Portal:Latin America/Featured picture/20

Iceberg floating in Lago Argentino broken off from the Perito Moreno glacier.
Iceberg floating in Lago Argentino broken off from the Perito Moreno glacier.
Photo credit: Ilya Haykinson


Lake Argentino (in Spanish, Lago Argentino) is a freshwater lake located in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, at 50°2′S 72°4′W / 50.033°S 72.067°W / -50.033; -72.067. It is the biggest lake in Argentina, with a surface area of 1,466 km2 (566 sq mi), and a maximum width of 20 km (12 mi). It has an average depth of 150 m (490 ft), and a maximum of 500 m (1,600 ft).

The lake lies within the Los Glaciares National Park, in a landscape with numerous glaciers and is fed by the glacial meltwater of several rivers, the water from Lake Viedma brought by the La Leona River, and many mountain streams. Its drainage basin amounts to more than 17,000 km2 (6,600 sq mi).