Miami to Buenos Aires

Green marks the approximate location of the Gran Chaco plain that covers an area larger than France.

Palm trees in the humid zone of the Gran Chaco.

The undeveloped east of the Gran Chaco is covered in wetlands and forest.

Rivers and streams bring nutrients to the soils of the Gran Chaco.

Grass and brush on the semi-arid zone of the Gran Chaco.

An irrigation channel dug in the semi-arid Gran Chaco to allow for irrigating crops during drier months.

Even in the semi-arid zone of the Gran Chaco rivers cut across the flat landscape for a few months every year.

Rio Bermejo, part of the La Plata watershed, brings green life to the semi-arid western Gran Chaco.

Red dots mark fires in the Gran Chaco (bottom right) thought to be started to clear the land for agriculture.

Grassland and trees in the transitional zone of the Gran Chaco.

While droughts turn the semi-arid zone into desert, rain causes flooding in the humid and transitional zones.

Water plants turn a river vibrant green in the humid Gran Chaco.

Rivers provide the soil in the Gran Chaco with nutrients that make conditions perfect for agriculture.

Towns such as this sprung up around the railway in the farmlands of the Gran Chaco.

One of Chaco province's old railway stations.

Farms grew across Chaco after the railway was built, as farmers were finally able to export their produce.

A detailed map of the railways across the Gran Chaco.

Geometric fields cover the Gran Chaco - farming here began in earnest after the introduction of the inland railway.

Railways link towns across the Gran Chaco turning them from isolated communities to members of a larger region.

A passenger station near Resistencia, the capital of Chaco province.

A train through Salta, a province in the semi-arid Gran Chaco.

Farming towns grew thanks to the development of the railway across the Gran Chaco.

Map showing the major railway lines across Argentina. Major veins lead from agricultural regions towards the international port at Buenos Aires.

SEFECHA (Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco, S.A.) rail station in Chaco province.

The trains are essential to agriculture and livelihood in Chaco and the surrounding provinces.

More than half a million passengers travel on the Chaco railway each year.

Early farming in the Formosa province that borders Chaco province.

Agriculture has declined significantly in Chaco due to environmental degradation over several decades.

Deforestation in Chaco has led to soil erosion across the region.

Fields form a colourful patchwork across the Argentine landscape.

Droughts at the beginning of the 21st century saw Chaco agriculture suffer.

Removing trees from the root loosens the soil, meaning the most mineral-rich top soil washes away with the rain.

Cattle graze on cleared land in the Gran Chaco.

Logging for valuable hardwood has contributed to the destruction of forests in Chaco.

Chaco's cattle industry was once one of the largest in Argentina.

Cotton plantations dominated Chaco industry in the 20th century.

Livestock is essential to the agriculture industry in Chaco. Degraded grassland means it's not as easy to raise cattle anymore.

The livestock industry is slowly picking up again after droughts in recent decades saw grasslands dry up.

Forests have been cut down in order to create more grazing land for livestock.