Valdés Peninsula facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
Peninsula Valdés, photo taken during Space Shuttle program STS-68.
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| Location | Biedma Department, Chubut Province, Argentina |
| Criteria | Natural: (x) |
| Inscription | 1999 (23rd Session) |
| Area | 360,000 ha (890,000 acres) |
| Official name: Humedales de Península Valdés | |
| Designated: | 20 July 2012 |
| Reference #: | 2070 |
The Valdes Peninsula (Spanish: Península Valdés) is a special piece of land that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean. You can find it in the north-east part of Chubut Province, Argentina. It's about 3,625 km2 (896,000 acres; 1,400 sq mi) in size.
This peninsula is a very important nature reserve. Because of its unique wildlife, UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in 1999. This means it's a place of great value to everyone on Earth!
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Exploring Valdes Peninsula
The closest big town to the peninsula is Puerto Madryn. The only small town right on the peninsula is called Puerto Pirámides.
You'll also find several estancias here. These are large farms where people raise sheep.
Most of the peninsula is dry, open land. It has some interesting salt lakes. The biggest of these lakes is about 40 meters below sea level. This makes it one of the lowest places on Earth!
Amazing Animals of Valdes Peninsula
The coastline of Valdes Peninsula is home to many incredible marine mammals. You can see sea lions, huge elephant seals, and fur seals resting on the beaches.
Southern Right Whales: A Special Nursery
Valdes Peninsula is super important for Southern right whales. It's the best place in the world for these whales to have their babies!
They come to the protected waters of Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José. These gulfs are between the peninsula and the Patagonian mainland.
The whales arrive between May and December. They come here to mate and give birth. The water in these gulfs is much calmer and warmer than the open ocean. This makes it a safe nursery for their calves.
Orcas: Clever Hunters
Orcas (also known as killer whales) can be seen off the coast in the open sea. They are famous for a very clever hunting trick!
Orcas here sometimes beach themselves on shore. They do this to catch sea lions and elephant seals that are resting on the sand. It's an amazing sight to see!
Land Animals and Birds
The inner part of the peninsula is also full of life. You might spot rheas, which are large, flightless birds, similar to ostriches.
You can also see guanacos, which are like small llamas, and maras, which look like a mix between a rabbit and a deer.
Many different kinds of birds live here too. There are at least 181 bird species, and 66 of them migrate here from other places. Even the Antarctic pigeon visits this area!
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Whale watching
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Whale underwater off the peninsula
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Whale in Valdes Peninsula
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Wild guanaco
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Orca beaching to capture sea lion
Valdes Peninsula Climate
Valdes Peninsula has a semi-arid climate. This means it's quite dry, like a desert, but not as extreme. It's typical for northern Patagonia, but the nearby ocean changes the weather a bit.
The wind here mostly blows from the west. The average temperature for the whole year is about 10.6 °C (51.1 °F).
Seasonal Temperatures
- In winter, the average monthly temperature is around 8 °C (46.4 °F). Temperatures usually stay between 0 and 15 °C (32.0 and 59.0 °F). Frosts are common, happening about 12 to 20 days during winter.
- In summer, the average monthly temperature is about 18 °C (64.4 °F). Temperatures can range from 15 and 35 °C (59.0 and 95.0 °F).
Rainfall
The peninsula doesn't get much rain, averaging about 240 mm (9.4 in) per year. However, this amount can change a lot from one year to the next. The middle of the peninsula gets even less rain than the coastal areas.
Rainfall is spread out fairly evenly throughout the year. But the months of April, May, and June usually get the most rain. The El Niño Southern Oscillation also affects the weather here. During an El Niño year, there's more rain from November to February.
| Climate data for Punta Delgada Lighthouse, Valdes Peninsula | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.9 (96.6) |
35.6 (96.1) |
34.9 (94.8) |
30.1 (86.2) |
24.5 (76.1) |
20.9 (69.6) |
17.9 (64.2) |
21.9 (71.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
30.4 (86.7) |
34.9 (94.8) |
37.2 (99.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.8 (73.0) |
23.2 (73.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
12.2 (54.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
11.6 (52.9) |
13.7 (56.7) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.4 (66.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
16.1 (61.0) |
13.7 (56.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
8.2 (46.8) |
7.1 (44.8) |
7.7 (45.9) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) |
13.3 (55.9) |
12.0 (53.6) |
10.2 (50.4) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.3 (39.7) |
3.6 (38.5) |
3.2 (37.8) |
5.5 (41.9) |
7.4 (45.3) |
9.8 (49.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
8.5 (47.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) |
5.4 (41.7) |
4.3 (39.7) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
1.6 (34.9) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13.9 (0.55) |
10.5 (0.41) |
23.5 (0.93) |
25.9 (1.02) |
25.0 (0.98) |
25.2 (0.99) |
27.9 (1.10) |
14.8 (0.58) |
16.5 (0.65) |
12.1 (0.48) |
13.1 (0.52) |
15.1 (0.59) |
223.5 (8.80) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 68.0 | 68.5 | 68.5 | 68.5 | 72.5 | 76.5 | 77.0 | 72.5 | 72.5 | 68.0 | 69.0 | 67.5 | 70.8 |
| Source: Secretaria de Mineria | |||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Península Valdés para niños
