Los Glaciares National Park - (World Heritage Site in Argentina)

Los Glaciares National Park

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The Los Glaciares National Park is an area of outstanding natural beauty, with rugged, towering mountains and many glacial lakes, including Lake Argentino, which is 160 km long. At its farthest end, three glaciers to dump their effluvia in the milky color gray glacial water, start huge igloo icebergs in the lake with resounding splashes.

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Los Glaciers National Park is an area of outstanding natural beauty, with rugged, towering mountains and many glacial lakes, including the large Lago Argentino. This vast alps covers the Patagonian ice field covers approximately half of the park. Extension of more than 14,000 km2, the ice area is the largest ice jacket outside Antarctica. He has a total of 47 glaciers and another 200 smaller glaciers are independent of the main ice field.

It is the best place in South America to see glaciers in action. Glacial activity is concentrated around two large lakes, Argentino and Viedma. The Argentino Lake is particularly spectacular with three glaciers dumping their effluvia in melkweg icy waters. Giant blue icebergs are launched into the lake with a resounding splash. Los Glaciers contains some of the few glaciers in the world that has improved. The effects of retreating and advancing glaciers are clearly visible. The islamicists Mereno glacier in the park often advances so far as its snout interrupts the normal stream escape Lake Rico, forms a natural dam which flooded vast areas. In the glacier retreats in the heat of the summer, a wall of water rides in the valley.

The park consists of two different vegetation types: subantarctic Patagonian forest and Patagonian steppe. The most impressive wildlife in the park are the birds. The many lakes offer an ideal habitat for black neck swans and a variety of ducks and geese and Chilean flamingos wade along the coast. Overhead glides the Andean condor, the largest bird in the world in terms of wing and the high grasslands are dotted with Darwin's rhea, South America's version of the ostrich.

Mammals have a separate population of southern Andes mountain viscacha huemul and probably live in some sectors of the park, but its presence still to be confirmed. Other species of interest are the guanaco, Argentine gray fox and Austral hog-nosed skunk. The site has introduced species, in particular, the European hare, whose ability hunger is of great influence on the natural eco-system, and two species of trout, who lives in the rushing streams of the park.

Mammals have a separate population of southern Andes mountain viscacha huemul and probably live in some sectors of the park, but its presence still to be confirmed. Other species of interest are the guanaco, Argentine gray fox and Austral hog-nosed skunk. Prehistoric inhabitants of the area were hunter-gatherers who on guanaco for their living. These were followed by the Tehuelchian culture. The park includes at least 14 sites of archaeological interest related to these cultures. Tehuelches Indians were nearly wiped out during the process of the European colonization

Source:whc/unesco