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From a geological point of view,
the landscape that characterizes Patagonia is considered new.
The forests, lakes and glaciers of the mountain range contrast
with the extreme aridity of the steppe that extends from the
sea to the mountains. Today the west it is characteristically
damp, while dryness advances progressively in the east.
Patagonia is the continental landmass nearest to Antarctica.
This region encompasses the most southerly sectors of
Argentina and Chile. In the
first country, it extends from the Río Colorado (36ºS) in the
north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. It includes five
provinces: Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Tierra del
Fuego (which has political jurisdiction over Isla de los
Estados, Malvinas (Falklands) and other islands of the South
Atlantic and the Argentine sector of Antarctica), and the
southwestern corner of Buenos Aires. In Chile, Patagonia is
considerably smaller and extends from Golfo Corcovado at 44ºS
to Cape Horn in the south. It includes the regions of Aisén
(XI) and that of Magallanes y Antarctica Chilena (XII).
The
actual Patagonian Andes begin in Argentina somewhat south of
the northern limit of Patagonia at 39ºS, near Pino Hachado,
Neuquén. From there they run south 2,000 kilometers to
Tierra del Fuego. The summits are between 2,000 and 2,500
meters.
Enormous ice fields appear between 46ºS and 52ºS,
from which frozen rivers spread toward the eastern lakes
(Argentina) and the fiords along the Pacific coast
(Chile).
Along their route to the
east, the clouds coming from the Pacific gradually disperse as
they pass the mountains. Between them and the Atlantic lies a
land that emerged from the sea, one now separated from the
rains by the high peaks. It is the Patagonian steppe. Cold,
dry winds sweep this plain year-round, evaporating the scarce
humidity of a thirsty soil: an average of 150
millimeters of rain falls annually on its surface. At present,
only a half dozen important watercourses make their way from
the mountains to the Atlantic. The Patagonian Atlantic coast
extends for more than 3,000 kilometers. The many beaches are
sandy or stony, and alternate with steepe grandiose cliffs.
The most vast continental platform of the hemisphere is found
on the South Atlantic. The waters of this zone combine the
warm current of Brazil, coming from the north, with the cold
one from Islas Malvinas (Falklands), creating an underwater
world of unusual diversity. In the Chilean sector of
Patagonia, to the west and southwest of the Andes, a vast
archipelago is formed by variously sized islands, islets and
rocky crags, which constitute a very peculiar geographical
laberynth: Western Patagonia. Between the maritime area of the
Pacific occupied by the archipelagoes and the continental part
of the region, there are a great number of channels extending
in different directions. |
