Los Glaciares National Park

Coordinates: 50°0′0″S 73°14′58″W / 50.00000°S 73.24944°W / -50.00000; -73.24944
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Los Glaciares National Park
Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
Nearest cityEl Calafate
Coordinates50°0′0″S 73°14′58″W / 50.00000°S 73.24944°W / -50.00000; -73.24944
Area726,927 ha (2,806.68 sq mi)
EstablishedMay 11, 1937 (1937-05-11)[1]
Governing bodyAdministración de Parques Nacionales
CriteriaNatural: vii, viii
Reference145
Inscription1981 (5th Session)
Location of the park in the Santa Cruz Province in Argentina.

Los Glaciares National Park (

Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
.

The park covers an area of 726,927 ha (7,269.27 km2; 2,806.68 sq mi), making it the largest national park in the country. Established on 11 May 1937,

Patagonian steppe biodiversity in good state of conservation. In 1981, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.[2][3]

The park's name refers to the giant

above mean sea level, but due to the size of the ice cap, these glaciers begin at only 1,500 m (4,900 ft), sliding down to 200 m (660 ft). Los Glaciares borders Torres del Paine National Park to the south in Chilean territory.[2]

Geography

Map-related representation of the landscape in the Perito Moreno Glacier area.

Los Glaciares, of which 30% is covered by ice, can be divided in two parts, each corresponding with one of the two elongated big lakes partially contained by the park.

Santa Cruz River that flows down to lower part Puerto Santa Cruz
on the Atlantic. Between the two halves is a non-touristic zone without lakes called Zona Centro.

The northern half consists of part of

Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre
.

The southern part has, as well as a number of smaller ones, the major glaciers which flow into Lake Argentino:

Spegazzini Glacier. Typical excursion boats travel between icebergs to visit Onelli Bay
, and the otherwise inaccessible Spegazzini and Upsala. Perito Moreno is reachable by land.

Climate

The park has a cool and moist

temperate climate.[4] Mean temperatures range from 0.6 °C (33.1 °F) in winter to 13.4 °C (56.1 °F) in summer although at higher altitudes, the mean annual temperature can be around −3 °C (26.6 °F).[4] The park receives an average annual rainfall of 500 mm (20 in) in the west and 900 mm (35 in) in the east which is evenly distributed throughout the year.[4] Snowfall is common during the colder months.[4]

Ecology

The mountains hold most of the humidity from the

lengas and guindos, but also ñires. Within these more hospitable areas also live huemul deer and torrent duck.[3]

Issues

Los Glaciares National Park faces many issues around tourism,

forest fires and more. There are areas of the park where overgrazing is quite a problem and contains many alien/invasive
and feral species such as cattle, European hares and certain types of trout. Forest fires have had a strong impact on the site and degraded and destroyed parts of it as well.

Human use

Los Glaciares is a major attraction for international tourists.

Lago del Desierto and Lago Roca.[3]

It was also used as one of the filming locations for "Return of the Ice", the second episode of the speculative science documentary series

The Future is Wild
.

Further information: Estancia Cristina

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Decreto No. 105433/1937, 28 May 1937, B.O., (12862), 6645 (in Spanish); prom.: 11 May 1937
  2. ^ a b "Los Glaciares National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
  3. ^ a b c d "Welcome to Los Glaciares National Park". www.losglaciares.com.
  4. ^ a b c d "Parque Nacional Los Glaciares" (in Spanish). Administración de Parques Nacionales. Retrieved August 14, 2015.

Bibliography

  • Kearney, Alan (1993). Mountaineering in Patagonia. Seattle, WA: Cloudcap.

External links

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Los Glaciares National Park (category)
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