Tierra del Fuego Province, Chile

Tierra del Fuego Province
Provincia de Tierra del Fuego
Province

Seal
Location in the Magallanes Region
Location in the Magallanes Region
Location in Chile
Tierra del Fuego Province

Location in Chile

Coordinates: 53°36′S 69°23′W / 53.600°S 69.383°W / -53.600; -69.383Coordinates: 53°36′S 69°23′W / 53.600°S 69.383°W / -53.600; -69.383
Country  Chile
Region  Magallanes y Antártica Chilena
Capital Porvenir
Communes Porvenir
Primavera
Timaukel
Government
 • Type Provincial
 • Governor Catalina Besnier Anguita
Area[1]
 • Total 22,592.7 km2 (8,723.1 sq mi)
Population (2012 Census)[1]
 • Total 6,656
 • Density 0.29/km2 (0.76/sq mi)
 • Urban 4,734
 • Rural 2,170
Sex[1]
 • Men 4,418
 • Women 2,486
Time zone CLT [2] (UTC-4)
 • Summer (DST) CLST [3] (UTC-3)
Area code(s) 56 + 61
Website Government of Tierra del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego Province (Spanish: Provincia de Tierra del Fuego) is one of four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena (XII). It includes the Chilean or western part of the main island of Tierra del Fuego, except for the part south of the Cordillera Darwin, which is in Antártica Chilena Province. (Argentina also has a Tierra del Fuego Province.)

Chilean Tierra del Fuego has two towns, Porvenir, capital of the province, and Cerro Sombrero, and a number of small villages. A key geographical feature is Bahía Inútil ("Useless Bay"), so named by British geographers in the late 19th century because the bay is not useful as a port.

Geology and hydrography

Gold-bearing sands have been recorded at a number of sites within the Fuegan shores of the Tierra del Fuego Province.[4] Chilean Tierra del Fuego is known for numerous small lakes, including Lago Blanco and Lago Deseado.

Demography

According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 22,592.7 km2 (8,723 sq mi)[1] and had a population of 6,904 inhabitants (4,418 men and 2,486 women), giving it a population density of 0.3/km2 (1/sq mi). It is the third most sparsely populated province in the country after Antártica Chilena and Capitan Prat, and it is the fifth least-populated province in the country. Of these, 4,734 (68.6%) lived in urban areas and 2,170 (31.4%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 1.2% (81 persons).[1]

History

The shores among the islands have provided settlement locations for thousands of years of early humans in the Americas. In particular, the Wulaia Bay area of Navarino Island (south of the province) has yielded evidence of settlement by the Yaghan people more than 10,000 years ago.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Territorial division of Chile" (PDF) (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "Chile Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  3. ↑ "Chile Summer Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  4. ↑ J. Rabassa, 2008
  5. ↑ C. Michael Hogan, 2008
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