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

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the state of Washington

Land boundaries:
total: 1,591 km
border countries (2): Argentina 541 km, Brazil 1,050 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 the edge of continental margin

Climate:
warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

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

Elevation:
mean elevation: 109 m
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m

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

Land use:
agricultural land: 87.2% arable land 10.1%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 76.9%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 10.2%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 2.6% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
2,380 sq km (2012)
[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%)
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