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The main economic activities are sheep farming, oil extraction, and tourism. It is also the region with the lowest poverty level in Chile (5.8%); households in Magallanes have the highest income of any region in Chile.[6]
Since 2017, the region has had itsown time zone. It uses the summer time for the whole year (UTC−3).[7]
The topography can be divided in four regions: an outer archipelago region (Spanish:Región Archipielágica) to the west and south, a mountain region in the west and south (Spanish:Región Cordillerana),[9] a plains region (Spanish:Región de las Planicies Orientales) in the northeast[10] plus a sub-Andean zone in-between the last two zones (Spanish:Región Sub-Andina Oriental).[11]
The region is characterized by low temperatures and strong winds throughout the year.[12] The region has five different climatic types, owing to the diversity in altitudes and the width of the region.[13][14] Owing to its proximity to60°S (a zone characterized bylow pressure systems andsubpolar cyclones), frontal systems regularly pass through the region.[13]
The westernmost islands have a cold, humid and rainy climate, being exposed to strong winds and low temperatures throughout the year.[12] Precipitation averages 3,500 mm (140 in) per year,[12] while the mean annual temperature on these islands is 9 °C (48.2 °F) with a low thermal amplitude due to the maritime influences and the strong winds.[13][14] Precipitation decreases and temperatures increase moving eastwards.[12] These islands are the wettest places in Chile, particularly onGuarello Island where it can record 9,000 mm (350 in) during the wettest years.[13][14] Precipitation is high throughout the year though fall tends to be the wettest season.[13][14]
Immediately to the east of the westernmost islands, east of theAndes and bordered by theCordillera Paine to the north and theBrunswick Peninsula to the south, the climate is much drier.[12][13][14] TheAndes to the west block most of the precipitation, causing most of the air coming in to be dry.[13] Mean annual precipitation ranges between 250 and 400 mm (9.8 and 15.7 in) which is fairly evenly distributed through the year.[13] During winters, precipitation mainly falls assnow.[13] Mean annual temperatures are between 6 and 7 °C (42.8 and 44.6 °F).[13] Due to the close proximity to the ocean, winters are not cold and snow cover does not last long.[13]
In the easternmost parts of the region, including much ofTierra del Fuego province, a coldsteppe climate prevails.[13][14] Temperatures are cold while precipitation is lower than areas to the west.[12] Mean precipitation is between 250 and 500 mm (9.8 and 19.7 in), decreasing eastwards and is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.[13][14] Mean annual temperatures range between 8 and 9 °C (46.4 and 48.2 °F).[13][14] From December to March, mean temperatures exceed 10 °C (50.0 °F) while during winter, they reach down to 2 °C (35.6 °F).[13][14]
Corresponding to theSouthern Patagonian Ice Field, located at higher altitudes, temperatures are cold enough to maintain permanent ice fields.[13] Mean temperatures are below 0 °C (32.0 °F) in all months while precipitation (mostly as snow) is abundant year-round, receiving 2,000 mm (79 in).[12][13][14] These areas have apolar climate.[14]
In the southernmost islands, south ofTierra del Fuego and theStrait of Magellan, atundra climate prevails.[13][14] These islands are strongly influenced by the surroundingPacific Ocean to the west and southwest and theDrake Passage to the south, resulting in constant temperatures throughout the year.[13][14] Mean annual temperatures are between 5 and 7 °C (41.0 and 44.6 °F) while precipitation is high, with most places receiving 1,000 mm (39 in).[13][14] In sheltered areas, precipitation is below 600 mm (24 in).[13][14] Summers are the warmest and the wettest season in these islands.[13]
The population of Magallanes is one of the lowest in Chile, as one of the last regions colonized.
In the 1854 census counted 158 settlers, concentrated in Punta Arenas. The native population in 1830, according to King, amounted to approximately 2,200, with about 400 in western Patagonia and approximately 1,600 in the southern Straits.
The census of 1875 recorded 1,144 inhabitants and in 1895 the population had risen to 5,170 inhabitants, mostly concentrated in the city of Punta Arenas and its surroundings.
The installation of the cattle ranches attracted people from Europe (mostly Croats, British, Swiss and Italians) and southern Chile (mostly fromChiloé Archipelago), which greatly increased the population of the region.
Punta Arenas is said to have the largest percentage of Croatians in the world outside Croatia and the former Yugoslavia; Punta Arenas also has the largest percentage of residents of British descent in Chile. There is a higher proportion of non-Spanish Europeans there as well (especially Scots and Greeks), and descendants of Germans, Dutch, Danes and other Scandinavians, Russians and Portuguese peoples.
From the late 18th century to the opening of thePanama Canal in 1914, thousands of trans-oceanic voyages stopped by Punta Arenas as the most convenient strait between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The settlement of Punta Arenas and the Magellan and Chilean Antarctica Region is a result of its historic use as a hub for international travel.
In the 1907 census, the Territory of Magellan had 17,330 inhabitants, distributed as follows:– City of Punta Arenas: 12,785 hab.– Patagonia Chilena: 1,094 hab.– Pen. of Brunswick: 1,062 hab.– Tierra del Fuego: 1,626 hab.– Beagle Channel: 184 inhabitants.– Last Hope: 392 inhabitants.– Baker River: 187 inhabitants.
This proportional distribution has persisted, with the bulk of the regional population in the city of Punta Arenas, and in the provincial capitalsPuerto Natales,Porvenir (Spanish for "future") andPuerto Williams, one of the world's southernmost cities.
In the past 50 years, the population has increased moderately as shown below, but the region still has one of the lowest population densities in the country. The population remains mostly urban and concentrated in Punta Arenas.
Census
1952: 55,206 hab.
1960: 73,358 hab.
1970: 89,443 hab.
1982: 131,914 hab.
1992: 143,198 hab.
2002: 150,826 hab.
2017: 165,593 hab.
2024: 166,537 hab.
The most populated cities are Punta Arenas (132,363 inhabitants), Puerto Natales (24,152) Porvenir (6,809), Cabo de Hornos (1,750) and Primavera (431).[2]
^Total area listed here is the continental Magallanes region. With theChilean Antarctic Territory, the total area is 1,382,291.10 square kilometres (533,705.58 sq mi).
^If the Chilean Antarctic Territory is considered, the population density of the Magallanes Region is 0.13 square kilometres (0.050 sq mi).
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