The idea of austral refers to the south.
With etymological origin in the Latin word austrālis , the term austral can be used as an adjective or as a noun . In the first case, it is a qualifier used in geography and astronomy with reference to that which belongs to the south .
Let us remember that south is the cardinal point that is behind the person who, to his right, has east. The concept, in this way, is used to name the area that is located in the southern sector of a region or that is further south than another.
The southern hemisphere
Returning to the idea of austral, we can refer to the southern hemisphere or southern hemisphere. If the globe is divided into two halves from the equator line, the southern hemisphere is located below the boreal or northern hemisphere.
In the southern hemisphere there are regions of Africa , Asian and Oceanic islands, South America and Australia . In addition, large sections of the Indian , Pacific and Atlantic oceans are also located in this hemisphere .
The southern pole , on the other hand, is the southern point at which the axis of rotation cuts the Earth's surface. Also called the south pole, it is the southernmost region of the planet .
In Argentina, austral was the denomination of the currency that existed between 1985 and 1992.
A part of the Gran Chaco
One of the most important divisions of the South American geographical region called Gran Chaco , which covers part of Argentina , Brazil and Bolivia , is known as Chaco Austral . Unlike the other two parts, the Austral Chaco is located entirely on Argentine soil, and its surface covers: the provinces of Santiago del Estero , Formosa and Chaco completely; northern Santa Fe ; the east of Salta ; and the northeast of Córdoba .
With respect to the relief of the Austral Chaco , we can say that it shares characteristics with the rest of the Gran Chaco : it is a plain of considerable extent that, from a geological point of view, is related to the Pampas, although the Chaco is covered with forests and jungles. With the exception of the transition zones found to the west, practically no important geographical features can be seen.
The Southern Highway
In Chile there is the Carretera Austral , which is in the Southern Zone of the country. If we base ourselves on the data collected in 2014 , its route had a total length of 1,240 kilometers and connected Villa O'Higgins with Puerto Montt , but then there were plans to expand the route.
The Carretera Austral is the most important land transportation route in the Province of Palena and the Region of Aysén , since it allows its inhabitants to access the rest of the country while offering the possibility of taking an interesting trip through Chilean Patagonia. . Its origin takes us to 1976 , and for Chile it represented one of the most ambitious and expensive projects of the 20th century .
Since the geographical characteristics of the areas through which the road passes are relatively complicated, as lakes, ice fields and turbulent rivers are common, repair work is very frequent and certain sections are not operational. Furthermore, it is necessary to point out that a large percentage of its surface has not been paved .
Other uses of the term
Austral is also the name of Argentina 's currency between 1985 and 1992 , when it was replaced by the peso (current Argentine legal tender).
The austral was created within the framework of the so-called Plan Austral , a program promoted by the Minister of Economy Juan Vital Sourrouille during the presidency of Raúl Alfonsín . The austral was equivalent to 1,000 Argentine pesos , the currency it replaced.
It is worth mentioning that a university , an airline , a beer brand and a newspaper are named Austral .