El Palmar National Park
Encyclopedia
El Palmar National Park is one of Argentina
's national park
s, located on the center-west of the province
of Entre Ríos
, mid-way between the cities of Colón
(54 km) and Concordia
(60 km). It has an area of about 85 km² and was created in 1966 for the preservation of its characteristic Yatay palm trees (Syagrus yatay, formerly Butia yatay, Arecaceae
family).
The park has a temperate-humid savanna
ecosystem
, typical of the Argentine Mesopotamia
. The terrain features patches of palm trees of several species, grassland, small woods and forest, interrupted by streams flowing east into the Uruguay River
. The local fauna includes woodpecker
s, ñandúes, fox
es, viscacha
s, and capibaras.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s, located on the center-west of the province
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Entre Ríos
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
, mid-way between the cities of Colón
Colón, Entre Ríos
Colón is a city in the . It is located in the east of the province, on the western shore of the Uruguay River, and has about 21,000 inhabitants...
(54 km) and Concordia
Concordia, Entre Ríos
San Antonio de Padua de la Concordia is a city in the north-east of the province of Entre Ríos in the Argentine Mesopotamia. It has about 142,000 inhabitants as of the , and is the head town of the department of the same name.Concordia lies on the right-hand shore of the Uruguay River, opposite...
(60 km). It has an area of about 85 km² and was created in 1966 for the preservation of its characteristic Yatay palm trees (Syagrus yatay, formerly Butia yatay, Arecaceae
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
family).
The park has a temperate-humid savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
, typical of the Argentine Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia, Argentina
La Mesopotamia, Región Mesopotámica is the humid and verdant area of north-east Argentina, comprising the provinces of Misiones, Entre Ríos and Corrientes. The region called Litoral consists of the Mesopotamia and the provinces of Chaco, Formosa and Santa Fe...
. The terrain features patches of palm trees of several species, grassland, small woods and forest, interrupted by streams flowing east into the Uruguay River
Uruguay River
The Uruguay River is a river in South America. It flows from north to south and makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of the Mesopotamia from the other two countries...
. The local fauna includes woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s, ñandúes, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, viscacha
Viscacha
Viscachas or vizcachas are rodents of two genera in the family Chinchillidae. They are closely related to chinchillas, and look similar to rabbits...
s, and capibaras.
Sources
- Park information
- El Palmar National Park (in Spanish)
- Site about El Palmar National Park (in Spanish)
- Park description (in Spanish)