Facts About Patagonia

Patagonia, region of southern Argentina that occupies all of Argentina east of the Andes Mountains and south of the Río Colorado. The treeless plains of Patagonia form the largest desert in the Americas. Patagonia has an area of about 670,000 sq km (about 260,000 sq mi), which includes the eastern, or Argentine, part of the Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago off the southern tip of South America. The name Patagonia formerly applied to the southernmost portion of the South American continent, including what are now the southern parts of both Argentina and Chile.

Patagonia contains some of the most diverse animal life and some of the most stunning landscapes in South America. Naturalist Charles Darwin traveled to this arid region in the early 19th century on his famous journey aboard the HMS Beagle and spent time observing the impressive array of indigenous plant and wildlife species. Today the region's national parks and reserves attract many people, and tourism is a growing industry. At Los Glaciares National Park in western Patagonia, visitors can hear and see glaciers creep and grind their way downhill, splitting off and plunging into lake water. Nahuel Huapí National Park, located farther north in the lake district of Patagonia, was established to protect its vast array of plant and animal life, including the pudú, a miniature deer.

• Calafate: At the foot of the Calafate mountain and on the shores of Lake Argentino, in the midst of snowcapped mountains. A pleasant tourist village with good hotel facilities, it is the main base to discover the attraction of the area.
• Perito Moreno Glacier: This is the most important and the most easily-reached glacier. It extends over the Rico inlet of Lake Argentino. This is an imposing ice river, 3 km in width and 60 m in height, that descends slowly from the Continental Ice Field to the shore of the lake, in the Canal de los Témpanos (Icebergs Channel).

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