The archipelago constituting the Tierra del Fuego, was opened in 1520 by a Portuguese navigator Fernand Magellan , and he got this name because of the fires lit by the Indians along the shore when Magellan sailed through the strait , which bears his name today . He visited here and the young Charles Darwin, who was very impressed by the scenery of the island and the rough life of the local Indians . National Park of the same name with a total area of 63 thousand hectares was established in 1960. The landscape of the park was formed by erosion and ancient glaciers, which no longer exists. After a series of geomorphic processes climbed a mountain range of the Andes – a system of mountain ranges that surround the forested valleys cut by rivers and lakes, swamps and rock outcrops. In the coastal part of the park are Lapataya Bay and Ensenad, where gullies interspersed with small beaches – ideal habitat for birds. The climate is cool and humid, with maximum precipitation in autumn. In the winter a lot of snow, which accumulates in the valleys and on the slopes. Up to a height of 600 meters above sea level, spread thick forests and shrub grows up. A characteristic feature of the landscape of the national park is the peat bog. The formation of peat is possible only in a humid environment at low temperatures, which prevent decomposition of organic matter, and these conditions are typical for Fire Earth.
The diversity of wildlife in this park in Argentina is not so impressive – about 20 species of mammals and 90 species of birds. A distinctive feature of the ecosystems of Tierra del Fuego is lack. The more popular species is a red fox. Other mammal – the guanaco , lives in the mountains most of the year and only in the winter descends into the inner valley. Among the birds are most attracted the attention of three South American species of geese that live in open areas and on beaches. In the woods you can find a woodpecker , and high in the sky above the valleys and mountain peaks are flying condors . The large island of the archipelago was populated about 10,000 years ago. The ethnic diversity of the settlers said that they effectively interact with the environment , which is now perceived by us as very unfavorable . Numerous archeological finds indicate ancient relationship between man and nature around him . Early humans settled in their homes on the beach, moved by sea in a canoe , by hunting seals and collecting shellfish. Indians lived in huts constructed from the trunks and branches , and their clothes consisted of the skins of seals. The disappearance of these groups dates back to the emergence of the first European colonists in the 1880s . The main factor considered the destruction of the epidemic, but played no small role as Nõva ” exercises in shooting ” travelers and poisoning from hunters for free hunting for seals. For travelers developed several short walks , including the river banks and Lapatayya Ovando , the Black Lagoon , whose waters are characterized by a very dark color because of the peat on the bottom , to the panoramic point of the bay Lapatayya , the former settlement of beavers along the marsh . This is a small trail of up to one kilometer.
VERITA ALONZO
