Argentina is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay on the north, and by Uruguay and Brazil on the east. The northern area is the swampy and partly wooded Gran Chaco, bordering on Bolivia and Paraguay.
Next southward is Patagonia, a region of cool, arid steppes with some wooded and fertile sections.
As it had in World War I, Argentina proclaimed neutrality at the outbreak of World War II, but in the closing phase declared war on the Axis powers on March 27, 1945. Argentina entered a long period of military dictatorships with brief intervals of constitutional government. The cost of living rose 355 percent, while strikes and demonstrations were constant. After a series of cabinet crises and an attempted air force rebellion, a military junta led by army commander Lt. Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla seized power on March 24, 1976. The junta dismissed the legislature, imposed martial law, and ruled by decree.