| Puerto Natales | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
| Urban sight of the city of Puerto Natales | |||
|
|||
| Nickname(s): Natales | |||
| Location of the Natales commune in Magallanes Region | |||
|
Puerto Natales
|
|||
| Coordinates (city): | |||
| Country | Chile | ||
| Region | Magallanes | ||
| Province | Última Esperanza | ||
| Commune | Natales | ||
| Founded | 1911 | ||
| Government[1] [2] | |||
| • Type | Municipality | ||
| • Alcalde | Fernando Paredes Mansilla (UDI) | ||
| Area[3] | |||
| • Total | 48,974.2 km2 (18,909 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) | ||
| Population (2002 Census)[3] | |||
| • Total | 19,116 | ||
| • Density | 0.4/km2 (1/sq mi) | ||
| • Rural | 2,138 | ||
| Sex[3] | |||
| • Men | 10,068 | ||
| • Women | 9,048 | ||
| Time zone | CLT (UTC−4) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CLST (UTC−3) | ||
| Area code(s) | 56 + 61 | ||
| Website | www.puerto-natales.com | ||
Puerto Natales is a city in Chilean Patagonia. Puerto Natales is the capital of both the commune (Spanish: comuna) of Natales and the province of Última Esperanza, (Spanish for "Last Hope"), one of the four provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region in the southernmost part of Chile. The city is located 247 km (153 mi) northwest of Punta Arenas and is the final passenger port of call for the Navimag ferry sailing from Puerto Montt into the Señoret Channel as well as the primary transit point for travelers to Torres del Paine National Park, Chile.
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 European immigrants: The largest groups are Germans; British such as the English, Welsh and Scots; Croats; Greeks; Italians and Spaniards. Later settlement by Chilean people, with a substantial number coming from the Island of Chiloé, all attracted by the sheep-raising industry.
The city was formally founded under the government of Ramón Barros Luco on May 31, 1911. Nowadays, one of the most important activities is tourism although cattle production and the fishery industries are also significant.
Contents |
The Province where Puerto Natales is located received the name Última Esperanza (Last Hope) from the sailor Juan Ladrilleros, who was seeking the Strait of Magellan in the year 1557. It was his "last hope" to find the Strait after exploring the maze of channels between the waters of the Pacific and the mainland. It was not until three centuries later, in 1830, that another major expedition sailed through the fjords and channels of Última Esperanza. This was the British expedition of the frigate HMS Beagle. Some the expeditioners (Robert FitzRoy, William Skyring and James Kirke) and their higher officers are remembered by several place-names in the area. Vice-Admiral Fitzroy was the captain during the Second voyage of HMS Beagle (1831–1836).
In 1870, interest in the region of Ultima Esperanza was rekindled. 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 locally known as 'baguales'. Another was the English traveller and writer Lady Florence Dixie, commemorated in the city's present-day Hotel Lady Florence Dixie.[4] Dixie authored the book, Across Patagonia.
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. During the zenith of the sheep industry in Patagonia, two large "frigorificos" or freezer plants, were constructed in the Natales area, though only one has survived. The plant at Puerto Bories, about 4 km from downtown Puerto Natales, was a project of the Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego. Historians Duncan Campbell and Gladys Grace have provided an extensive website (www.patbrit.org) showing photographic materials related to the Puerto Bories frigorifico and surrounding village. The Puerto Bories site was inaugurated in 1913 and is now a national monument and museum which can be normally be accessed by the public. Construction occasionally interrupts public access. The Cold-Storage Plant was constructed in "Post Victorian Industrial" architectural style and features of number of British machinery examples which reflect the technology of the beginning of the Twentieth Century. The Cold-Storage Plant complex presents an excellent opportunity for visitors to understand the industrial history of the Puerto Natales area. On 2010, The Singular Hotels, start a restoration of the Cold Storage Plant to build a luxury hotel.
Puerto Natales features good tourism facilities, and it has become the base for excursions to the Torres del Paine National Park; the Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument (a cave complex used by prehistoric tribes and where remains of the extinct Giant Sloth have been found;[5] the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park; and the Alacalufes National Reserve. The latter includes the Fjord of the Mountains, Cordillera Riesco and Cordillera Sarmiento.
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, the Natales commune has 19,116 inhabitants (10,068 men and 9,048 women). Of these, 16,978 (88.8%) lived in urban area of the city and 2,138 (11.2%) in rural areas. The population grew by 10.7% (1,841 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. The commune comprises 96.3% of the total provincial population of 19,855.[3] Its population density is only 0.38 /km2 (0.98 /sq mi).
Puerto Natales is situated along the shore of the Seno Última Esperanza and has views northward into the Cerro Benitez peaks of the Cerro Toro formation within the Cordillera Manuel Señoret.
The city of Puerto Natales exists within the larger Natales commune, one of eleven communes in the Magallanes Region. Since the entire province of Última Esperanza (56,554 square kilometers) is divided into only two communes, the result is a rather large but sparsely populated area for the Natales commune. The commune's area is 48,974.2 km2 (18,909 sq mi),[3] which renders it one of the largest communes in Chile, larger than seven regions of the country.
Its geographic coordinates are: Latitude, 51° 43' 60S; Longitude, 72° 31' 0W; Altitude: 3 m (10 ft).
The city of Puerto Natales is the capital of the Natales commune and the Última Esperanza Province. As a commune, Natales is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Fernando Paredes Mansilla (UDI), and the councilors are:[1][2]
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Puerto Natales is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Carolina Goic (PDC) and Miodrag Marinovic (Ind.) as part of the 60th electoral district, which includes the entire Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region. The commune is represented in the Senate by Carlos Bianchi Chelech (Ind.) and Pedro Muñoz Aburto (PS) as part of the 19th senatorial constituency (Magallanes Region).
Hostal Dos Lagunas [2] was created by a family from Puerto Natales, being one of the first local companies to offer lodging with the concept of Bed & Breakfast to the visitors, moreover to give a complete information to the guests about Torres del Paine National Park.