Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales is a city in the Chilean Patagonia, located 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 Ultima Esperanza Province of Magallanes y Antartica Chilena Region.
Ultima Esperanza Sound, originally inhabited by the Kawesqar 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 Chiloe, all attracted by the sheep-raising industry. Finally, the city was founded under the government of Ramon Barros Luco on May 31, 1911. Nowadays, one of the most important activities is tourism.
History and current status
The Province where the city is located was baptized under the name Ultima 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 Ultima Esperanza. It was the British expedition of the frigate HMS Beagle. The names of some the expeditioners 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.
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 Rio 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 Milodon (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.
Demography
Puerto Natales is the capital of the province of Ultima Esperanza, ("Last Hope"), one of the four provinces that make up the Region de Magallanes y de la Antartica 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 .
Geography
The municipality's area is , 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 Ultima Esperanza . Since the entire province of Ultima 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 . Its geographic coordinates are: Latitude, 51 43' 60S; Longitude, 72 31' 0W; Altitude: 3 meters
Local government
The mayor of Natales is Mario Margoni Gadler (Independent). The municipal councillors are:
Herminio Fernandez Garcia: UDI
Ana Mayorga Bahamonde: UDI
Patricio Gamin Bustamante: PDC
Alfredo Alderete Flores: PRSD
Spiro Cardenas Tadich: PS
Antonieta Oyarzo Alvarado: PS
See also
Munoz Gamero Peninsula
External links
Patagonia Webcam from Paine and Puerto Natales
Map, weather of Puerto Natales and its environs
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Puerto Natales
