Talampaya National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Wall at the channel system
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Location within Argentina
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Location | La Rioja Province, Argentina |
Nearest city | Villa Unión |
Coordinates | 29°48′S 67°50′W / 29.800°S 67.833°WCoordinates: 29°48′S 67°50′W / 29.800°S 67.833°W |
Area | 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) |
Established | 1997 |
Governing body | Administración de Parques Nacionales |
Official name | Ischigualasto and Talampaya Natural Parks |
Type | Natural |
Criteria | viii |
Designated | 2000 (24th session) |
Reference no. | 966 |
State Party | Argentina |
Region | Latin America and the Caribbean |
Talampaya National Park is a national park located in the east/centre of La Rioja Province, Argentina. It was designated a provincial reserve in 1975, a national park in 1997, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
The park protects an area of the Argentine Monte ecoregion. The park covers an area of 2,150 square kilometres (830 sq mi), at an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) above mean sea level. Its purpose is to protect important archaeological and palaeontological sites found in the area. It has landscapes of great beauty, with flora and fauna typical of the mountain biome.
The park is in a basin between the Cerro Los Colorados to the west and the Sierra de Sañagasta to the east. The landscape is the result of erosion by water and wind in a desert climate, with large ranges in temperature - high heat by day and low temperature at night, with torrential rain in summer and strong wind in spring.
The park includes:
Parque Nacional de Talampaya
Talampaya canyon entrance
Petroglyphs
Parque Nacional Talampaya
Tour buses at the park
Rhea
The wall