Carretera Austral

Route 7 shield}}Route 7 shield}}
Carretera Austral
Ruta 7
Path of the highway. The dashed lines indicate unfinished part near Hornopirén
Path of the highway. The dashed lines indicate unfinished part near Hornopirén
Location
CountryChile
Highway system
Ruta 7 at the south-bound 100 km marker.
General Carrera Bridge.

The Carretera Austral (CH-7, in English: Southern Way) is the name given to Chile's Route 7. The highway runs south for about 1,240 kilometers (770 mi) from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins, passing through rural Patagonia.[1]

Carretera Austral provides road access to Chile's Aysén Region and southern parts of Los Lagos Region. These areas are sparsely populated and despite its length, Carretera Austral provides access to only about 100,000 people. The largest city along the entire road is Coyhaique with a population of 44,850 in 2002.[2]

  1. ^ "Carretera Austral - Presentacion; in Dirección de Vialidad" (in Spanish). Ministerio de Obras Públicas, Dirección de Vialidad. Archived from the original on 2008-05-21.
  2. ^ "Census 2002" (in Spanish).