Perito Moreno is a town in the northwest of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, 25 km east of Lake Buenos Aires. It should not be confused with the Perito Moreno National Park over 300 km south by road, or the

Perito Moreno Glacier The Perito Moreno Glacier () is a glacier located in Los Glaciares National Park in southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia. The ice formation, in length, is one ...

near

El Calafate El Calafate, also known as ''Calafate'', is a city in Patagonia, Argentina. It is situated on the southern border of Lake Argentino, in the southwest part of the Santa Cruz Province (Argentina), Santa Cruz Province, about northwest of Río Galleg ...

. The town is the capital of the

Lago Buenos Aires Department Lago Buenos Aires Department is a department in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It has a population of 6,223 (2001) and an area of 28,609 km². The seat of the department is in Perito Moreno. Municipalities * Los Antiguos * Perito Moreno ...

. It lies on the RN43, a paved road which links

Caleta Olivia Caleta Olivia is a city located at the northeast of the Argentine province of Santa Cruz, on the San Jorge Gulf by the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population of 70,304 in the . It is the second most important city of the province after Rio Gallegos, ...

on the Atlantic coast to

Los Antiguos Los Antiguos is a town in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, located on the south shore of Lago Buenos Aires. It lies 2 km from the border with Chile, and 8 km from the Chilean town of Chile Chico. It is connected to Perito Moreno and ...

and the

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

an frontier 60 km west, and Ruta 40, running north and south. The town is a centre of cattle ranches and smallholdings producing fruit and vegetables. Tourism is also an important industry. Perito Moreno is the closest town to Cueva de las Manos, 170 km south by road, and Parque Laguna. In the 2010 census the town had a population of 4,617.

History

The town was founded in 1910, as a rest stop for travellers by the springs which give rise to the Rio Deseado. The place was called Pari-Aike (meaning "place of reeds") by the Tehuelche, but the town was officially called Nacimiento in 1927. The name was changed in 1944 to Lago Buenos Aires, and in 1952 to Perito Moreno, after the explorer Francisco Moreno.

Climate

Perito Moreno has a

cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

: BSk), bordering on a cold desert climate (

: BWk).

Buildings

The town is home to the Carlos J. Gradin Museum of Archaeology, named after Carlos J. Gradin. As of 2019, the building is still under construction.

Culture

Perito Moreno is widely considered the archaeological capitol of Santa Cruz, largely due to how close it is to Cueva de las Manos. Every year in February, the town celebrates a festival of Cueva de las Manos.

References

Notes

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina