The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region ( es, Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena), is one of

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 east a ...

's 16 first order

administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

s. It is the southernmost, largest, and second least populated

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

. It comprises four

provinces 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 ou ...

: Última Esperanza, Magallanes,

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

, and Antártica Chilena. Magallanes's geographical features include

Torres del Paine The Cordillera Paine is a mountain group in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. The cordillera is located north of Punta Arenas, and about south of the Chilean capital Santiago. It belongs to the Commune of Torres del Paine i ...

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

island, and the Strait of Magellan. It also includes the Antarctic territory claimed by Chile. Despite its large area, much of the land in the region is rugged or closed off for

sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin an ...

, and is unsuitable for settlement. 80% of the population lives in the capital

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (; historically Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. The city was officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to "Punta Are ...

, a major market city and one of the main hubs for Antarctic exploration. The main economic activities are sheep farming, oil extraction, and tourism. It is also the region with the lowest poverty level in Chile (5.8%); households in Magallanes have the highest income of any region in Chile. Since 2017, the region has had its own time zone. It uses the summer time for the whole year (UTC−3).

Geography

The region contains mountainous peaks and

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

s in the far north, including elements of the

Patagonian Ice Sheet upright=1.4, Map showing the extent of the Patagonian Ice Sheet in the Strait of Magellan area during the last glacial period. Selected modern settlements are shown with yellow dots. Sea level was much lower than shown here. The Patagonian Ice S ...

. Further south there are other mountain ranges such as the Cerro Toro and numerous surface waters including the Seno Última Esperanza,

Eberhard Fjord Eberhard Fjord is an arm of Seno Ultima Esperanza in the Patagonian region of Chile. This surface water body was named after Hermann Eberhard, the first European to explore this region. Eberhard used the fjord to find the Cueva del Milodón, wher ...

and Lago Grey. Protected areas include the

National Park and the

Cueva del Milodon Natural Monument Cuevas or Cueva (Spanish for "''cave(s)''") may refer to: Places * Cueva de Ágreda, a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain * Cuevas Bajas, a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonom ...

. At the latter, remains have been discovered of the extinct ground sloth as well as of prehistoric man dating to circa

10,000 BC The 10th millennium BC spanned the years 10,000 BC to 9001 BC (c. 12 ka to c. 11 ka). It marks the beginning of the transition from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic via the interim Mesolithic ( Northern Europe and Western Europe) and Epip ...

.C.M. Hogan, 2008 The topography can be divided in four regions: an outer archipelago region ( es, Región Archipielágica) to the west and south, a mountain region in the west and south ( es, Región Cordillerana), Pisano (1977), p. 124 a plains region ( es, Región de las Planicies Orientales) in the northeast Pisano (1977), p. 128 plus a sub-Andean zone in-between the last two zones ( es, Región Sub-Andina Oriental). Pisano (1977), p. 125

Climate

The region is characterized by low temperatures and strong winds throughout the year. The region has five different climatic types, owing to the diversity in altitudes and the width of the region. Owing to its proximity to 60°S (a zone characterized by

low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

systems and subpolar cyclones), frontal systems regularly pass through the region. The westernmost islands have a cold, humid and rainy climate, being exposed to strong winds and low temperatures throughout the year. Precipitation averages per year, while the mean annual temperature on these islands is with a low thermal amplitude due to the maritime influences and the strong winds. Precipitation decreases and temperatures increase moving eastwards. These islands are the wettest places in Chile, particularly on Guarello Island where it can record during the wettest years. Precipitation is high throughout the year though fall tends to be the wettest season. Immediately to the east of the westernmost islands, east of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

and bordered by the Cordillera Paine to the north and the Brunswick Peninsula to the south, the climate is much drier. The

to the west block most of the precipitation, causing most of the air coming in to be dry. Mean annual precipitation ranges between which is fairly evenly distributed through the year. During winters, precipitation mainly falls as

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

. Mean annual temperatures are between . Due to the close proximity to the ocean, winters are not cold and snow cover does not last long. In the easternmost parts of the region, including much of Tierra del Fuego province, a cold steppe climate prevails. Temperatures are cold while precipitation is lower than areas to the west. Mean precipitation is between , decreasing eastwards and is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Mean annual temperatures range between . From December to March, mean temperatures exceed while during winter, they reach down to . Corresponding to the

Southern Patagonian Ice Field The Southern Patagonian Ice Field ( es, Hielo Continental or '), located at the Southern Patagonic Andes between Chile and Argentina, is the world's second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field. It is the bigger of two remnant parts of the P ...

, located at higher altitudes, temperatures are cold enough to maintain permanent ice fields. Mean temperatures are below in all months while precipitation (mostly as snow) is abundant year round, receiving . These areas have a polar climate. In the southernmost islands, south of

and the Strait of Magellan, a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. undra climate https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra-climateThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019 It is classified as ET according to Köppen ...

prevails. These islands are strongly influenced by the surrounding

Pacific ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

to the west and southwest and the

Drake Passage The Drake Passage (referred to as Mar de Hoces Hoces Sea"in Spanish-speaking countries) is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atla ...

to the south, resulting in constant temperatures throughout the year. Mean annual temperatures are between while precipitation is high, with most places receiving . In sheltered areas, precipitation is below . Summers are the warmest and the wettest season in these islands.

Provinces and communes

Demographics

The population of Magallanes is one of the lowest in Chile, as one of the last regions colonized and populated. In the 1854 census counted 158 settlers, concentrated in Punta Arenas. The native population in 1830, according to King, amounted to approximately 2,200, with about 400 in western Patagonia and approximately 1,600 in the southern Straits. The census of 1875 recorded 1,144 inhabitants and in 1895 the population had risen to 5,170 inhabitants, mostly concentrated in the city of Punta Arenas and its surroundings. The installation of the cattle ranches attracted people from Europe (mostly Croats, British, Swiss and Italians) and southern Chile (mostly from

Chiloé Archipelago The Chiloé Archipelago ( es, Archipiélago de Chiloé, , ) is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and t ...

), which greatly increased the population of the region. Punta Arenas is said to have the largest percentage of Croatians in the world outside Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. There is a higher proportion of non-Spanish Europeans there as well (esp. Scots and Greeks), and descendants of Germans, Dutch, Danes and other Scandinavians, Russians and Portuguese peoples. From the late 18th century to the opening of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

in 1914, thousands of trans-oceanic voyages stopped by Punta Arenas as the most convenient strait between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The settlement of Punta Arenas and the Magellan and Chilean Antarctica Region is a result of its historic use as a hub for international travel. In the 1907 census, the Territory of Magellan had 17,330 inhabitants, distributed as follows: – City of Punta Arenas: 12,785 hab. – Patagonia Chilena: 1,094 hab. – Pen. of Brunswick: 1,062 hab. – Tierra del Fuego: 1,626 hab. – Beagle Channel: 184 inhabitants. – Last Hope: 392 inhabitants. – Baker River: 187 inhabitants. This proportional distribution has persisted, with the bulk of the regional population in the city of Punta Arenas, and in the provincial capitals

Puerto Natales Puerto Natales is a city in Chilean Patagonia. It is the capital of both the commune of Natales and the province of Última Esperanza, one of the four provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region in the southernmost part ...

, Porvenir (Spanish for "future") and

Puerto Williams Puerto Williams (; Spanish for "Port Williams") is the city, port and naval base on Navarino Island in Chile. It faces the Beagle Channel. It is the capital of the Chilean Antarctic Province, one of four provinces in the Magellan and Chilean An ...

, one of the world's southernmost cities. In the past 50 years, the population has increased moderately as shown below, but the region still has one of the lowest population densities in the country. The population remains mostly urban and concentrated in Punta Arenas. Census * 1952: 55,206 hab. * 1960: 73,358 hab. * 1970: 89,443 hab. * 1982: 131,914 hab. * 1992: 143,198 hab. * 2002: 150,826 hab. * 2017: 165,593 hab. The most populated cities (2002 census) are Punta Arenas (116,005 inhabitants), Puerto Natales (16,978) Porvenir (4,734), Puerto Williams (1,952), and Cerro Sombrero (687).

Education

University of Magellan (

UMAG Umag (; it, Umago) is a coastal town in Istria, Croatia. Geography It is the westernmost town of Croatia, and it includes Bašanija, the westernmost point of Croatia. Population Umag has a population of 7,281, with a total municipal populatio ...

) is a university in the southern

an city of Punta Arenas. It is part of the

Chilean Traditional Universities In Chile, universidades tradicionales ("traditional universities") is the group of universities founded before the 1980s. It usually includes universities derived from traditional ones. A more precise term is ''Universidades del Consejo de Rectore ...

. The University of Magellan was established in 1981 during the economic reforms of Chile's

military regime A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...

as the successor of Universidad Técnica del Estado's Punta Arenas section. Universidad Técnica del Estado had established the Punta Arenas section in 1961. The University of Magellan have campuses in

and

as well as a university centre in

. University of Magellan publishes the humanities and social sciences journal ''

Magallania ''Magallania'' is an academic journal published by the University of Magallanes. It publishes articles on social sciences and humanities regarding Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and lea ...

'' twice a year.

Gallery

File:Cuernos del Paine Raulito.jpg,

File:Punta Arenas-View1.jpg,

File:Natales rc 012.JPG,

File:Porvenir-View.jpg, Porvenir File:Puerto Williams1.JPG,

with Dientes del Navarino in the background File:Villa Las Estrellas. Vista nocturna.jpg,

Villa Las Estrellas Villa Las Estrellas (English: "The Stars Village") is a Chilean town and research station on King George Island within the Chilean Antarctic claim, the Chilean Antarctic Territory, and also within the Argentine and British Antarctic claims. ...

File:Villa-Las-Estrellas-Antarctica.JPG, The Chilean settlement of Villa Las Estrellas on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.

References

Sources

* C. Michael Hogan (2008) ''Cueva del Milodon'', The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnha
The Megalithic Portal
*

External links

Gobierno Regional Magallanes y Antártica Chilena
official website
Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve

BBC article: "Lake disappears suddenly in Chile"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magallanes y la Antartica Chilena Region Patagonia Regions of Chile