Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

Santa Cruz
Province
Clockwise from top: Cueva de las Manos, Harbour of Río Gallegos, Perito Moreno Glacier (Los Glaciares National Park), Río Pinturas.
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Santa Cruz within Argentina
Country	Argentina
Capital	Río Gallegos
Departments	7
Municipalities	27
Government
• Governor	Daniel Peralta (FPV)
• Deputies	5
• Senators	3
Area Ranked 2nd
• Total	243,943 km2 (94,187 sq mi)
Population  (2010)
• Total	272,524 (Ranked 23rd)
• Density	1.1/km2 (3/sq mi)
Demonym	santacruceño
Time zone	UTC−3 (ART)
ISO 3166 code	AR-Z
Website	www.santacruz.gov.ar

Santa Cruz is a province of Argentina. It is in the southern part of the country, in Patagonia. It borders Chile to the west and south. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean. It is the second largest province of the country (after Buenos Aires province). It has the fewest people in mainland Argentina. Perito Moreno National Park and Los Glaciares National Park are here.

Río Turbio is Argentina's only active coal mine. There is also mining for gold, clay, gypsum, and salt. Sheep are also important for the economy. They are used both for wool and meat.