Because of the attacks of British privateers, and after the visit of Francis Drake in 1578, the Spaniards sent Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa to fortify and map the Strait of Magellan and prevent access to Spanish posts in the Pacific.

When the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata was created in 1776, the region was set under the rule of Buenos Aires.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a large European immigration began to arrive to the almost uninhabited zone; Spanish, Germans, British and Slavs were the most numerous among them.

The beginning of the war meant a sharp reduction in the amount of exports, bringing a serious economic crisis to Santa Cruz.

The ideals of progressivism, brought by the Spanish immigrants, grew among the workers who, working in Santa Cruz's harsh environment under often sub-human conditions, decided to strike in 1922.

Elected mayor in 1987 and governor in 1991, Kirchner helped negotiate a US$535 million payout for his province following the 1993 privatization of the state-owned oil concern YPF.

Kirchner steered record spending into public works (particularly those in his province, as is customary for Argentine presidents).

Both experts, Francisco Pascasio Moreno from Argentina and Diego Barros Arana from Chile agreed on the border between Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Daudet.

In the 20th century both countries had another dispute over the Del Desierto Lake which was resolved in favor of Argentina in 1994 and had its climax in 1965 when Lieutenant Hernán Merino Correa was killed by Argentine Gendarmerie.

[13][14] The province is generally divided into 2 distinct regions: The Andes in the west and the plateaus in the centre and east.

[15] One characteristic of the Andean region is the presence of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field that covers the central part of the Andes.

[15] In Gran Bajo de San Julián, the Laguna del Carbón is 105 meters below sea level, and is the lowest point in the Western and Southern Hemispheres.

[15] The Andes block most of the incoming frontal systems and as a result, most of the rainfall occurs in the western side of the mountains, with precipitation rapidly decreasing eastward.

[22] Santa Cruz, with a small population and rich in natural resources, has long had one of Argentina's most prosperous economies.

Fully half its output is accounted for by the extractive sector (petroleum, gas and mining), with an annual production of 4.5 million m3 of petroleum and 3 million m3 of gas, mainly in the Pico Truncado, Cañadón seco and Cerro Redondo extracting facilities.

With 7 million heads, Santa Cruz is the second main producer of wool and meat after the Province of Chubut, most of which is designated for export.

Sheep farming revived in 2002 with the devaluation of the peso and firmer global demand for wool (led by China and the EU).

Still not very developed, El Chaltén serves as a hub for various trekking routes including walks on the Viedma Glacier.

600 kilometres further north of El Chaltén, by the dirt road Ruta 40, the Cueva de las Manos near the town of Perito Moreno allows the few tourists who venture to this point to see the prehistoric wall paintings in the caves near the Pinturas River.

In the east, the National Route 3 follows the Atlantic coastline, by which buses connect the coastal cities, and take passengers both south to Tierra del Fuego and north to Chubut Province and Buenos Aires.

The most visited places are the cities of Río Gallegos, the Bosques Petrificados National Monument petrified forest, and the depression of Laguna del Carbón near Puerto San Julián.

The club currently plays in the Torneo Federal B, the regionalized fourth-tier in Argentine football league system.