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This striking 1921 map of the Southern portion of South America was issued by the Oficina Cartográfica Ludwig of Buenos Aires. Published just after the First World War and during a period of growing national consolidation and infrastructure development in Argentina, the map offers a comprehensive political and topographical view of Argentina and its neighboring states—Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and portions of Bolivia and Brazil.  

Spanning from the arid Chaco and the Bolivian frontier in the north to the windswept southern tip of Tierra del Fuego and the Strait of Magellan, the map presents Argentina’s full territorial extent as it was understood in the early 20th century. Provinces are delineated by colored boundaries, and regional subdivisions such as gobernaciones (e.g., Santa Cruz, Chubut, and Tierra del Fuego) are clearly indicated, reflecting the administrative organization prior to their designation as full provinces in the later 20th century. The cartographer also includes detailed representations of the neighboring Republic of Chile, extending from the Atacama Desert to the fjords and islands of the south, and Uruguay with its rivers, departmental boundaries, and road networks. 

As listed in the Referencias key at lower left, symbols are used to denote provincial capitals (capitales de los Estados), departmental capitals, railroads (in operation and under construction), estancias, forts (fortines), telegraph lines, navigable rivers and canals, as well as salt flats and marshes. Notably, major railroad routes—such as the F.C.C.A. (Ferrocarril Central Argentino)—are depicted in bold black lines, reflecting Argentina’s efforts to integrate its vast interior with port cities and international markets.

A small inset in the lower right corner focuses on the vicinity of Buenos Aires and the Río de la Plata, underscoring the capital’s central role in national and continental trade networks. The map also includes the Islas Malvinas o Falkland in the South Atlantic, labeled with Spanish toponyms, affirming Argentina’s claim to the islands in an era when tensions with Britain over their sovereignty were already present, though not yet militarized.

The map was produced at a time when Argentina was emerging as a regional economic powerhouse, buoyed by agricultural exports and an influx of European immigration. It reflects both the infrastructural expansion and the geopolitical consciousness of the Argentine state in the early 1920s. The delineation of rail lines and territorial claims also reveals an effort to assert control over remote or sparsely settled regions, especially in Patagonia, where border definitions with Chile remained points of diplomatic negotiation.