PUNTA ARENAS

• Distance from Santiago: 1231 km.

This is the administrative, commercial and cultural center of the XII Region. The first foreigner to step on these southern lands was Hernando de Magallanes, who was sailing in the search of a passage into the Pacific Ocean . Chile takes possession of this region and builds Bulnes Fort, 60 km away from Punta Arenas. The coastline of this region is uneven, mostly uninhabited, with a very windy and deserted continental area. The economic resources are related with wood exploitation, fishing industry, sheep farming and mining industry. The tourist industry is becoming more and more important for the economy of the place. From Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the world, visitors may go on excursions towards Puerto Natales or to the Porvenir, in Tierra del Fuego, Puerto Williams in Ambarino Island and also towards Antarctica, which can be reached by air or sea, having this city as its center, turning it into a very important point between the south American continent and the frozen continent.