Tierra del Fuego National Park
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Tierra del Fuego National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
Location: | Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina |
Nearest city: | Ushuaia |
Area: | 630 km² |
Established: | 1960 |
Governing body: | Administración de Parques Nacionales |
Tierra del Fuego National Park is a national park on the Argentine part of the island of Tierra del Fuego, within Tierra del Fuego Province. It was founded in 1960.
Located close to the city of Ushuaia, the national park stretches 60 km north from the Beagle Channel along the Chilean border. Its 630 square kilometres include parts of the Fagnano and Roca lakes, the second of which opens into the Lapataia Bay on the southern coast, a popular point for treks. The park has dramatic scenery, with waterfalls, forests, mountains and glaciers. Parts of the park are closed to protect the environment.
Forests of ñire, lenga and coihue in the lower parts of the park are home to several animal species. Twenty species of terrestrial mammals include guanacos, foxes and beavers, which were introduced to the area and have caused serious damage, as have rabbits and muskrats. 90 species of bird include carancas, Torrent Ducks, Austral Parakeets, condors and oystercatchers.
The park can be reached from the outskirts of Ushuaia by the "Tren del Fin del Mundo" (Train of the end of the world), a tourist steam train running over 5 km.
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National parks of Argentina (by region) |
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Northwest: Baritú | Calilegua | El Rey | Los Cardones | Campo de los Alisos | Chaqueña: Copo | Río Pilcomayo | Chaco | Mesopotamia: Iguazú* | Mburucuyá | El Palmar | Cuyo: San Guillermo | Talampaya* | El Leoncito | Sierra de las Quijadas | Pampas: Quebrada del Condorito | Lihué Calel | Predelta | Patagonia: Laguna Blanca | Lanín | Los Arrayanes | Nahuel Huapi | Lago Puelo | Los Alerces | Francisco P. Moreno | Los Glaciares* | Monte León | Tierra del Fuego |