Patagonia
Mount Fitzroy, situated in the Los Glaciares National Park in the Argentine part of Patagonia, is an Andean peak that attracts many serious climbers. Located at the southernmost point of South America, Patagonia, divided between Argentina and Chile, is a windswept area of mountains, glaciers, and isolated sheep farms.
Glacier in Patagonia, Argentina. Deep cracks known as crevasses can be seen in the ice. These are formed when a glacier moves over an uneven surface. When the glacier reaches the sea, or as in this picture, a lake, the crevasses will fracture the ice to form icebergs.
Patagonia, in South America. Patagonia is a region of scrubland plateau in southern Argentina and Chile, between the Andes and Atlantic Ocean. Of the few farmers and sheep ranchers who live in Patagonia, most live in the northern part of the region near the valleys of the Colorado and Negro Rivers.
Ranch in Patagonia, southern Argentina. Most ranches in Patagonia are in the northern part of the region, near the Colorado and Niger Rivers. Criollo or Creole horses, the national breed of Argentina, are descendants of Spanish horses that ran wild in the Argentinean pampas for several hundred years. The horses, which are now ideally adapted to the South American climate and habitat, are bred for riding and stockwork.
Geographic region of South America, in southern Argentina and Chile; area 780,000 sq km/301,000 sq mi. A thinly populated vast plateau area, it stretches from the Río Colorado in central Argentina to eastern part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in the south, and slopes eastwards from the Andes to the Atlantic coast. It consists of the provinces of Neuquén, Rio Negro, Chubut, and Santa Cruz. The main towns are the port of Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina) and Punta Arenas (Chile).
There is extensive sheep farming, and there are important coal and oil resources; deposits of uranium ore were found in 1993. The eastern part of Patagonia receives little annual rainfall, and is mainly desert; the west is scattered with a series of lakes. Grapes and fruit are grown in the Rio Negro and Chubut valleys. There is little agricultural activity except in the Colorado and Negro river valleys where some cattle are raised. Patagonia's major economic activity is sheep farming on the sprawling ranches on the cool arid steppes pastures. However, the region's natural resources: coal, iron, copper and uranium are progressively being exploited. There are large oil fields currently being exploited in Chubut and Neuquén provinces. The Andean national parks have encouraged a major tourism industry in the region.
| Sighted by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, the region was claimed by both Argentina and Chile until divided between them in 1881. This division was confirmed by a treaty in 1902. |
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