The
Patagonian Desert, also known as the
Patagonia Desert,
Patagonian Steppe, or
Magellanic Steppe, is the largest desert in Argentina and is the
7th largest desert in the world by area, occupying 673,000 square kilometers (260,000 mi
2). It is located primarily in Argentina with small parts in
Chile and is bounded by the
Andes, to its west, and the
Atlantic Ocean to its east, in the region of
Patagonia, southern
Argentina. To the north the desert grades into the semi-arid
Cuyo Region and the
Dry and
Humid Pampas. The central parts of the steppe are dominated by
shrubby and
herbaceous plant species albeit to the west, where precipitation is higher, bushes are replaced by
grasses. Topographically the deserts consist of alternating tablelands and massifs dissected by river valleys and
canyons. The more western parts of the steppe host lakes of glacial origin and grades into barren mountains or cold
temperate forests along valleys.