Antártica
Encyclopedia
The Chilean Antarctic Territory (Spanish: Territorio Antártico Chileno) is the territory in Antarctica claimed by Chile
. The Chilean Antarctic Territory ranges from 53°W to 90°W and from the South Pole
to 60°S, partially overlapping Argentine
and British
Antarctic claims. It is administered by the Cabo de Hornos
municipality in the South America
n mainland.
Within Chilean territorial organization Antártica is name of the commune that administers the territory. The comune of Antártica is managed by the minicpality of Cabo de Hornos with seat in Puerto Williams
in southernmost Chile and belongs to Antártica Chilena Province
, which is part of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. The commune of Antártica was created on July 11, 1961, and was dependent on the Magallanes Province
until 1975, when the Antártica Chilena Province was created, making it dependent administratively on Puerto Williams, the province capital.
an commune in Antártica Chilena Province
, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region, which covers all of the Territorio Chileno Antártico—the territory in Antarctica claimed by Chile
. It ranges from 53°W to 90°W and from the South Pole
to 60°S, overlapping the Argentine
and British
Antarctic claims. It is administered by the Cabo de Hornos
municipality in the South America
n mainland.
Antártica was created on July 11, 1961, and was dependent on the Magallanes Province
until 1975, when the Antártica Chilena Province was created, making it dependent administratively on Puerto Williams, the province capital.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Antártica spans an area of 1250000 sqkm and has 130 inhabitants (115 men and 15 women), making the commune an entirely rural area. The population fell by 0.8% (1 person) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Its population has increased since then to about 1,000. This does not include the staff of non-Chilean bases in the area.
The largest population center is located on King George Island and consists of Frei Montalva Station, which has an airport (Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Aerodrome, ICAO Code SCRM http://gc.kls2.com/airport/SCRM), and which is connected to the communal capital, the village of Villa Las Estrellas
, which has a town hall, hotel, day-care center, school, scientific equipment, hospital, post office and bank. This enclave is a center of logistical support for the other eight countries with scientific bases on King George Island.
Nearby Professor Julio Escudero Base
, controlled by the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), under the Ministry of Foreign Relations, is the main Chilean scientific facility in Antarctica.
Captain Arturo Prat Base
is a Chilean Antarctic
research base located on Greenwich Island. Opened February 6, 1947, it is the oldest Chilean Antarctic station. Until March 1, 2006, it was a base of the Chilean Navy, on which date it was handed over to the regional government of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. Until February, 2004, it had been a permanent base. Afterwards, it had served as a summer base of ionospheric and meteorologic research. There have been plans to reopen the station for permanent occupation starting March, 2008.
The only permanent Chilean station on the Antarctic mainland (Antarctic Peninsula
), O'Higgins Station
has been in operation since February 18, 1948. It is located on Puerto Covadonga and it is the official communal capital.
The commune is governed from Puerto Williams
in the Cabo de Hornos commune from its municipal office located at O'Higgins 165. Chilean law allows a municipality to govern more than one commune, however, this is the only such case. As a commune, Antártica 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 2008-2012 alcalde is Hugo Henriquez Matus (PRSD
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Antártica is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Carolina Goic (PDC
) and Miodrag Marinovic (Ind.
) as part of the 60th electoral district, which includes the entire Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region. The commune is represented in the Senate
by Carlos Bianchi Chelech (Ind.) and Pedro Muñoz Aburto (PS
) as part of the 19th senatorial constituency (Magallanes Region).
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. The Chilean Antarctic Territory ranges from 53°W to 90°W and from the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
to 60°S, partially overlapping Argentine
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
and British
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...
Antarctic claims. It is administered by the Cabo de Hornos
Cabo de Hornos, Chile
Cabo de Hornos is a Chilean commune located in the south of Tierra del Fuego archipelago, in Antártica Province, Magallanes Region. The municipality of Cabo de Hornos, located in the town of Puerto Williams, also administers the Antártica commune...
municipality in the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n mainland.
Within Chilean territorial organization Antártica is name of the commune that administers the territory. The comune of Antártica is managed by the minicpality of Cabo de Hornos with seat in Puerto Williams
Puerto Williams
Puerto Williams is a Chilean port, located on Isla Navarino facing the Beagle Channel. It is the capital of the Chilean Antarctic Province, one of four provinces located in the Magellan and Chilean Antartica Region...
in southernmost Chile and belongs to Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province is the southernmost and one of four provinces in Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region . The capital is Puerto Williams...
, which is part of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. The commune of Antártica was created on July 11, 1961, and was dependent on the Magallanes Province
Magallanes Province
Magallanes Province is one of four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena . The provincial capital is the city of Punta Arenas.-Geography and demography:...
until 1975, when the Antártica Chilena Province was created, making it dependent administratively on Puerto Williams, the province capital.
Antártica commune
Antártica is a ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an commune in Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province is the southernmost and one of four provinces in Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region . The capital is Puerto Williams...
, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region, which covers all of the Territorio Chileno Antártico—the territory in Antarctica claimed by Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It ranges from 53°W to 90°W and from the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
to 60°S, overlapping the Argentine
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
and British
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...
Antarctic claims. It is administered by the Cabo de Hornos
Cabo de Hornos, Chile
Cabo de Hornos is a Chilean commune located in the south of Tierra del Fuego archipelago, in Antártica Province, Magallanes Region. The municipality of Cabo de Hornos, located in the town of Puerto Williams, also administers the Antártica commune...
municipality in the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n mainland.
Antártica was created on July 11, 1961, and was dependent on the Magallanes Province
Magallanes Province
Magallanes Province is one of four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena . The provincial capital is the city of Punta Arenas.-Geography and demography:...
until 1975, when the Antártica Chilena Province was created, making it dependent administratively on Puerto Williams, the province capital.
Demographics
According to the 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
, Antártica spans an area of 1250000 sqkm and has 130 inhabitants (115 men and 15 women), making the commune an entirely rural area. The population fell by 0.8% (1 person) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Its population has increased since then to about 1,000. This does not include the staff of non-Chilean bases in the area.
Census districts
The commune consists of two census districts:- Piloto Pardo (pop. 114), consisting of the South Shetland IslandsSouth Shetland IslandsThe South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
and named after Luis PardoLuis PardoLuis Pardo Villalón was the captain of the Chilean steam tug Yelcho which rescued the 22 stranded crewmen of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance from Elephant Island, Antarctica, in August 1916...
, with the only civil settlement, Villa Las EstrellasVilla Las EstrellasVilla Las Estrellas is a Chilean town in Antártica Commune, Antártica Province, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. It is located on President Eduardo Frei Montalva Base, a military base, on King George Island. It is the biggest and one of only two civilian settlements on Antarctica...
. - Tierra O´Higgins (the Antarctic mainland) (pop. 16), with communal capital Puerto Covadonga (O'Higgins StationBase General Bernardo O'Higgins RiquelmeBase General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, also Base Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, or shortly Bernardo O'Higgins, named after Bernardo O'Higgins is a permanently staffed Chilean base in Antarctica. It is located at , at an elevation of 13 m, about 30 km southwest of Prime...
).
Permanent Chilean stations and settlements
Villa Las Estrellas
Villa Las Estrellas is a Chilean town in Antártica Commune, Antártica Province, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. It is located on President Eduardo Frei Montalva Base, a military base, on King George Island. It is the biggest and one of only two civilian settlements on Antarctica...
, which has a town hall, hotel, day-care center, school, scientific equipment, hospital, post office and bank. This enclave is a center of logistical support for the other eight countries with scientific bases on King George Island.
Nearby Professor Julio Escudero Base
Professor Julio Escudero Base
Professor Julio Escudero Base is a permanent Chilean Antarctic research base. It is located on King George Island. It lies within the Antártica Chilean commune funded by the Antarctic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.-External links:* * *...
, controlled by the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), under the Ministry of Foreign Relations, is the main Chilean scientific facility in Antarctica.
Captain Arturo Prat Base
Captain Arturo Prat Base
Captain Arturo Prat Base is a Chilean Antarctic research base located at Iquique Cove, Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Opened February 6, 1947, it is the oldest Chilean Antarctic station. Until March 1, 2006, it was a base of the Chilean Navy, on which date it was handed...
is a Chilean Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
research base located on Greenwich Island. Opened February 6, 1947, it is the oldest Chilean Antarctic station. Until March 1, 2006, it was a base of the Chilean Navy, on which date it was handed over to the regional government of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. Until February, 2004, it had been a permanent base. Afterwards, it had served as a summer base of ionospheric and meteorologic research. There have been plans to reopen the station for permanent occupation starting March, 2008.
The only permanent Chilean station on the Antarctic mainland (Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....
), O'Higgins Station
Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme
Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, also Base Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, or shortly Bernardo O'Higgins, named after Bernardo O'Higgins is a permanently staffed Chilean base in Antarctica. It is located at , at an elevation of 13 m, about 30 km southwest of Prime...
has been in operation since February 18, 1948. It is located on Puerto Covadonga and it is the official communal capital.
Seasonal Chilean bases
- Dr. Guillermo Mann BaseShirreff BaseShirreff Base is a seasonal field station operated by Chile and the USA opened in 1991. Situated on the east side of Cape Shirreff on Ioannes Paulus II Peninsula on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands.-Location:...
(formely "Shirreff Base") 62°28′2"S 60°46′3"W; summer base of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), under the Ministry of Foreign Relations, in Livinsgton Island. Weather and ecological research station. Archaeological research site about former sealers. Another former Chilean refuge also called "Dr. Guillermo Mann" (or Spring-INACH), located in P. Spring (Pen. Palmer), is in ruins. - Luis Risopatrón BaseRisopatrón BaseRisopatrón Base, also Luis Risopatrón Base, is a small Chilean Antarctic research base in the northwest of Robert Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated on the isthmus linking Coppermine Peninsula to Alfatar Peninsula and bounded by Carlota Cove to the north and Coppermine Cove...
(formerly "Copper Mine Naval Refuge") 62°22′17"S 59°42′53"W; summer station of the Chilean Navy in Robert IslandRobert Island (South Shetland Islands)Robert Island or Mitchells Island or Polotsk Island or Roberts Island is an island long and wide, situated between Nelson Island and Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands. Robert Island is located at . Surface area...
. Geodetic, geophysical and biological research station. - Teniente (lieutenant) Parodi Base 80°18′20"S 81°20′39"W; known as Patriot HillsPatriot HillsPatriot Hills was the only private seasonally occupied camp in Antarctica. It was located in the Heritage Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, next to a group of hills that gives it its name...
Base, is a semi-permanent station. The base is located in Mts. Patriot, in Ellsworth Land. It's being next to Antonio Huneeus Refuge (INACH). This base is provided by the Chilean Antarctic Institute and the Air Force of Chile to study glaciology, meteorology, geology and mapping since 1996. - Julio Ripamondi Base 62°12′37"S 58°56′7"W; little summer station of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), located in Ardley IslandArdley IslandArdley Island is an island long, lying in Maxwell Bay close off the southwest end of King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands. It was charted as a peninsula in 1935 by DI personnel of the Discovery II and named for Lieutenant R.A.B. Ardley, Royal Naval Reserve, officer on the ship in...
, next to Frei Montalva Station and Professor Julio Escudero Base (nearby located in the King George Island). The Ripamondi Base conducts research on geodesy and cartography (since 1997), terrestrial biology (since 1988) and studies of penguins (since 1988). The base is located near a large colony of gentoo penguins. - González Videla BaseGonzález Videla Antarctic BaseGonzález Videla Base, on the Antarctic mainland's Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay, is named after Chilean President Gabriel González Videla, who in the 1940s became the first chief of state of any nation to visit Antarctica. The station was active from 1951-58, and was reopened briefly in the early...
64°49′26"S 62°51′27"W; station of the Chilean Air Force on the Antarctic mainland's Waterboat PointWaterboat PointWaterboat Point is the low westernmost termination of the peninsula between Paradise Harbor and Andvord Bay on the west coast of Graham Land. This feature has "island" characteristics, but it is only separated from the mainland at high water and is more usefully described as a "point." The coast...
in Paradise BayParadise BayParadise Bay is a harbour in West Antarctica.It is one of only two ports used for cruise ships to stop on the continent; the other is Neko Harbour....
. It is now an "inactive" base, with fuel and supplies in storage in the buildings for emergency use, or in case the base were to be reactivated in the future. Occasional summer visits are made by Chilean scientifics and tourists. The base was recently used (2011) in researchs of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) - Teniente (lieutenant) Carvajal BaseTeniente Luis Carvajal Villaroel Antarctic BasePreviously the British Antarctic Survey Station T - Adelaide Base . The base was established by Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1961....
(formely "Station T") 67°46′25"S 68°53′36"W; station of the Chilean Air Force. Previously the British Antarctic Survey Station T - Adelaide Base, between 1961 and 1977. The base was transferred to Chile in 1984 and renamed Teniente Carvajal. Chile has used the station as a summer facility since this time. In the last few years the skiway has deteriorated further, leading to the death of a Chilean air mechanic, when he fell down a crevasse. Since then the Chilean Air Force have ceased operations at Carvajal. The Chilean Navy continues to visit the base during the summer to ensure it is in good order. The base was recently used (2011) in researchs of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH).
Administration
Puerto Williams
Puerto Williams is a Chilean port, located on Isla Navarino facing the Beagle Channel. It is the capital of the Chilean Antarctic Province, one of four provinces located in the Magellan and Chilean Antartica Region...
in the Cabo de Hornos commune from its municipal office located at O'Higgins 165. Chilean law allows a municipality to govern more than one commune, however, this is the only such case. As a commune, Antártica is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by an alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Hugo Henriquez Matus (PRSD
Social Democrat Radical Party
The Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Antártica is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Carolina Goic (PDC
Christian Democratic Party
Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) and Miodrag Marinovic (Ind.
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
) as part of the 60th electoral district, which includes the entire Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region. The commune is represented in the Senate
Senate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Carlos Bianchi Chelech (Ind.) and Pedro Muñoz Aburto (PS
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
) as part of the 19th senatorial constituency (Magallanes Region).
External links
- Gobierno Regional Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Official website (in Spanish)
- Gobernación Provincia de Antártica Chilena Official website (in Spanish)
- Chilean Antarctic Institute Official website (in Spanish) Municipality of Cape Horn