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Puerto Williams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Puerto Williams | |
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| Nickname: The World's southernmost city | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Chile |
| Region | Magallanes |
| Province | Antártica Chilena |
| Founded as | Puerto Luisa |
| Founded | 21 November 1953 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Jose Luis Soto Passek |
| Population (2002) | |
| - Total | 2,262 |
Puerto Williams is a Chilean port, located on Isla Navarino facing the Beagle Channel. It is the capital of Antártica Chilena Province, one of the four provinces located in the Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region. It is also the capital of the Commune of Cabo de Hornos (formerly Navarino) and is administered by the Municipality of Cabo de Hornos which also administers the Commune of Antártica. Cabo de Hornos is the only municipality in the country which administers more than one commune.
Puerto Williams claims to be the southernmost "town" in the world, using the definition of "town" (pueblo in Spanish), established by the National Bureau of Statistics in Chile. The town was named after Captain John Williams (or Juan Guillermos), who founded Fuerte Bulnes (Fort Bulnes) on the Brunswick Peninsula in 1843. Founded by geopolitical reasons Puerto Luisa was its original name. Since foundation in 1953 the town has served primarily as a naval base. In recent years tourism has contributed to an increase in the economic activity of Puerto Williams. It has a population of nearly 2500, including both naval personnel and civilians. Access is by air or by a ferry service from Punta Arenas, 350 kilometers to the north in Chile, or by a private yacht charter from Ushuaia, Argentina. There is, however, no direct, continuous commercial link with Argentine territory. Most of the houses in Puerto Williams belong to the Chilean Navy.
Tourism to Puerto Williams and Isla Navarino is being encouraged. The community has a small airport. Most lodgings for tourists are hostels.
There are several trails for multi-day hikes and back-packing trips in the mountains south of Puerto Williams. Remains of Indian campsites and fishtraps can be found along the coast east of Puerto Williams. Puerto Williams is home to the Martin Gusinde Anthropological Museum, which depicts the lives of both the Yamana or Yahgan and Selknam peoples who once inhabited Tierra del Fuego. For easy exploration of some of the subantarctic forest, the Omora Ethnobotanical Park is five kilometres down the road to the west.
The Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn) National Park may be reached by boat from Puerto Williams which serves as a useful jump-off point for exploring this and other area attractions. During the summer months (January-March), private sailboats and charter yachts use "PW" as a departure port for Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula; the half-sunken M/V Micalvi is often pressed into service as a yacht club.
- Information from the Chilean Tourism Service regarding activities in Puerto Williams and Cabo de Hornos National Park
- Spanish WP on Commune of Cabo de Hornos
- Puerto Williams and Commune of Cabo de Hornos official website
- Museo Antropológico Martín Gusinde