctive vegetation occupying about 100,000 square miles (259,000 square km) in northwestern Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia, and northern Argentina. The region is part of the vast arid lowland known as the Gran Chaco. The Chaco Boreal’s land is flat and is marked by deciduous scrub woodlands to the west of the Paraguay River that include the quebracho, a tree valuable as a source of tannin. Farther west are forests of spiny, thorny deciduous trees and brush, interrupted by patches of tall, coarse savanna grass. Paraguay acquired most of the region from Bolivia after the Chaco War (1932–35), though the southwestern and northwestern portions of the region remain in Argentina and Bolivia, respectively. Paraguay has not pursued an active colonization policy in the Chaco Boreal, though the region has extensive grasslands suitable for cattle raising. The major impediment to development is the lack of potable water. Capitán Pablo Lagerenza is the largest town in the Paraguayan part of the Chaco Boreal. This town was the site of the final, decisive battle of the Chaco War in 1935.