Located on land bordering a number of lagoons, and known by the Tobas as "Puganagay" (green fields), the initial settlement developed with the arrival of the Central Northern Rail line at the site in 1910, and its establishment coincides with the 1912 inaugural of the station.

595 for its distance from the line's western terminus in Embarcación (Salta), the village was designated seat of the newly established county in 1915, and renamed "Pira - ne" in 1919.

Bounded by the Bermejo River to the south, the town is located in the deep Gran Chaco region, and as such, was limited by the area's dense, thorny dry forests and inhospitable summers.

The surrounding forests are rich in valuable quebracho, pau d'arco, astronium trees, however, and Pirané became a secondary center for forestry in Argentina.

The extensive wetlands surrounding Pirané give the area a notable biodiversity which includes such as armadillo, heron, iguana, jabiru, jaguar, magpie, coral snake, stork, tapir, toucan, and yacaré among numerous others.