Welcome to the Environmental Atlas of Buenos Aires
(Atlas Ambiental de Buenos Aires or AABA)!
The aim of this atlas is to provide the most relevant and up-to-date information
about Buenos Aires. This Latin American metropolis has more than 12 million
inhabitants (a third of Argentina’s total population) and is one of
the most densely populated cities in the world.
There are three different, complementary ways for you to explore the atlas:
Landscape
Units
The Buenos Aires area can be divided into five landscape units by using
a combination of natural and cultural criteria. These units are:
- AMBA
: (Area Metropolitana de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area):
the urbanized part of the Pampa and coastal strip.
- PAMPA
: the plains of the Pampa (excluding urbanized areas)
- COAST
: the coastal strip (excluding urbanized areas)
- DELTA
: the lower Paraná river delta
- RIVER
: the River Plate estuary
Thematic
Units
This section deals with information about each of the different geographical
elements that interact within the territory. There are fourteen thematic units
and the information in each is approached from the point of view of the appropriate
academic discipline (for example, the Underground unit is explored from a
geological point of view). Each thematic unit describes the main characteristics
of one geographical element of the region the atlas studies. The thematic
units are as follows:
-
Underground
-
Geoforms
-
Water
-
Soil
-
Flora and fauna
-
Air
-
Urbanization
-
Population
-
Structure
-
Transport
-
Services
-
Production
-
Heritage
-
Government
Maps
Mapmaking is a process of abstraction: we use simple shapes like dots, lines,
and polygons to represent the highly complex forms of the real world.
Using geomatic technology (computerized mapmaking), four different kinds of
map have been developed for this project:
1.Geospatial
Information System (GIS): Geospatial Information System (GIS) maps allow
you to zoom in and out on the map, and to superimpose various map layers
onto one another.
2.
Interactive maps: are an easy to view the information explained in detail
in each thematic or landscape unit. They include charts, graphs, and background
information.
3.Printable
maps: enable you to print the information collected by the GIS on paper.
4.Google
Earth maps : are KMZ files designed to be used in conjunction with the
Google Earth navigator.
