Punta Tombo is a peninsula 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 ...
south of
Trelew in
Chubut Province
Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Andes rang ...
,
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 ...
, where there is a large colony of
Magellanic penguins - the largest such colony in
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 a short distance north of
Camarones.
Natural reserve
The ''Punta Tombo Provincial Reserve'' has been protected since 1979, according to a provincial
decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...
, and it is one of the main tourist attractions in Chubut. Punta Tombo is part of the new marine national park at
Golfo San Jorge
The San Jorge Gulf (Golfo San Jorge; Spanish for ''Gulf of St. George'') is a bay in southern Patagonia, Argentina. It is an ocean basin opening to the Atlantic. Its shoreline spans Chubut and Santa Cruz province. The gulf measures approximatel ...
.
The long, wide peninsula is covered with sand, clay and gravel.
A variety of wildlife can be seen in the area, including a colony of Magellanic penguins, other seabirds (mainly
gulls and
cormorants),
rheas and
guanaco
The guanaco (; ''Lama guanicoe'') is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids, the other being the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations.
Etymology
The guanaco ...
s.
In the 19th Century, British mariners knew Punta Tombo as "Tombas".
Magellanic penguin colony
The Magellanic penguin colony at Punta Tombo is exposed to
overfishing of prey species and
oil spills
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...
, many of which go unreported. One such spill in August of 1991 claimed the lives of at least 16,000 Magellanic penguins, some of which made landfall at Punta Tombo in an oiled condition. The spill coincided with the population's breeding migration. More penguins were expected to have died at sea. The colony's population exceeded 1,000,000 birds in 1982. Between 1994 and 1995, the colony's population dropped 37%. In 1999, the colony was an estimated 400,000 birds.
In 2017, over a million birds were present at the colony.
See also
*
Punta Ninfas
*
Península Valdés
The Valdes Peninsula (Spanish: ''Península Valdés'') is a peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean in the Biedma Department of north-east Chubut Province, Argentina. Around in size (not taking into account the isthmus of Carlos Ameghino which connects ...
Citations and references
;Citations
;References
*Clayton, Jane M. (2014) ''Ships employed in the South Sea Whale Fishery from Britain: 1775-1815: An alphabetical list of ships''. (Berforts Group).
External links
Puntatombo.comPatagonia.com.ar
Punta Tombo, images
Headlands of Argentina
Landforms of Chubut Province
Protected areas of Chubut Province
{{Chubut-geo-stub