Tierra del Fuego National Park | |
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Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego | |
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Location | Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina |
Nearest city | Ushuaia |
Coordinates | 54°50′S 68°30′W / 54.833°S 68.500°W |
Area | 630 km2 (243 sq mi) |
Established | 15 October 1960 |
Governing body | Administración de Parques Nacionales |
Tierra del Fuego National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego) is a national park on the Argentine part of the island of Tierra del Fuego, within Tierra del Fuego Province in the ecoregion of Patagonic Forest and Altos Andes, a part of the subantarctic forest. Established on 15 October 1960 under the Law 15.554[1] and expanded in 1966, it was the first shoreline national park to be established in Argentina.[2]
The park has dramatic scenery, with waterfalls, forests, mountains, and glaciers. Its 630 km2 (240 sq mi) include parts of the Fagnano and Roca lakes. The Senda Costera (Coastal Path), connecting Ensenada Bay to Lapataia Bay on Lago Roca, is a popular hiking trail within the park. Forests of Antarctic beech, lenga beech, and coihue in the lower elevations of the park are home to many animal species. There are 20 species of terrestrial mammals, including the guanaco, Andean fox, North American beaver, European rabbit and muskrat. Among the 90 species of birds are the kelp goose, torrent duck, austral parakeet, Andean condor, blackish oystercatcher, and Magellanic oystercatcher.[3][4][5][6]
The southernmost national park in Argentina,[4] it is listed as an IUCN category II park.[3][7][8] The park stretches 60 km (37 mi) north from the Beagle Channel along the Chilean border. Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego Province, is 11 km (6.8 mi) from the park.[6][9] The park can be reached by car or by train. The southern terminus of the Pan-American Highway is located within the park, as is the El Parque station of the End of the World Train.
Contributor: IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas