Magallanes y Antártica Chilena

Southernmost region of Chile, extending from 49°S to Cape Horn; area 132,034 sq km/50,978 sq mi; population (1994) 176,598. The region comprises the provinces of Ultima Esperanza, Magallanes, Tierra del Fuego, and Antártica Chilena. The capital is Punta Arenas. The territory of the region includes the western half of the island of Tierra del Fuego, the eastern half of which belongs to Argentina. The entire coastline of Magallanes is heavily indented with fjords and islets. Less than 1% of the country's population lives in this inhospitable region; the majority live in the south, where sheep farming and related industries form the basis of the economy. There were formerly important oilfields on Tierra del Fuego; these are no longer in operation, but have been replaced by natural-gas fields. Coal is also mined here.

The region is named after the 16th-century Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (Spanish: Fernando de Magallanes). A ferry service through the fjords of southern Chile links Puerto Montt with Puerto Natales, a centre near the Argentine border for tourists visiting the Balmaceda and Torres del Paine national parks.