El Calafate

History

The modern history of El Calafate began in the initial decades of the 20th century, when the area was simply a sheltering place for wool traders. The town was officially founded in 1927 by the government of Argentina in a bid to promote settlement, but it was the creation of nearby Perito Moreno National Park (1937) that sparked growth and the building of better road access. Over the course of the 20th century, increased international travel (and ecotourism, in particular) fueled socioeconomic growth to the area, and raised the population by tens of thousands.

Transport

The 220 kilometers separating Calafate from El Chaltén on the other side of the Lake Argentino in the national park are paved, as well as the 315 kilometres to Río Gallegos. Other distances are: to Bariloche 1400 km; to Esquel 1108 km (some dirt road); Comodoro Rivadavia 959 km; Puerto Madryn 1388 km; Buenos Aires 2727 km; Ushuaia 863 km.

Calafate is served by El Calafate International Airport located some 20 km to the east of the city. |File:Avenida del Libertador, El Calafate.jpg|Avenida del Libertador, the town's main street |File:Cabañas - El Calafate.jpg|Residential section of the city |File:Perito Moreno Glacier 2023.jpg|El Calafate is located near Los Glaciares National Park |File:Glaciarium.jpg|Glacier Research Center

Population

There were 6,410 permanent residents were counted in the (). This represents a 106% increase compared with the 1991 census of 3,101. However, due to the expansion of tourism, the population was 16,655 in 2010 and 22,844 in the 2022 census, thus containing over 89% of the population of the department. It is also referred to as "Lago Argentino" in 2022 and earlier census documents.

Wildlife

Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) are regularly visible from El Calafate congregating in the waters of Lago Argentino at the north shoreline near Estancia La Querencia.

Climate

El Calafate experiences a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cool to warm, very dry summers and cool to cold, slightly wetter winters. The city's extremes of cold and heat are moderated by the influence of Lago Argentino. The waterfront of the city is located on a large shallow bay that is often frozen in the winter, allowing residents to practice ice skating. The highest temperature recorded was 30.7 °C on February 6, 1962 while the lowest recorded temperature was -17.4 °C on July 27, 2014.

|Jan record high C = 30.5 |Feb record high C = 30.7 |Mar record high C = 27.0 |Apr record high C = 24.3 |May record high C = 20.8 |Jun record high C = 18.0 |Jul record high C = 17.0 |Aug record high C = 21.0 |Sep record high C = 21.8 |Oct record high C = 23.3 |Nov record high C = 26.2 |Dec record high C = 28.5 |year record high C = 30.7 |Jan record low C = -2.2 |Feb record low C = -2.2 |Mar record low C = -6.8 |Apr record low C = -9.6 |May record low C = -12.4 |Jun record low C = -16.6 |Jul record low C = -17.4 |Aug record low C = -15.2 |Sep record low C = -9.0 |Oct record low C = -9.0 |Nov record low C = -5.6 |Dec record low C = -5.0 |year record low C = -17.4 | access-date = 29 April 2023 | archive-date = 3 March 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230303032103/https://ssl.smn.gob.ar/dpd/observaciones/estadisticas_normales_9120.zip | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230708235600/http://repositorio.smn.gob.ar/bitstream/handle/20.500.12160/2506/estad%C3%ADsticas_climatol%C3%B3gicas_normales_1991-2020.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y | archive-date = 8 July 2023 | access-date = 8 July 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230509192820/http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/bitstream/handle/10915/78367/Archivo_de_datos_climatol%C3%B3gicos.zip?sequence=1&isAllowed=y | archive-date = 9 May 2023 | access-date = 20 May 2023}}{{cite web | archive-date = 4 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904022616/https://www2.smn.gob.ar/caracterizaci%C3%B3n-estad%C3%ADsticas-de-largo-plazo | url-status = live | access-date = February 19, 2014 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702035438/http://www.mineria.gob.ar/estudios/irn/santacruz/tablametypluvio.asp | archive-date = July 2, 2015 | access-date = April 12, 2013}}

Attractions

El Calafate is the nearest city to the Perito Moreno Glacier, located 80 km away at Los Glaciares National Park. It's the most important tourist attraction thanks to its location and variety of activities available, such as sightseeing, walking (there are also wheelchair ramps), walking on top of the glacier, sailing, and kayaking.

Other attractions in El Calafate are Laguna Nimez nature preserve, where it's possible to do birdwatching and observe local fauna and flora; 4x4 vehicle excursions to Cerro Frías, Cerro Huyliche and La Leona petrified forest and Punta Walichu (archaeological sites); several farms which showcase traditional activities (sheep herding, shearing, horseback riding, Argentine barbecue, among others); Glaciarium, a museum that focuses on ice and glaciers, especially in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

For a variety of trekking tours, tourists often travel to the nearby town of El Chaltén, considered the National Trekking Capital.

Interesting facts

The most recent World Altitude Gliding record of 22,657 m (74,333 ft) was set near El Calafate on 2 September 2018 by Jim Payne and Tim Gardner in the new Perlan 2 glider (with pressurised cabin).

A previous gliding altitude record of 15,460 m (50,722 feet) was set near El Calafate on 29 August 2006 by Steve Fossett and Einar Enevoldson in their 'Perlan' high altitude research glider. This record has been certified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

The town was on the path of the total solar eclipse of July 11, 2010, occurring just before sunset. El Calafate was featured in the Top Gear Patagonia Special, in which the presenters drove from Bariloche to Ushuaia.

Notes

References

References

1. "Municipio de El Calafate".
2. "Home".
3. "El Calafate".
4. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de la Republica Argentine, Census of 27 October 2010.
5. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de la Republica Argentine, Census of 16 May 2022.
6. "Los Glaciares National Park".
7. "4x4 Vehicle Tour".
8. "Estancias".
9. "Descubri el Glaciar Perito Moreno".
10. "List of FAI world records for open-class gliders".
11. "Steve Fossett (USA) (14043) / World Air Sports Federation".