Golfo San Matías

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Golfo San Matías
Waters South Atlantic
Land mass Patagonia
Geographical location 41 ° 30 ′  S , 64 ° 15 ′  W Coordinates: 41 ° 30 ′  S , 64 ° 15 ′  W
Map of Golfo San Matías
width approx. 140 km
depth approx. 160 km

The Golfo San Matías is a large bay in the South Atlantic , located in the south of Argentina between 41 ° and 42 ° south latitude, in the provinces of Río Negro and Chubut . It is bounded by the small Punta Bermejo peninsula in the north and the Valdés peninsula in the south.

Coastal shapes

In the north of the gulf, a steep coast with a height of 30-100 m and steeply sloping cliffs stretches along the first 150 km. At the north-western tip there is a distinctive cut into the steep coast, the Bay of San Antonio , the coast of which is flat and therefore its extent fluctuates relatively strongly depending on the tide. Then the coast turns to the south, where there are also cliffs, which are, however, less high than in the north (25–50 m). At the height of 42 °. The Valdés peninsula begins at the same latitude. In their area there is a second distinctive incision in the coastline, the Golfo San José , whose special feature is the very narrow entrance. The gulf ends at the Punta Norte (northern tip) of the peninsula.

Places on the Gulf

Coast at San Antonio Oeste

The coast of the Gulf is very sparsely populated, with the exception of the area around the Bay of San Antonio. From north to south there are only the following villages on the 450 km long coastline of the Gulf:

  • La Lobería at the entrance, a small seaside resort with about 30 inhabitants
  • Bahía Rosas , a small seaside resort, only inhabited in summer
  • Bahía Creek , small seaside resort, only a few permanent residents
  • Pozo Salado , a small seaside resort, only inhabited in summer
  • Puerto San Antonio Este , important export port for the province's fruit products, at the entrance to the Bay of San Antonio, but only 280 permanent residents
  • San Antonio Oeste , the most important place on the Gulf with port and industry, 13,753 inhabitants, on the opposite side of the bay
  • Las Grutas , an important seaside resort, 2,741 permanent residents, up to 250,000 tourists per year
  • Playas Doradas , bathing resort in the city of Sierra Grande 25 km inland , 52 inhabitants
  • Puerto Lobos , a tiny port town in the far north of the Chubut province .
  • Punta Norte , seat of a nature reserve on the Valdés peninsula .