Natales

Natales (Spanish for "births") is a commune of the Última Esperanza Province in the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region of extreme southern Chile. Its capital and only port city is Puerto Natales.

Natales
Commune
Coat of arms Natales Location in Chile
Coordinates (capital): 51°44′S 72°31′W
Country	Chile
Region	Magallanes y Antártica Chilena
Province	Última Esperanza
Founded	1927
Capital	Puerto Natales
Government [1][2]
• Type	Municipality
• Alcaldesa	Antonieta Oyarzo Alvarado (IND)
Area [3]
• Total	48,974.2 km2 (18,909.0 sq mi)
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (2002 Census)[3]
• Total	19,116
• Density	0.39/km2 (1.0/sq mi)
• Rural	2,138
Demonym	Natalino
Sex [3]
• Men	10,068
• Women	9,048
Time zone	UTC-4 (CLT[4])
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (CLST[5])
Area code	61
Website	Official website (in Spanish)

Geography

The commune's area spans 48,974.2 km² (18,909 sq mi),^[3] making it one of the largest communes in Chile, after only Antártica (which is, however, 25 times Natales' size), and larger than eleven of the country's 16 political regions. The Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument lies 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Puerto Natales.

Demography

Cathedral of Puerto Natales

Its capital and only city, Puerto Natales (2002 population: 16,978), is one of the southernmost settlements in the world.^[6]

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, the Natales commune has 19,116 inhabitants (10,068 men and 9,048 women). Of these, 16,978 (88.8%) lived in urban area of the city and 2,138 (11.2%) in rural areas. The population grew by 10.7% (1,841 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. The commune comprises 96.3% of the total provincial population of 19,855.^[3] Its population density is only 0.38/km² (0.98/sq mi).

Administration

Puerto Natales serves as capital of both the Natales commune and the Última Esperanza Province. As a commune, Natales is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is Fernando Paredes Mansilla (UDI).^[1][2] The regional governor, since 14 July 2021, is Jorge Flies Añón.^[7]

• Herminio Fernández García (UDI)
• Ana Mayorga Bahamonde (UDI)
• Tolentino Soto Ríos (PDC)
• José Cuyul Rogel (PS)
• Alfonso Coñoecar Millalonco (PC)
• Felipe Muñoz Muñoz (Ind.).

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Natales is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Juan Morano Cornejo (PDC) and Gabriel Boric Font (Ind.) as part of the 60th electoral district, which includes the entire Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region. The commune is represented in the Senate by Carolina Goic Boroevic (PDC) and Carlos Bianchi Chelech (Ind.) as part of the 19th senatorial constituency (Magallanes Region).

References

1. "Municipality of Puerto Natales" (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2011.
2. "Asociación Chilena de Municipalidades" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
3. "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2010.
4. "Chile Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
5. "Chile Summer Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
6. "Territorial division of Chile" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2010.
7. "Gobierno de Chile: Gobernadores" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2021.

External links

• (in Spanish) Municipality of Natales