The Lago Puelo National Park is a national park of Argentina, located in the northwest of the province of Chubut, in the Patagonia. It has an area of 276.74 km². It was created in order to protect its wonderful landscape and the Valdivian flora, as an annex to the Los Alerces National Park, and declared National Park and independent reserve in 1971. Yosemite National Park in the United States. ... Argentina consists of 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 federal district (Capital Federal *). Capital Federal * Buenos Aires Catamarca Chaco Chubut Córdoba Corrientes Entre Ríos Formosa Jujuy La Pampa La Rioja Mendoza Misiones Neuquén Río Negro Salta San Juan San Luis Santa Cruz Santa Fe Santiago... Map of Argentina highlighting Chubut province Chubut is a province in the southern part of Argentina. ... Patagonia is that portion of South America which, to the east of the Andes, lies mainly south of the Rio Negro (41°S), and, to the west of the Andes, south of (42°S). ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... The Los Alerces National Park is a national park in Chubut Province, Argentina, some 30 miles from Esquel. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ...

The protected area belongs to the Patagonic forest and steppes and High Andes eco-regions, with maximum heights of 200 m over sea level. The climate is cold and wet, with snowfall in winter. The valley has a trans-Andean connection and a particular microclimate. A steppe in Western Kazakhstan in early spring In physical geography, a steppe (from Russian step) is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally reckoned as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are...

The mountainous zone where the park lies was modified by the action of glaciers, which created many rivers and lakes, including the one (Puelo Lake) that gives the park its name. The rivers of the region show high levels of glacier sediment (silt), which gives Puelo Lake its blue color. A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. ... Silt refers to soil or rock particles of a certain very small size range (see grain size). ...

Some of the flora of the park belongs to the Valdivian jungle (avellano, tique, lingue, ulmo). It also includes the ciprés de la cordillera, the coihue, the lenga, the radal, and the arrayán. The rosa mosqueta is an exotic plant. The term flora has several meanings in English: Flora is a collective term for plant life; as distinct from Fauna (animals). ... Binomial name Luma apiculata (DC.) Burrett The Arrayán (Luma apiculata) is a species of tree in the genus Luma in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) native to the central Andes mountains between Chile and Argentina. ...

The fauna includes the pudú, the huemul, the red fox, the puma, and the coipo. Among birds we find the huala, the pato vapor volador, the bandurria, the pitío and the zorzal patagónico. The lake features native fish such as the perca, the peladilla and the puyén grande, and foreign species of trout. Fauna is a collective term for animal life, as distinct from Flora (plant life) Fauna is an ancient Roman goddess. ... Binomial name Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) The puma (Felis concolor) is a type of big cat found in North, Central and South America. ... Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Trout is the common name given to a number of species of freshwater fishes belonging to the salmon family, Salmonidae. ...

The first settlers of the region were hunter-gatherers who lived in the steppe and employed stone tools to hunt guanacos. There are cave paintings within the park, apparently showing representations of paths into the forest. Nowadays Mapuche communities live in the eastern part of the park. In anthropology, the hunter-gatherer way of life is that led by certain societies of the Neolithic Era based on the exploitation of wild plants and animals. ... Binomial name Lama guanicoe (Müller, 1776) The Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) (sometimes spelled Guanco) is an elegant, fine-boned lamoid animal that stands approximately 3 ft 6 (1. ... Cave or rock paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times. ... The Mapuche are the pre-Hispanic inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile and Argentina. ...

Sources

• Administración de Parques Nacionales - National Parks Administration of Argentina (in Spanish and English)