Puerto Natales
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| Puerto Natales | |
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| Nickname: Natales | |
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  Puerto Natales
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Chile |
| Region | Magallanes |
| Province | Última Esperanza |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Mario Margoni Gadler (Independent) (2004-2008) |
| Area | |
| - Land | 49,924 km² (19,275.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Population (2002) | |
| - Total | 19,116 |
| Time zone | Santiago Time Zone (UTC-4) |
| - Summer (DST) | DST (UTC-3) |
| Area code(s) | (56)-61 |
Puerto Natales is a city in the Chilean Patagonia, located 247 km (153 mi) northwest of Punta Arenas and is the final port of call for the Navimag ferry sailing from Puerto Montt as well as the primary transit point for travelers to Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. It is the capital of both the commune of the same name and the Última Esperanza Province of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region.
Última Esperanza Sound, originally inhabited by the Kawésqar tribe or Alacaluf and the Aoniken or Tehuelche, was sailed in 1557 by Juan Ladrilleros, a sailor who was looking for the Strait of Magellan. The city was settled by Germans, British, Yugoslavian and Chilean people coming from the Island of Chiloé, all attracted by the sheep-raising industry. Finally, the city was founded under the government of Ramón Barros Luco on May 31, 1911. Nowadays, one of the most important activities is tourism.
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[edit] History and current status
The Province where the city is located was baptized under the name Última Esperanza (Last Hope) by the sailor Juan Ladrilleros, who was looking for the Strait of Magellan in the year 1557. It was his last hope to find the Strait. After three centuries, in 1830 a new expedition sailed through the fjords and channels of Última Esperanza. It was the British expedition of the frigate HMS Beagle. The names of some the expeditioners (Robert FitzRoy, William Skyring and James Kirke) is the origin of several place-names in the area.
In 1870, the interest in these lands is reborn. Among the daring travelers who ventured these desolated lands, was Santiago Zamora also known as 'Baqueano' Zamora. He discovered the lake district of the Torres del Paine area and many wild horses or 'baguales'. Another was the English traveller and writer Lady Florence Dixie, commemorated in the town's present-day Hotel Lady Florence Dixie.[1]
Puerto Natales was founded on May, 1911 as a port for the sheep industry. During the last half of the 20th century the sheep industry declined and many people from Puerto Natales started to work in the coal mines of Río Turbio in Argentina. It has good tourism facilities, as it has become the base for excursions to the Torres del Paine National Park, the Cueva del Milodón (Milodon Cave), the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park and the Alacalufes National Reserve. The latter includes the Fjord of the Mountains, Cordillera Riesco and Cordillera Sarmiento.
[edit] Demography
Puerto Natales is the capital of the province of Última Esperanza, ("Last Hope"), one of the four provinces that make up the Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena, in the southernmost part of Chile. According to the 2002 INE census, the province has a population of 19,885 while the municipality (or "comuna") of Natales has 19,116 (10,068 male, 9,048 female; 16.978 urban, 2,138 rural).
[edit] Geography
The municipality's area is 49,924 km² (19,276 sq mi), which renders it one of the largest municipalities in Chile, being larger than seven regions of the country.
Note that the term "municipality" is sometimes confused with the Chilean administrative term "comuna" which is roughly comparable to a "county" in the United States and certain other countries. The town of Puerto Natales exists within a larger "comuna" - one of eleven in the XII Region of Chile, and one of only two in the province of Última Esperanza (56,554 square kilometers). Since the entire province of Última Esperanza is divided into only two comunas, the result is a rather large but sparsely populated area for the Puerto Natales comuna.
Its population density is only 0.38 inhabitants per square kilometer (0.98/sq mi). Its geographic coordinates are: Latitude, 51° 43' 60S; Longitude, 72° 31' 0W; Altitude: 3 meters (10 ft)
[edit] Local government
The mayor of Natales is Mario Margoni Gadler (Independent). The municipal councillors are:
.jpg/180px-PtoNatales(Chile).jpg)
- Herminio Fernández García: UDI
- Ana Mayorga Bahamonde: UDI
- Patricio Gamin Bustamante: PDC
- Alfredo Alderete Flores: PRSD
- Spiro Cárdenas Tadich: PS
- Antonieta Oyarzo Alvarado: PS
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Hotel Lady Florence Dixie online at chileanpatagonia.com (accessed 8 March 2008)
[edit] External links
- Patagonia Webcam from Paine and Puerto Natales
- Map, weather of Puerto Natales and its environs
- Google map of Natales, Chile
- View the Navimag's route from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales through the Chilean fjords in Google Earth
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