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In our original plans we did not allocate more than a few hours for visit  to Punta Arenas. The plans have been modified because of bad weather in Torres del Paine. We spent night and half a day there visiting the city and its museums.

Punta Arenas - capital of Magallanes provincia and Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena regiónv in southern Chile. Punta Arenas lies along the Strait of Magellan between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and is the southernmost large city in the world. Founded in 1849 by Colonel José de los Santos Mardones, it flourished as a port of call and coaling station until the opening of the Panama Canal (1914) and the replacement of coal (still mined nearby) by fuel oil as a maritime fuel. Now the is service center of a large sheep-raising area. Its port facilities also handle local lumber and petroleum products. The nearby Tierra del Fuego oil fields, the attractions of the free port, and the maintenance of naval, air, and army garrisons have all contributed to the city's modern growth. Surface communication and an international airport connect it with the north and Tierra del Fuego.

Magellan's monument. There is a belief that one will come back to Puta Arenas if he touches toe of an Indian sitting at the base.		View of the city from the hill top.
	Magellan's Strait. Abandoned shipwrecks

Last modified: June 04, 2006