Chaco

Chaco is a term used for several related places and concepts in the Americas. The most common reference is the Gran Chaco, a vast lowland plain in South America that covers roughly 1,000,000 square kilometers and spans parts of Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil. The region features a mosaic of dry forests, savannas, and river systems and has long been home to Indigenous peoples such as the Guaycurú groups. The Gran Chaco supports important biodiversity but has faced deforestation, agricultural expansion, and land-tenure conflicts. It is one of the largest contiguous forested areas in the continent outside the Amazon.

Chaco Province is a province in Argentina’s northeast, part of the Gran Chaco geographic zone. Its capital is Resistencia, and its economy centers on agriculture, cattle ranching, timber, and services. The term Chaco also appears in the names of other administrative areas in the region.

The Chaco War (1932–1935) was a major conflict between Bolivia and Paraguay fought over claims to parts of the Gran Chaco. It ended with Paraguay retaining most of the disputed territory and with heavy casualties on both sides.

Chaco Canyon, in northwestern New Mexico, United States, is a renowned archaeological site. It contains a network of Puebloan great houses, ceremonial structures, and roads dating from about AD 800 to 1250. The site is protected as Chaco Culture National Historical Park and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

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