Southern Cone

From HFA-PEDIA

The term Southern Cone (Spanish: Cono Sur, Portuguese: Cone Sul) refers to a geographic region composed of the southernmost areas of South America, below the Tropic of Capricorn. The region includes all of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, and some parts of Paraguay and southern portions of Brazil which include the Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná and São Paulo.

Language The main language spoken is Spanish (owing to the Spanish colonization from the 16th to the 19th century); while in Brazil, Portuguese is the main language.

Population

The population of these countries: Argentina (39.3 million), Chile (16.4 million) and Uruguay (3.6 million). Buenos Aires is the largest metropolitan area at 13.1 million and Santiago, Chile has 6.4 million. In Southeastern Brazil, São Paulo is the largest city with 19.8 million; in the Southern Brazil, the largest city is Curitiba, with more than 1.8 million. Uruguay's capital and largest city, Montevideo, has 1.8 million.

Quality of life

The Southern Cone, on the whole, is considered to have a relatively high standard of living and quality of life. Argentina's and Chile’s Human Development Indexes (HDIs) — 0.869 and 0.863 - are the highest in Latin America. Uruguay, where illiteracy technically doesn't exist, reaches the same level in this area, even considering that it faces restrictions to its industrial and economic growth. Argentina and Chile are considered 'developed' countries when it comes to human development, since their high indices of 0.869 and 0.863 respectively surpass many places in Europe and other industrialized regions. High life expectancy, health and education access, significant participation in the global markets and the emerging economy profile of its members lead to the Southern Cone being considered as the most prosperous macro-region in Latin America.

Climate

The climates are mostly temperate, but include humid subtropical, Mediterranean, highland tropical, maritime temperate, sub-Antarctic temperate, highland cold, desert and semi-arid temperate regions. Except for northern regions of Argentina (Thermal equator in January), the whole country of Paraguay, the Argentina-Brazil border and the interior of the Atacama desert, the region rarely suffers from heat. In addition to that, the winter presents mostly cool temperatures. Strong and constant wind and high humidity is what brings low temperatures in the winter. The Atacama is the driest place on Earth.

Mercosur

Mercosur or Mercosul (Spanish: Mercado Común del Sur, Portuguese: Mercado Comum do Sul, English: Southern Common Market) is a Regional Trade Agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people, and currency.

Mercosur origins trace back to 1985 when Presidents Raúl Alfonsín of Argentina and José Sarney of Brazil signed the Argentina-Brazil Integration and Economics Cooperation Program (PICE) (in Spanish: Programa de Integración y Cooperación Económica Argentina-Brasil, Portuguese: Programa de Integração e Cooperação Econômica Argentina-Brasil).

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru currently have associate member status. Venezuela signed a membership agreement on 17 June 2006, but before becoming a full member its entry has to be ratified by the Paraguayan and the Brazilian parliaments.

The founding of the Mercosur Parliament was agreed at the December 2004 presidential summit. It is expected to have 18 representatives from each country by 2010.