Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas is located in the far south of Chile, and has around 130,000 inhabitants. The city is located 53 degrees south of the equator, about as far south as Hamburg is north, but is still one of the world's southernmost cities.

Strait of Magellan

Punta Arenas is the starting point for sea voyages both across the Drake Strait to Antarctica, and between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The town is located in the Strait of Magellan, which is the route to follow if you want to avoid sailing around Cape Horn a little further south.

The city was established as a penal colony in 1848. The Chileans wanted to control the strait that Ferdinand Magellan sailed through as the first European in 1520. Traffic through the strait increased, and more Europeans moved in in the 1880-1920s, this time from Eastern Europe.

Gold

The hills here in southern Chile are good grazing areas for sheep, and gold was also found here.

Agriculture is still an important industry, in addition to tourism.

Normal maximum temperature in March: 12,8 ℃
Normal precipitation in March: 42 mm

Next port: Ushuaia, Argentina
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