Lago Argentino is a lake in the
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...
n
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
Santa Cruz,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, at . It is the biggest freshwater lake in Argentina, with a surface area of (maximum width: ). It has an average depth of , and a maximum depth of .
The lake lies within the
Los Glaciares National Park
Los Glaciares National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) is a federal protected area in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.
The park covers an area of , making it the largest national park in the country.
Established on 11 May 1937, it host ...
in a landscape with numerous
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
s and is fed by the glacial meltwater of several rivers, the water from
Lake Viedma
Viedma Lake ( es, Lago Viedma, ) is a Patagonian lake in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, situated near its border with Chile. Measuring approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) in length, it is a major elongated trough lake formed from melt ...
brought by the
La Leona River
The La Leona River is a river of Patagonia, Argentina. It flows in the eastern part of the Los Glaciares National Park. It has its origin to the south of Lake Viedma and winds for about 50 kilometers (30 miles) through the Andes before flowing int ...
, and many mountain streams. Its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
amounts to more than . Waters from Lake Argentino flow into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
through the
Santa Cruz River.
The glaciers, the nearby town of
El Calafate
El Calafate, also known as ''Calafate'', is a city in Patagonia, Argentina. It is situated on the southern border of Lake Argentino, in the southwest part of the Santa Cruz Province, about northwest of Río Gallegos. The name of the city is deri ...
and the lake itself are important tourist destinations. The lake in particular is appreciated for
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
.
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...
,
common galaxias
The common galaxias (''Galaxias maculatus'') or inanga (from the Māori ''īnanga'') is a very widespread Southern Hemisphere fish in the family Galaxiidae. It is a slim, narrow fish with a forked tail and a mottled, spotty pattern, typically ...
("puyen grande"),
lake trout
The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also ...
and
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...
— in both anadromous and Potamodromous forms — are all found.
''Lago Argentino'' was also the name of the
airport that served the area until 2000. This airport is currently closed, and its runway was incorporated into the city's road system. It has been replaced by
Comandante Armando Tola International Airport
Comandante Armando Tola International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional de El Calafate – Comandante Armando Tola) is an airport in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is located approximately east of the city of El Calafate. Th ...
, which serves the town of El Calafate and Lago Argentino with many daily national and international flights.
Climate
Argentino Lake has a
cold desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(Köppen ''BWk'').
Gallery
File:Panorámica del Lago Argentino, desde la ciudad de El Calafate.jpg,
File:LakeArgentino.jpg,
File:Lago Argentino.jpg,
See also
*
Lake Viedma
Viedma Lake ( es, Lago Viedma, ) is a Patagonian lake in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, situated near its border with Chile. Measuring approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) in length, it is a major elongated trough lake formed from melt ...
*
Lake San Martín
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
*
Puerto Bandera
References
External links
Lake Argentinoon the website of th
International Lake Environment Committee Foundationon the website of the government of Santa Cruz (in Spanish)
* Lago Argentino Airport a
an
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argentino Lake
Lakes of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
Glacial lakes of Argentina
Lakes
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...