Squiggling east from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, the mighty Santa Cruz River in Argentina"s Patagonia region flows over some of South America"s sparsest terrain. Over the centuries, some of history"s most notable explorers have been drawn to the winding waterway: Ferdinand Magellan"s 1520 expedition discovered its coastal delta, and Charles Darwin (on the same voyage that took him to the Galápagos Islands) studied the area"s ecosystem during a grueling 1834 side trip up the river. Even now, very few settlements exist along the 240-mile course of the Santa Cruz, considered the last major free-flowing river in Patagonia.
Meandering through Patagonia
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
International Zebra Day
-
Teacher Appreciation Day
-
Redwood National and State Parks, California
-
Moselle River loop near Kröv, Germany
-
Antarctica Day
-
Goliath heron in Kruger National Park, South Africa
-
Celebrating World Water Day
-
Let the Highland games begin
-
Kagami-ike, Nagano, Japan
-
World Population Day
-
Dhaka, Bangladesh
-
World Turtle Day
-
Detroit Industry Murals by Diego Rivera
-
Quiver trees in Namibia
-
Seasonal lights dazzle in Japan
-
A seabird gets schooled
-
We stand with Ukraine
-
Lei Day
-
World Water Day
-
Happy winter solstice!
-
Star Wars Day
-
World Laughter Day—it s a hoot
-
Silent night, sparkling lights, and hearts full of joy
-
Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
-
Gaztelugatxe at sunset, Basque Country, Spain
-
Jerte Valley in bloom
-
From garden to table?
-
The aftermath of a meteorite
-
A medieval celebration in the Mediterranean
-
Smoking nights in Austria