Fruit trees in Los Antiguos and Chile Chico — Lake Buenos Aires / General Carrera

Abstract

Lake Buenos Aires — in Chile called Lago General Carrera — is situated at 46? 30’ latitude south, at an altitude of 205 metres above sea level. Its approximate surface area of 2240 sq. km makes it the largest body of fresh water in Patagonia, having a maximum depth of 590 m. The western end of the lake is close to a vast glacier or ice-field, known as the Campo de Hielo Norte, from which most of the melt water entering the lake derives. The eastern sector of the lake, coinciding roughly with the portion of the lake on the Argentine side, features the widest section (approximately 22 km), in an area of semi-arid steppes that benefits climatically from the proximity of the lake.