List of national parks of Argentina facts for kids

The National Parks of Argentina make up a network of 35 national parks in Argentina. The parks cover a very varied set of terrains and biotopes, from Baritú National Park on the northern border with Bolivia to Tierra del Fuego National Park in the far south of the continent. The Administración de Parques Nacionales (National Parks Administration) is the agency that preserves and manages these national parks along with Natural monuments and National Reserves within the country.

The headquarters of the National Parks Service are in downtown Buenos Aires, on Santa Fe Avenue. A library and information centre are open to the public. The administration also covers the national monuments, such as the Jaramillo Petrified Forest, and natural and educational reserves.

History

The creation of the National Parks dates back to the 1903 donation of 75 km² (29 sq mi) of land in the Lake District in the Andes foothills by Francisco Moreno, the renowned explorer and academic in Argentina. This formed the nucleus of a larger protected area in Patagonia around San Carlos de Bariloche. At the beginning of the 1920s there was an amazing revival of the national park idea at Lake Nahuel Huapí, which led to the official establishment of the Parque Nacional del Sud on 8 April 1922 by decree of President Yrigoyen. In 1934, a law was passed creating the National Parks system, formalising the protected area as the Nahuel Huapi National Park and creating the Iguazú National Park. Thus, Argentina was the third country in the Americas, after United States and Canada to establish a national parks system. The National Park Police Force was born, enforcing the new laws preventing tree-felling and hunting. Under the direction of the founding director of the National Direction of National Parks Exequiel Bustillo, a conception of national parks focused on economic development and colonization of the region was developed. Beyond touristic development the aim of the parks was to establish national sovereignty over peripherical areas and to protect national borders. Five further national parks were declared in 1937 in Patagonia and the service planned new towns and facilities to promote tourism and education. Six more were declared by 1970.

In 1970 a new law established new categories of protection: National Parks, National Monuments, Educational Reserves, and Natural Reserves. Three national parks were designated in the 1970s. In 1980, another new law affirmed the status of national parks – this law is still in place. The 1980s saw the service reaching out to local communities and local government to help in the running and development of the national parks. Ten more national parks were created with local co-operation, sometimes at local instigation. In 2000, Mburucuyá and Copo National Parks were declared, and El Leoncito natural reserve was upgraded to a national park. Currently, there are 41 protected areas in Argentina, which cover an area of 37,000 km² (14,286 sq mi) or about 1.5% of the total land area in Argentina.

Map

National Parks

•      ‡ World Heritage Site

Name	Image	Province Coordinates	Creation	Area	Visitors (2015)	Ref
Aconquija		Tucumán 26°29′S 65°12′W / 26.48°S 65.20°W / -26.48; -65.20	4 July 2018	90,000 ha (347 sq mi)	No data
Baritú		Salta 22°35′S 64°37′W / 22.58°S 64.62°W / -22.58; -64.62	24 April 1974	72,439 ha (280 sq mi)	938
Bosques Petrificados de Jaramillo		Santa Cruz 47°40′S 68°05′W / 47.67°S 68.09°W / -47.67; -68.09	27 December 2012	78,543 ha (303 sq mi)	6,535
Calilegua		Jujuy 23°41′S 64°47′W / 23.69°S 64.79°W / -23.69; -64.79	25 July 1979	76,306 ha (295 sq mi)	13,667
Campos del Tuyú		Buenos Aires 36°21′S 56°52′W / 36.35°S 56.87°W / -36.35; -56.87	4 June 2009	3,040 ha (12 sq mi)	Not allowed
Chaco		Chaco 26°50′S 59°40′W / 26.83°S 59.66°W / -26.83; -59.66	22 October 1954	14,981 ha (58 sq mi)	4,913
Copo		Santiago del Estero 25°51′S 61°55′W / 25.85°S 61.91°W / -25.85; -61.91	28 December 2000	118,119 ha (456 sq mi)	444
El Impenetrable		Chaco 24°59′S 61°05′W / 24.99°S 61.08°W / -24.99; -61.08	30 October 2014	128,000 ha (494 sq mi)	Not allowed
El Leoncito		San Juan 31°55′S 69°14′W / 31.92°S 69.24°W / -31.92; -69.24	15 October 2002	89,706 ha (346 sq mi)	16,343
El Palmar		Entre Ríos 31°52′S 58°15′W / 31.87°S 58.25°W / -31.87; -58.25	30 November 1965	8,213 ha (32 sq mi)	175,414
El Rey		Salta 24°40′S 64°38′W / 24.67°S 64.63°W / -24.67; -64.63	2 July 1948	44,162 ha (171 sq mi)	1,204
Iberá		Corrientes 27°56′S 59°04′W / 27.93°S 59.07°W / -27.93; -59.07	20 December 2018	183,500 ha (708 sq mi)
Iguazú‡		Misiones 25°38′S 54°20′W / 25.64°S 54.34°W / -25.64; -54.34	29 October 1934	67,620 ha (261 sq mi)	1,349,801
Islas de Santa Fe		Santa Fe 32°16′S 60°43′W / 32.27°S 60.71°W / -32.27; -60.71	15 November 2010	4,096 ha (16 sq mi)	Not allowed
Lago Puelo		Chubut 42°10′S 71°41′W / 42.17°S 71.69°W / -42.17; -71.69	16 November 1971	27,675 ha (107 sq mi)	120,554
Laguna Blanca		Neuquén 39°02′S 70°21′W / 39.03°S 70.35°W / -39.03; -70.35	29 May 1945	11,251 ha (43 sq mi)	938
Lanín		Neuquén 39°53′S 71°29′W / 39.89°S 71.48°W / -39.89; -71.48	29 May 1945	412,003 ha (1,591 sq mi)	51,321
Lihué Calel		La Pampa 37°57′S 65°37′W / 37.95°S 65.61°W / -37.95; -65.61	8 June 1976	32,500 ha (125 sq mi)	7,582
Los Alerces‡		Chubut 42°52′S 71°52′W / 42.87°S 71.87°W / -42.87; -71.87	29 May 1945	263,000 ha (1,015 sq mi)	143,943
Los Arrayanes		Neuquén 40°50′S 71°37′W / 40.83°S 71.61°W / -40.83; -71.61	16 November 1971	1,840 ha (7 sq mi)	No data
Los Cardones		Salta 25°17′S 65°55′W / 25.28°S 65.92°W / -25.28; -65.92	13 December 1996	65,000 ha (251 sq mi)	72,947
Los Glaciares‡		Santa Cruz 50°00′S 73°08′W / 50.00°S 73.13°W / -50.00; -73.13	29 May 1945	726,927 ha (2,807 sq mi)	542,794
Mburucuyá		Corrientes 28°01′S 58°04′W / 28.02°S 58.07°W / -28.02; -58.07	17 January 2002	17,086 ha (66 sq mi)	3,136
Monte León		Santa Cruz 50°20′S 68°54′W / 50.34°S 68.90°W / -50.34; -68.90	10 November 2004	62,169 ha (240 sq mi)	6,762
Nahuel Huapi		Río Negro and  Neuquén 40°52′S 71°29′W / 40.87°S 71.49°W / -40.87; -71.49	29 October 1934	712,160 ha (2,750 sq mi)	279,360
Patagonia		Santa Cruz 47°10′S 71°19′W / 47.16°S 71.32°W / -47.16; -71.32	21 January 2015	53,000 ha (205 sq mi)	Not allowed
Perito Moreno		Santa Cruz 47°55′S 72°15′W / 47.92°S 72.25°W / -47.92; -72.25	29 May 1945	127,120 ha (491 sq mi)	177
Predelta		Entre Ríos 32°09′S 60°38′W / 32.15°S 60.63°W / -32.15; -60.63	13 January 1992	2,608 ha (10 sq mi)	74,217
Quebrada del Condorito		Córdoba 31°40′S 64°46′W / 31.67°S 64.77°W / -31.67; -64.77	19 December 1996	35,393 ha (137 sq mi)	22,079
Río Pilcomayo		Formosa 25°03′S 58°08′W / 25.05°S 58.13°W / -25.05; -58.13	17 October 1951	50,417 ha (195 sq mi)	10,186
San Guillermo		San Juan 29°19′S 69°17′W / 29.31°S 69.29°W / -29.31; -69.29	13 January 1999	166,000 ha (641 sq mi)	No data
Sierra de las Quijadas		San Luis 32°33′S 67°07′W / 32.55°S 67.12°W / -32.55; -67.12	10 December 1991	73,785 ha (285 sq mi)	29,599
Talampaya‡		La Rioja 29°54′S 68°01′W / 29.90°S 68.01°W / -29.90; -68.01	10 July 1997	215,000 ha (830 sq mi)	63,797
Tierra del Fuego		Tierra del Fuego 54°39′S 68°28′W / 54.65°S 68.47°W / -54.65; -68.47	25 October 1960	68,909 ha (266 sq mi)	265,633
Traslasierra		Córdoba 31°09′S 65°29′W / 31.15°S 65.49°W / -31.15; -65.49	21 March 2018	105,385 ha (407 sq mi)	Not allowed

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Parques nacionales de Argentina para niños

• List of World Heritage Sites in Argentina
• List of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Argentina