Villa O'Higgins is a village (aldea) in southern 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...

, located in the Capitán Prat Province

Capitán Prat Province

Capitán Prat Province is one of four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Aisén . Its capital is Cochrane. The province is named after the naval hero Arturo Prat.-Geography and demography:...

, in the south of Aisén Region. It is the capital of the O'Higgins commune

O'Higgins, Chile

O'Higgins is a Chilean commune located around O'Higgins Lake in the south east of Aisén Region. The commune is administered by the municipality in Villa O'Higgins, the principal settlement.-Demographics:...

 and marks the end of the Carretera Austral

Carretera Austral

The Carretera Austral , formerly known as Carretera General Augusto Pinochet, is the name given to Chile's Route 7. The highway runs about from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins through rural Patagonia....

. The village is named after Chilean independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins

Bernardo O'Higgins

Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile , he is considered one of Chile's founding fathers, as he was the first holder...

.

Facilities

The village has an airport, several guesthouses, a radio station, and a few shops. In the summer (Dec-Feb) there are regular boats from Villa O'Higgins over the Lago O'Higgins lake to Candelario Mansilla. From Candelario Mansilla it is possible to cross the border into Argentina via a footpath (no road).

External links

• A non-official website containing information on the Commune of O'Higgins