- Location: Patagonian Andes, on the border of Chile and Argentina;
- Cities: Chile-Chico, Los Antiguos, Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez;
- Flow Location: Baker, Bertrand;
- Inflow source: Ibáñez River;
- Area: 1850 km ²;
- The greatest depth: 590 m;
- Height of the surface above sea level: 217 m.
Chile is a country of incredible contrasts and a stunningly beautiful nature. One of the most unusual countries in the world is home to majestic volcanoes, hot geysers, white beaches and countless islands. In addition, on the territory of Chile is located one of the largest lakes of the continent - Lake Buenos Aires. Let's talk more about it.
Interesting Facts
If you look at the map, you can find that the lake Buenos Aires is on the border of two states - Chile and Argentina. Surprisingly, in each of these countries it has its own name: the Chileans call the lake "General Carrera", while the inhabitants of Argentina proudly call it "Buenos Aires".
The lake occupies an area of approximately 1,850 km², of which about 980 km² belong to the Chilean region of Aisen del General Carlos Ibañez del Campo, and the remaining 870 km² are in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz . It is worth noting that Buenos Aires is the second largest lake in South America.
What else is interesting about the lake?
General-Carrera is a huge lake of glacial origin that flows into the Pacific Ocean via the Baker River. The maximum depth of the lake is about 590 meters. With regard to weather conditions, the climate in this area is rather cold and windy, and the coast is mostly represented by high cliffs, but this did not prevent the formation of small villages and towns on the banks of Buenos Aires.
One of the main attractions of the lake, for which thousands of tourists annually come to Chile, is the so-called "Marble Cathedral" - an island consisting of mineral formations of white and turquoise hues. In 1994, this place received the status of a National Monument, after which its popularity increased at times. When the water level is low, you can admire this unique natural phenomenon not only from the outside, but also from the inside, floating on boats under magical colorful rocks.
How to get there?
You can reach Lake Buenos Aires in several ways:
- From Argentina - on the national route number 40. It was this road that followed the Argentine scientist, and explorer Francisco Moreno, who discovered the lake in the XIX century.
- From Chile - through the city of Puerto Ibáñez, located on the northern shore of General Carrera. For a long time, the only way to get to the lake was crossing the border, but in the 1990s, with the opening of the Carretera Austral route, everything changed, and today anyone can reach here without problems.