Porvenir
Karukinka | |
|---|---|
 A view of Porvenir | |
|
 Coat of arms  Map of Porvenir commune in Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena Region   Porvenir Location in Chile | |
| Coordinates: 53°17′S 70°22′W / 53.283°S 70.367°W | |
| Country |  Chile |
| Region |  Magallanes y Antártica Chilena |
| Province | Tierra del Fuego |
| Founded | 1899 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Alcalde | Marisol Andrade Cárdenas (Christian Democratic Party) |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,982.6 km2 (2,696.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census)[2] | |
• Total | 5,907 |
| • Density | 0.85/km2 (2.2/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 4,734 |
| • Rural | 731 |
| Demonym(s) | Porvenireño, -a |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 3,307 |
| • Women | 2,158 |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (CLST) |
| Area code | 61 |
| Climate | Cfc |
| Website | Official website (in Spanish) |
Porvenir is the capital of both the homonymous commune and the Chilean Province of Tierra del Fuego of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region. It is one of Chile's southernmost towns, and has 4,734 inhabitants, including several thousand soldiers. It is the largest settlement in the Chilean half of the island of Tierra del Fuego.
Porvenir (Spanish for "hereafter" – literally "yet to come") was founded in 1883 by immigrants from Croatia[citation needed] and Chiloé in connection to the gold mining that preceded the larger Tierra del Fuego gold rush that started in 1884.
The main sources of income are sheep farming and small-scale fishing (wrecks in Porvenir bay prevent larger vessels from mooring). In addition there is a regiment of the Chilean army and a high-security prison. An abattoir operates for only short periods of the year.
Some gold deposits remain and are commercially mined. Porvenir also gives access to Cerro Sombrero, an oil town, 125 km (78 mi) north-east of Porvenir.
- ^ "Municipality of Porvenir" (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2010.
- ^ a b c "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2010.