Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Map of Argentina
showing the location
of Auca Mahuevo,
our nesting site.
An entry in Magellan's diary for May 19, 1520, reads, "Two months
passed by without our seeing a single inhabitant of the country. One
day, when we least expected it, a huge man appeared before us. He
stood on the sand, almost naked, and sang and danced while throw-
ing dust over his head." Due to Magellan's description, Europeans
began to think of the "Patagoni" as giants, but in reality these people
were of normal height. In all probability, Magellan was simply trying
to enhance his own image as a courageous explorer and legendary
hero—as if being the leader of the first crew to sail completely around
the world wasn't enough.
Today, Patagonia encompasses an enormous region that covers
most of the cone at the southern tip of South America. Although the
Mercator projection that is commonly used to draw maps may make
it look small on a map, Patagonia is nearly half the size of Greenland
and larger than the states of Texas and Oklahoma combined, with an
area of more than four hundred thousand square miles. Most of
Patagonia is contained within Argentina, east of the high and frigid
