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Los Glaciares

NHK World Heritage 100 Series

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Narration Text

Patagonia lies on the southern tip of the South American continent. Humid air from the Pacific Ocean meets the Andes Mountains, creating dense clouds. The clouds’ moisture falls as heavy snow.

Los Glaciares is the 3rd largest ice field in the world after Antarctica and Greenland. Snowfall turns to ice and becomes part of the ice field. The ice is highly transparent and reflects blue light while absorbing all other colors. The blue ice is unique to Los Glaciares. The ice field has gradually increased in size over the past 20 thousand years and now stretches from the mountains to the shore, forming a wall of ice over 10 meters high. The ice field provides Patagonia with abundant water and nature unique to the area. There are plants resistant to the strong westerly winds.

Guanaco is a typical Patagonian animal. Although belonging to the camel family, it does not have humps.

A 1km long chunk of ice broke off in 1994. The giant icebergs floating in the lake are chunks of glacier. Los Glaciares here at the tip of the South American continent are breaking their 20 thousand years of silence.