The Pampas is a vast savanna in southern South America extending from the Atlantic coast to the Andes. The region, lying mostly in Argentina, is one of the richest agricultural areas in the world and supports most of Argentina's population.
Cattle, introduced in the mid-1500's, have been traditionally tended by gauchos, the cowboys of the Pampas.
The Spanish word pampas meaning "plains" comes from the Quechua (kech-oo-uh) word for "plain." Like the Inca, the Quechua are South American Indians who speak the Quechuan language, a branch of Andean-Equatorial stock.
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