Los Glaciares National Park

Los Glaciares National ParkThe Perito Moreno Glacier, in Los Glaciares National Park, Santa Cruz province, Patagonia, Argentina.

Los Glaciares National Park, national park in Santa Cruz provincia, southwestern Argentina, in the Andes surrounding the western extensions of Lakes Argentino and Viedma, at the Chilean border. It has an area of 1,722 square miles (4,459 square km) and was established in 1937. The park has two distinct regions—forests and grassy plains in the east and needlelike peaks, lakes, large glaciers, and snowfields in the west. Mount Fitz Roy (11,073 feet [3,375 meters]) is the highest point in the park. Wildlife includes guanacos, chinchillas, pudu and guemal (two species of small deer), condors, and rheas. The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Will Gosner.