The Perito Moreno Glacier´s land holds even more ice giants, astounding lakes, the well-known Fitz Roy mountain and wide, turquoise blue sea shores. Its wild and immense windswept landscape calls for discovery.

The province states the southern continental extreme point of the Argentine Republic, in Patagonia. Being wedge-shaped, it receives the influence of two important seas: the Atlantic and the Pacific. It borders Chubut province to the north, Chile to the west and the south as well as the Strait of Magellan. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean.

It has a total area of 243,943 km2. It is the second largest province of the country (after Buenos Aires province). Río Gallegos is the capital city and among other important big cities you can find Río Turbio, Puerto San Julián, El Calafate and Caleta Olivia.

The Southern Patagonia National University´s branches are located in Río Gallegos, Caleta Olivia, San Julián and Río Turbio. They offer over 30 graduate degrees and postgraduate studies, as well; and the number of students increase every year.

These lands shelter one of the icons of Argentine tourism: the Perito Moreno Glacier, permanently visited by people from all over the world. However, this ice giant is not the only attraction: amazing lakes, a lot more glaciers, mountain peaks, caves with thousand-year-old handprints within, a petrified forest, the Patagonia steppe, farms and ranch houses, beaches with cliffs and a sea with the bluest turquoise color you could ever imagine.

Geography
There are two clearly different areas: the Andes, to the west and a plateau towards the eastern and central zone. All along the Andes (also the natural Chilean border), several peaks stand: Fitz Roy (3,405 mt) and Agassiz hill (3,180 mt). Numerous lakes can also be found along this line: Buenos Aires, Pueyrredón, San Martín, Viedma and Argentine Lake. The vast glacier extension is characteristic of the region; the mainland ice fields cover, like a white shield, the central part of the Andes. Over 2,000 km2 from one of these ice fields are set within the provincial territory, from which huge glaciers come away (Viedma, Upsala and Perito Moreno).

A plateau landscape prevails to the east of the Andes, like the great central plateau. There are also some scattered hills and other low areas, like Gran Bajo de San Julián. The plateau ends in the Atlantic coast, on a high cliff only interrupted by the mouths of important rivers running in a west-east direction, like Deseado River, Chico River, Santa Cruz River, Coig River and Gallegos River.

The average temperature is 8.99ºC, average wind speed 24 km/h and the average annual rainfall is 255mm.

History
Before the arrival of the Europeans, Santa Cruz was inhabited by native people belonging to the Tehuelche culture; they were constantly migrating and were good hunters of guanacos and rheas. During the summer time, they lived in the snow-free Andes and in the winter, they moved towards the coast. It was precisely on the coast where Magellan found them.

With the increasing interest of other colonial powers in the southern extreme of the American Continent, Spain decided to strengthen its presence in the South Atlantic. Magellan began with a long list of explorations in 1520. In 1578, when the British pirate Francis Drake started screening the area and crossed the Strait of Magellan to attack several Spanish ports on the Pacific Ocean, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa was commanded the mission to fortify both sides of the strait and thus close it to the English sailing.

In 1878, The Patagonia government (gobernación) was created, with Viedma as its capital city; this definitely set the basis for a national sovereignty. The National Territories law passed in 1884 divided this Patagonia zone into further governments: Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego. In 1955 the provinces of Río Negro, Neuquén, Chubut and Patagonia were created. The last one involved the current areas of Santa Cruz, Tierra del Fuego, South Atlantic islands and the Argentine sector in the Antarctica. In 1957 it became a province.

Economy
It is based mainly on the exploitation of oil, butane and methane gas. There are several natural reserves and the demand is steady. The fishing industry has been developed significantly and the most frequent products obtained are hake, pota, shrimp, corvine and squid.

As regards the mining industry, an important gold production is obtained in Cerro Vanguardia and silver gold is exploited in Manantial Espejo mine. Traditionally the minig industry was focused on coal (Río Turbio mines), clay and caolin (San Julián area) and on the salt exploitation for domestic use.

Cattle farming is another characteristic economic activity, especially sheep. The industrial sector owns plants to produce and preserve fish and its by-products.

Santa Cruz has been a world pioneer in the use of renewable alternative energies: the significant tide width, registered through tidal bores at small rivers and estuaries mainly, is a powerful source to obtain energy from tides.

Although harsh weather conditions in the province have limited traditional agriculture, some interesting productions have recently appeared especially of sour fruit (cherries, raspberries, calafate, strawberries) and garlic.

Tourism is another major factor in Santa Cruz economy, particularly adventure tourism.