Lago Argentino is a lake in the Patagonia

Patagonia

Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...

n , at 50°2′S 72°4′W. It is the biggest freshwater lake in Argentina, with a surface area of 1466 square kilometre (maximum width: 20 mi (32 km)). It has an average depth of 150 m (492 ft), and a maximum depth of 500 m (1,640 ft).
The lake lies within the Los Glaciares National Park

Los Glaciares National Park

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is a national park in the Santa Cruz Province, in Argentine Patagonia. It comprises an area of 4459 km². In 1981 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO....

, in a landscape with numerous glacier

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

s and is fed by the glacial meltwater of several rivers, the water from Lake Viedma

Lake Viedma

Viedma Lake , approximately 50 miles long in southern Patagonia near the border between Chile and Argentina...

 brought by the La Leona River, and many mountain streams. Its drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 amounts to more than 17000 square kilometre. Waters from Lake Argentino flow into the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 through the Santa Cruz River

Santa Cruz River (Argentina)

Santa Cruz River is a river from the Argentine province of Santa Cruz.The Santa Cruz begins at the shore of the Viedma and Argentino Lakes, of glacial origin and located in the Los Glaciares National Park, and runs eastwards before reaching the Atlantic Coast, north of the southern tip of South...

.

The glaciers, the nearby town of El Calafate

El Calafate

- Population :In the last census 6,143 permanent residents were counted . This represents a 20.1% increase compared with the 1991 census. However, due to the expansion of tourism, the population was estimated at 8,000 people in 2005.- Wildlife :...

 and the lake itself are important touristic destinations. The lake in particular is appreciated for fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

. Perch

Perch (disambiguation)

Perch may refer to:*Perch , a surname *The USS Perch, multiple ships with the name*Perch , antique unit of measure of length, area or volume, depending on context, used in medieval France and the British Isles...

, common galaxias

Common galaxias

The common galaxias or the inanga , is a species of fish from the galaxiid family that is very widespread in the southern hemisphere. It is a slim narrow fish with a forked tail and as an adult it lives in freshwater rivers and lakes. Common galaxias grows to a length of 40 to 120 mm, but can grow...

, "puyen grande", lake trout

Lake trout

Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...

 and rainbow trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

 — in both migratory and sedentary forms — are all found.

Lago Argentino is also the name of the airport that serves the area, located at 50°20′S 72°15′W. The town of El Calafate is sometimes called Lago Argentino. This Airport is currently closed and has been replaced by Comandante Armando Tola International Airport

Comandante Armando Tola International Airport

Comandante Armando Tola International Airport is an airport in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is located approximately east of the city of El Calafate. The airport is jointly operated by the government and London Supply...

which serves the town of Calafate and Lago Argentino, with many daily national and international flights.