Puerto Madryn (; cy, Porth Madryn), also known as ''Madryn'', is a city in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

of Chubut in

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

. It is the capital of the Viedma Department, and has about 93,995 inhabitants according to the last census in 2010. Puerto Madryn is protected by the

Golfo Nuevo Golfo Nuevo (Spanish for "New Gulf") is a body of water formed by the Península Valdés and Punta Ninfas in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is located southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Puerto Madryn is its major seap ...

, which is formed by the Península Valdés and the

Punta Ninfas Punta Ninfas (Spanish, "Nymphs Point") is found in Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina. A promontory into the Atlantic Ocean, it encloses one side of the Golfo Nuevo, with Península Valdés opposite almost enclosing the circular gulf. The ...

. It is an important centre for tourists visiting the natural attractions of the Península Valdés and the coast. A new shopping mall in the city centre has helped tourism significantly, making Puerto Madryn a more attractive place for both international and domestic tourists visiting

. It is twinned with Nefyn, a small town on the

Llŷn Peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( cy, Penrhyn Llŷn or , ) extends into the Irish Sea from North West Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the historic county of Caernarfonshire, and historic region and local authority area of Gwynedd. Mu ...

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, ...

, the result of its enduring link with Welsh culture since the Welsh settlement in Argentina. The first of a two-Test tour to Argentina by the

Wales national rugby union team The Wales national rugby union team ( cy, Tîm rygbi'r undeb cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played the ...

was played in 2006 in Puerto Madryn, a 27–25 win for

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

. Puerto Madryn is home to two

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

clubs;

Club Social y Atlético Guillermo Brown Club Social y Atlético Guillermo Brown, mostly known as Guillermo Brown or Brown de Puerto Madryn, is an Argentine sports club from Puerto Madryn in Chubut Province. The football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional. History The clu ...

, who play in Nacional B and Deportivo Madryn that currently play in

Torneo Argentino B Torneo Argentino B was one of two leagues that form the fourth level of the Argentine football league system, made up of 100+ teams playing within eight regional zones across Argentina. The other league at level four wasand still isthe Primera C ...

. A basketball team, Deportivo Puerto Madryn, plays in the

Liga Nacional de Básquetbol Liga or LIGA may refer to: People * Līga (name), a Latvian female given name * Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter Sports * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga ...

(LNB). Their home arena is known as the

Deportivo Puerto Madryn Arena Nuevo Palacio Aurinegro is an indoor arena in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. It is primarily used for basketball and is the home arena of the Deportivo Madryn. It holds 3,500 people. Indoor arenas in Argentina Basketball venues in Argentina {{Ar ...

. El Tehuelche Airport is located 10 km (6 miles) northwest of the city centre. Commercial flights from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Ushuaia, and other Argentinian cities are available. Most tourists fly into Trelew Airport as flights into Puerto Madryn are restricted as a result of environmental concerns.

Geography and climate

Puerto Madryn is situated in Chubut on the

, which is formed by the

Valdés Peninsula The Valdes Peninsula (Spanish: ''Península Valdés'') is a peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean in the Biedma Department of north-east Chubut Province, Argentina. Around in size (not taking into account the isthmus of Carlos Ameghino which connect ...

and

. Puerto Madryn features a cold desert climate ( Köppen ''BWk''), with an annual precipitation of between 150 and 200 mm (6" to 8").

History

The town was founded on 28 July 1865, when 150 Welsh immigrants arriving aboard the

clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "Cl ...

Mimosa ''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resemb ...

'' named the natural port ''Porth Madryn'' in honour of Sir Love Jones-Parry, whose estate in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

was called "Madryn". Conditions were difficult and the settlers had to dig irrigation ditches for their first crops. The settlement grew as a result of the building of the

Central Chubut Railway The Central Chubut Railway (in Spanish: Ferrocarril Central del Chubut) was a British-owned company that built and operated a railway line in the Argentine province of Chubut in the Patagonia region at the end of the 19th. century. History Be ...

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

, Spanish, and Italian immigrants. This line, opened in 1889, linked the town to Trelew via the lower Chubut River valley. Puerto Madryn was the port to which Argentine

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

captured in the

Falklands Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubo ...

during the 1982 war were repatriated on the vessels SS Canberra and MV Norland, which sailed from

Port Stanley Stanley (; also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a popula ...

on 18 June 1982.

Twin towns

Puerto Montt Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

''Ciudades y Provincias argentinas hermanadas con contrapartes extranjeras''
en Asuntos Federales y Electorales de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores de Argentina *

Paola Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. Notable people with the name include: People In arts and entertainment *Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer * Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consisting of two sisters born ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

* Nefyn,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

* Pisco,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Ciudad del Carmen Ciudad del Carmen is a city in the southwest of the Mexican state of Campeche. Ciudad del Carmen is located at on the southwest of Carmen Island, which stands in the Laguna de Términos on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. , Ciudad del Carmen ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

Gallery

File:Cerca de Puerto Madryn.jpg, View of Puerto Madryn from the bay with a

southern right whale The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...

. File:Puerto Madryn, Patagonia.jpg, Puerto Madryn coast. File:Pingüinera en Puerto Madryn.jpg, Penguin population near the coast. File:Bandera de Argentina - Punta Cuevas, Chubut (2).JPG,

Flag of Argentina The national flag of the Argentine Republic is a triband (flag), triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue and white. There are multiple interpretations on the reasons for those colors. The flag was created by ...

in Puerto Madryn. File:Flag of the Welsh colony in Patagonia.svg, Flag flown to recognise the original Welsh settlement of the area

Notes

References

External links

Project-Hiraeth – Documents the stories of the Welsh colony in Patagonia, Argentina through film, text and illustration.
*
Official website
{{Authority control Populated coastal places in Argentina Populated places established in 1865 Populated places in Chubut Province Port settlements in Argentina Welsh settlement in Patagonia Cities in Argentina