Mar Chiquita is a coastal

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

in the southeast

province of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...

in eastern

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 ...

. It is located by the Atlantic coast, 30 km north of

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a s ...

. The area is a natural reserve where a number of animal species live around Mar Chiquita. There is a small resort on the southern side of the lagoon with population of 487 people as of 2010. The location was also used as a suborbital launch site at coordinates 37°45' south, 57°25' west between 1968 and 1972; eight

sounding rocket A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are used to ...

s of the types

Arcas In Greek mythology, Arcas (; Ancient Greek: Ἀρκάς) was a hunter who became king of Arcadia. He was remembered for having taught people the arts of weaving and baking bread and for spreading agriculture to Arcadia. Family Arcas was the so ...

, two rockets of the type Orion-1, and a rocket of the type

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

, were launched from the site. Mar Chiquita was designated a

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 1995."Mar Chiquita Biosphere Reserve, Argentina". UNESCO, May 2020. Accessed 11 April 2022

/ref> It was designated a wildlife refuge in 1998 by the Government of Argentina. The refuge covers an area of 560.3 km².UNEP-WCMC (2022). Protected Area Profile for Mar Chiquita from the World Database of Protected Areas. Accessed 11 April 2022

/ref>

References

External links

Mar Chiquita launch siteMunicipal Information

Mar Chiquita Partido official site
Landforms of Buenos Aires Province

Chiquita Chiquita Brands International Sàrl (), formerly known as Chiquita Brands International Inc. and United Fruit Co., is a Swiss-domiciled American producer and distributor of bananas and other produce. The company operates under a number of su ...

Protected areas of Buenos Aires Province Biosphere reserves of Argentina {{BuenosAiresAR-geo-stub

See also

References

External links