Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tierra del Fuego
The world's southernmost permanently inhabited territory, Tierra del Fuego ('Land of
Fire') consists of one large island (Isla Grande), unequally divided between Chile and
Argentina, and many smaller ones. When Europeans first passed through the Strait of
Magellan (which separates Isla Grande from the Patagonian mainland), the fires that
gave this land its name stemmed from the activities of the now endangered Yaghan
people.
The northern half of Isla Grande, resembling the Patagonian steppes, is devoted to
sheep grazing, while its southern half is mountainous and partly covered by forests and
glaciers. As in Patagonia, winter conditions are rarely extreme.
Wildlife
With such variances in terrain and such great distances, it's no wonder Argentina boasts a
wide range of flora and fauna. Subtropical rainforests, palm savannas, high-altitude
deserts and steppes, humid-temperate grasslands, alpine and sub-Antarctic forests and
rich coastal areas all support their own special life forms.
Animals
Northeast Argentina boasts the country's most diverse animal life. One of the best areas
on the continent to enjoy wildlife is the swampy Esteros del Iberá, in Corrientes
province, where animals such as swamp deer, capybara and caiman, along with many
large migratory birds, are common. It's comparable to - arguably even better than -
Brazil's more famous Pantanal.
CAPYBARAS
Treading, with its webbed feet, a very fine line between cute and ugly, the capybara
is a sizable semiaquatic beast that you're bound to encounter in the Esteros del
Iberá area. Weighing in at up to 75kg, the carpincho, as it's known in Spanish, is the
world's largest rodent.
Very much at home both on land and in the water, the gentle and vaguely comic-
al creatures eat aquatic plants and grasses in great quantity. They form small
herds, with a dominant male living it up with four to six females. The male can be
recognized by a protrusion on his forehead that emits a territory-marking scent.
The lovably roly-poly babies are born in spring.
