Magallanes Region of Chile
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Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region XII Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena |
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| Region of Chile | |||
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.svg) Map of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region |
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| Coordinates: 53°10′S 70°56′W / 53.167°S 70.933°WCoordinates: 53°10′S 70°56′W / 53.167°S 70.933°W | |||
| Country |
 Chile
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| Capital | Punta Arenas | ||
| Provinces | Magellan, Chilean Antarctica, Tierra del Fuego, Última Esperanza | ||
| Government | |||
| • Intendant | Jorge Flies | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 132,291.1 km2 (51,077.9 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 1 | ||
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | ||
| Population (2012 census) | |||
| • Total | 155,332 | ||
| • Rank | 14 | ||
| • Density | 1.2/km2 (3.0/sq mi) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | CL-MA | ||
| Website | Official website (Spanish) | ||
The Region of Magallanes, officially the XII Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica (Spanish: XII Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena), is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and second least populated region of Chile. It comprises four provinces: Última Esperanza, Magallanes, Tierra del Fuego, and Antártica Chilena.
Magallanes has many globally known places and geographical features including Torres del Paine, Cape Horn, Tierra del Fuego island, and the Strait of Magellan. It also includes the Antarctic territory claimed by Chile. Despite its large area, much of the land in the region is rugged or closed off for sheep farming, and is thus not suitable for settlement. 80% of the population lives in the capital Punta Arenas, a major market city and one of the main hubs for Antarctic exploration.
The main economic activities are sheep farming, oil extraction, and tourism. It is also the region with the least amount of poverty in Chile (5.8%); households in Magallanes have the highest income of any region in Chile.
This region contains mountainous peaks and glaciers in the far north, including elements of the Patagonian Ice Sheet. Further south there are other mountain ranges such as the Cerro Toro and numerous surface waters including the Seno Última Esperanza, Eberhard Fjord and Lago Grey. Protected areas include the Torres del Paine National Park and the Cueva del Milodon Natural Monument. At the latter, remains have been discovered of the extinct ground sloth as well as of prehistoric man dating to circa 10,000 BC.
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