Patagonia, also known as desierto verde (green desert), is an immense sheep pasture. The sheep are bred only for the wool. The estancieros completely neglect meat production. The sheep meat is therefore of poor quality and plays no role at all in the national budget. On the other hand, the price of wool has been repeatedly driven up on the international market. About ten million sheep are kept in the polar zones, seven million in Patagonia alone. The wool is pressed into bales of 200 to 300 kilos. It is shipped by ship from Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz province) to Buenos Aires and from Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) to Europe. In the last few years, synthetic fibres have increasingly competed with wool. Our picture was taken between Río Gallegos and Río Turbio (Santa Cruz province), on the track leading to the Cordillera. - 1973
