Which peninsula in Argentina is a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for southern right whales?

Argentina’s Valdés Peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for southern right whales.

The peninsula projects from Argentina’s Patagonian coast into the South Atlantic. Its sheltered gulfs, broad tidal flats, and steppe landscapes support major breeding and nursery areas for marine mammals. Southern right whales visit the waters around the peninsula seasonally to mate, calve, and raise young.

UNESCO inscribed Natural Heritage of Península Valdés in 1999. The protected area also supports elephant seals, sea lions, orcas, guanacos, rheas, and Magellanic penguins. Puerto Pirámides is the main settlement and an important base for whale-watching excursions.

Valdés Peninsula is sometimes mistaken for a national park, but the UNESCO property covers a protected natural area managed through several conservation designations. The peninsula’s unusual landform is shaped by marine sediments and a narrow connection to mainland Patagonia.