Patagonia - interesting facts

Patagonia is a distant and harsh land. Plains of Patagonia stretch for a length of more than 2 thousand km, from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the southern extremity of the Andes. All who make a trip to Chile or Argentina, it will be interesting to know what is amazing about the area of ​​Patagonia, interesting facts about which are given below. It is not for nothing that this land of untouched nature attracts travelers from all over the world. Perhaps because every person here can feel free.

Top 10 interesting facts about Patagonia

1. The first European to set foot on the land of Patagonia was the Portuguese explorer Fernand Magellan. He and other members of the expedition were so impressed by the growth of local Indians (about 180 cm) that the whole region was immediately given the characteristic name of "patagon" - giant.
2. In Patagonia, traces of the existence of primitive people have been preserved. One of these monuments is the Cave of Hands ( Cueva de las Manos ), in 1999 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO natural sites. The walls of the cave are covered with fingerprints, and all the imprints were made by the left male hand - probably this action was part of the rite of dedicating boys to warriors.
3. Patagonia is ecologically the cleanest region on the planet. Here flutter bright birds, and on the shores of lakes with unusually clean and crystal water grazing herds of wild horses.
4. Most of Patagonia is protected by the state. It was done in order to stop uncontrolled deforestation by European immigrants. They at one time burned or uprooted more than 70% of the vegetation.
5. Patagonia is one of the world's largest areas of sheep breeding. Wool trade, along with tourism, is the basis of the region's economy.
6. Due to the large extent from north to south in Patagonia, almost all forms of relief are represented: from arid semi-desert to tropical forests, mountains, glacial fjords and lakes.
7. In Patagonia, there is one of the most difficult for climbing mountain ranges - Sierra Torre. Despite the relatively low altitude, only 3128 meters, its slopes did not succumb to even the most experienced mountaineers. The first ascent of the Sierra Torre was completed in 1970.
8. The highest point of Patagonia, Mount Fitzroy (3375 m), was named in honor of Robert Fitzroy - the captain of the ship "Brit", which Charles Darwin committed in 1831-1836 gg. its round-the-world trip.
9. Patagonia is one of the most windy regions on the planet. A strong storm wind blows almost all the time and locals sometimes joke that if you lose your vigilance, the territory will be blown into the ocean by the wind. Crowns of trees under the influence of wind often acquire a bizarre shape.
10. In the Argentine part of Patagonia, near the city of San Carlos de Bariloche, there is "South American Switzerland" - the ski resort of Sierra Catedral with a difference in the heights of the skating from 1400 to 2900 m.