Introduction Arica-Parinacota Region Tarapacá Region Antofagasta Region Atacama Region Coquimbo Region Valparaíso Region O´Higgins Region Maule Region Bío Bío Region La Araucanía Region Los Ríos Region Los Lagos Region Aysén Region Magallanes & the Chilean Antartic Region Metropolitan Region

Capital: Punta Arenas

Area: 132,297.2 km2 (continental)

Population: 150,826 inhabitants (2002 Census)

Population density: 1.1 inhab/km2

Principal economic activities: Mining, manufacturing, livestock farming, fishing and tourism.

 

The Magallanes Region stretches across two continents, with one foot in the Americas and the other in the Antarctic. It is Chile's southernmost and coldest region and includes the Straits of Magellan and the Drake Sea, the only natural sea routes between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

It is named after Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese sailor who was the first European to set foot there when seeking a way through the Americas as the shortest route to the Spice Islands. When he found it, on November 1, 1520, he christened it the “Straits of All Saints”.

Until the Panama Canal opened in 1914, ships had to pass through these straits, now known as the Straits of Magellan, giving the region early fame. However, it did not begin to be colonized until 1848 when the regional capital, Punta Arenas, was founded and the region's enormous sheep farms started to be established.

Despite the passing of the years, Magallanes has not lost the pioneering spirit characteristic of frontier regions. The disperse geography seen in the Aysén Region continues south until continental Chile ends at Cape Froward on the Straits of Magellan.

Further south, there is Tierra del Fuego and, on Navarino Island, Puerto Williams, the world's southernmost town. In the Beagle Channel, there are the Picton, Lennox and Nueva Islands.

Successive waves of immigration --from Chile, Argentina, England, Wales and Croatia-- meant a 27- fold increase in the region's population during the nineteenth century.

Punta Arenas is the point of contact and service center for all activities in Antarctica. This territory, whose borders were defined in 1940, stretches to the South Pole between 53ºW and 90°W. Chile signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 and founded the first base there in 1947 on Greenwich Island.

The early development of the Magallanes Region was characterized by a gold rush and livestock farming. However, the discovery of oil on Tierra del Fuego on December 29, 1945 gave the region's growth a new boost and, for years, oil was its main source of income and, at its peak, supplied half of Chile's consumption.

Despite the gradual depletion of the region's oil wells, energy production continues to be the region's main economic activity. Chile's main oil company, the Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (ENAP), operates there and is also the leading gas supplier, while Methanex Chile produces methanol.

The development of livestock farming has also served as a key source of revenue, taking advantage of the region's vast natural grasslands, suitable soils and climate, local expertise and the existence of different species and races of animals. According to the latest Agricultural Census, Magallanes was home to 52.1% of the country's cattle.

The region's exports are led by chemicals, followed by fishing and agricultural products.

Some 2,500 ships pass through the Straits of Magellan each year, creating demand for port services. The region has the infrastructure and capacity to provide the services

--including its well-known repair expertise-- required by boats for domestic freight transport, tourism, fishing and scientific research.

 

Virgin Landscapes

Over the past decade, Magallanes has seen a sustained increase in tourism.  Patagonia attracts thousands of visitors, particularly from Europe. The Torres del Paine National Park is considered one of the most beautiful, unspoilt and remote places on earth. At the feet of its Cuernos (Horns) and around its lakes, there are guanacos, foxes, hares, rheas, woodpeckers, small eagles and condors. Tourist infrastructure in the Park is of high standard and includes a luxury hotel and a number of other hotels and inns as well as camp sites. The area has a surprising microclimate, with summer temperatures that can reach over 25°C.

The peaks of the Darwin Range at the southern tip of the Andes are capped with centuries-old ice that calves in gigantic blocks, with an impressive roar, into the fjords and lakes below. The cruise boats that ply the channels stop here and the sight is an irrestistible attraction for both local and foreign visitors.

The wooded Navarino lsland, the largest to the south of the Beagle Channel, is dominated by the granite crags of the Dientes de Navarino and is a trekking paradise. From there, it is possible to sail to Cape Horn, the last tip of the continent.

Cruise ships sail from Punta Arenas through the Straits of Magellan while smaller boats cross to Tierra del Fuego with its still unexplored woods where guanacos and sheep wander in solitude.

Visitors to Antarctica have also increased led by Europeans and North Americans. Walking on skis over the ice is one of the most popular activities.

 

Yesterday's and Today's Peoples

The indigenous cultures of this region have almost completely disappeared.

The Onas (Selk'nam), tall strong hunters, fell victim to disease, the loss of their lands and culture shock. The height of the Tehuelches or Aonikenk, who were both hunters and gatherers, surprised the Spaniards who dubbed them "patagones".

The descendants of the Alacalufes (Kawashkar), also hunters and gatherers, live in Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and Puerto Edén. The Yaganes or Yámanes were canoeing nomads who traveled the southern channels. Their main settlement nowadays is Villa Ukika on Navarino Island, close to Puerto Williams.

 

Coordinates and area

This is Chile's largest and southernmost region and stretches across two continents, reaching from 48°39'S to the South Pole and has an area of 1,382,297.2 km2. According to a preliminary 1:250,000 map drawn up by the Military Geographic Institute (IGM), 132,297.2 km2 correspond to the Americas and 1,250,000 kms2 to Chilean Antarctica.

 

Land formation

Tectonic sinking on a geological scale has produced a coastal morphology of islands, channels, estuaries and fjords. The region's physical geography corresponds to the Patagonian Andes, divided into the Andes as such, an area of archipelagos and the Magellanic pampa. In addition, it is important to note the particular characteristics of the Antarctic land formations. 

 

Climate

The region's main climates cold and very wet temperate, cold steppe, permanent ice, tundra and polar. 

 

Water resources

The region's physical geography and climate, with a sharp drop in rainfall on the eastern side of the Andes, mean that it does not have large water systems. The largest river is the Serrano in the eastern sub-Andean sector of Última Esperanza. On the main Tierra del Fuego Island, El Grande, which flows into the Atlantic, is the most important. Lakes include the Serrano, Del Toro, Balmaceda, Aníbal Pinto, Blanco and Fagnano. In Antarctica, there are no surface water courses due to the ice cover.

 

Population

According to the 2002 Census, the region had a population of 150,826 inhabitants of whom 78, 907 were men and 71,919 were women, giving a population density is 1.1 inhabitants/km2. Between 2000 and 2005, the population expanded at an estimated mean annual rate of 0.69%.

 

Economic sectors

The region's main resources are oil, gas and coal and the production of methanol is particularly important. The region also has great potential for livestock farming, including horses, cattle and, particularly, sheep and this, together with fishing and tourism, represent its most important growth opportunities.

 

Administrative divisions

REGIONAL CAPITAL	PROVINCES	MUNICIPALITIES
Punta Arenas	Última Esperanza	Natales Torres del Paine
	Magallanes	Punta Arenas Río Verde Laguna Blanca San Gregorio
	Tierra del Fuego	Porvenir Primavera Timaukel
	Antártica Chilena	Cabo de Hornos Antártica

 

Foreign Direct Investment DL 600 Statistics in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Territory Region (1974 - 2008), (Excel, 36 Kb.)