Patagonia is situated south of the Colorado River in Argentina. It is a plateau with an area of more than 770,000 sq km and includes five provinces: Neuquén Río Negro, Chubut Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego. It stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Andes and is rich in wild life and different landscapes. The region was visited by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1520.
from www.argentours.com

Photo from ArtToday
Photo from ArtToday	The wind sweeps across the high plains from the mountains to the sea. The middle area of Patagonia is isolated, cold, seemingly barren and monotonous. Charles Darwin wrote about Patagonia in his "Voyage of the Beagle," written in the mid-19th century: "The plains of Patagonia are boundless for they are scarcely passable and hence unknown: they bear the stamp of having lasted as they are now for ages and there appears no limit to their duration through future time."
The cliffs drop suddenly into the Atlantic. Wildlife teems along the coast, and whale and dolphin watching trips from Peninsula Valdes are popular. For more detail, read The whales of Patagonia, Argentina by guest author Marita Alasio. The region was originally home to the Tehuelche Indians who wore fur shoes or boots which made their feet look very large. Magellan is credited with naming them Patagons, since pata means foot, but author Bruce Chatwin theorizes that their name more likely came from a fictional monster of Spanish literature, also called Patagon. The Tehuelches were exterminated and over time the area was settled by others, most notably the Welsh colonists who settled around the fertile areas of Chubut province. Tea houses, and afternoon tea, are a popular item in the province.	Photo from ArtToday
Photos from ArtToday	Western Patagonia is divided by the Andes, where glaciers and frigid mountain lakes dot the hillsides. Nahuel Huapi National Park encompasses a wide variety of terrain, from the lake of the same name, to forested hillsides, splendid scenery, snowcapped mountain peaks and the nearby all-season resort area of San Carlos de Bariloche, known internationally as Bariloche. For more information about Patagonia, read: The Glaciers of Argentina Nahuel Huapi, Argentina The Dinosaurs of South America
Tierra del Fuego is Argentina's southernmost region. An archipelago, it covers 76,000 sq km, and most of the area belongs to Chile. The Argentine cities of Ushuaia and Río Grande are the largest. Tierra del Fuego is surrounded by the South Atlantic, a cold, stormy climate with a long history of shipwrecks and marooned sailors attempting to sail the Strait of Magellan. At the very tip of Tierra del Fuego is Argentina's only coastal national park. The Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego includes rivers, lakes, forests and glaciers, plus this serene beach overlooking Beagle Channel.	Photo from ArtToday

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