Overview:
The Port of Punta Arenas is located on the west bank of the Strait of Magellan, the Antarctic Region of Chile and Punta Arenas, the capital of the Province of Magellan.
Punta Arenas, one of the southernmost cities in the world (53°10' south latitude), Chile's Antarctic Region and the capital of Magellan Province. It is located on the west bank of the Strait of Magellan and has a population of 154,000 (2008). It was built in 1843 and became a free port in 1868. Before the construction of the Panama Canal, it was a coal filling station for passing ships between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The commercial and industrial center of the Sheep District. The main industries are wool, mutton, and leather, and there is oil mining nearby. Export wool, fur, frozen lamb, leather, wood, oil and natural gas. There are many monuments and squares in the city, and the Croatian cultural background of the city is unique in South America. It has convenient water and land transportation, and has an international airport . It is also the last stop for Antarctic explorers from South America to take a break.