Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, provincia (province), southern Argentina. It lies within the region of Patagonia and extends westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the cordilleras of the southern Andes Mountains on the frontier with Chile. It is sparsely inhabited. Río Gallegos, in the far south, is the provincial capital.

Santa Cruz is a region of constant winds and dust storms that sweep over its dry tablelands and its arid, precipitous coast. In spite of the high latitude, however, temperatures are moderated by the proximity of the ocean. The province’s western rim includes forested Andean foothills and a number of beautiful glacial lakes, notably Lake Argentino, where tourism is the main economic activity.

Perito Francisco P. Moreno National Park, with an area of 444 square miles (1,150 square km) in the northwestern part of the province, includes the Andean divide between Pacific and Atlantic drainage. The northeast-central Petrified Forest National Monument (1954) covers nearly 14 square miles (35 square km). Los Glaciares National Park, which lies farther south and has an area of 1,722 square miles (4,459 square km), including Lake Argentino, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981. In addition, in the northwest near the Pinturas River, the Cave of the Hands (Cueva de las Manos)—known for its collection of cave art that dates to between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago—was designated a World Heritage site in 1999.

Santa Cruz was part of the Patagonia National Territory from 1878 until it was made a separate national territory in 1884. In 1955 it achieved provincial status.

There are sheep ranches in the sheltered canyons that cross the central desert, but there is little agriculture. Shipping services link the province’s Atlantic ports, where wool and sheepskins from the interior are collected for shipment to Buenos Aires. Río Gallegos, the southernmost port of continental Argentina, is also a centre of the sheep trade. Other ports are San Julián, Santa Cruz, and Puerto Deseado. Area 94,187 square miles (243,943 square km). Pop. (2001) 196,958; (2010) 273,964.