Torres del Paine (Civ6)/Civilopedia

The sheer vertical spires of the Torres del Paine are named for their color - "paine" meaning "blue" in Tehuelche. The feminist and correspondent Lady Florence Dixie described the three granite towers as “Cleopatra’s Needles” in her 1880 book; she has the dubious distinction of being the “first foreign tourist” to the region. Sadly, she wasn’t the last, for the Torres del Paine Park has suffered three major forest fires since 1985 due to careless backpackers. Fortunately, the three peaks of the Paine Massif, standing 2850 meters above sea level, are surrounded by lakes and glaciers and were relatively untouched by the flames. The park itself encompassing the Torres del Paine peaks was established in 1977 by the Chilean government, and the following year the park was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.