Chubut Province

Coordinates: 43°18′S 65°06′W / 43.300°S 65.100°W / -43.300; -65.100
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Chubut
Provincia del Chubut (Spanish)
Talaith Chubut (Welsh)
Province of Chubut
Lake Futalaufquen in the Andes
UTC−3 (ART)
ISO 3166 codeAR-U
HDI (2021)0.858 very high (3rd)[3]
Websitewww.chubut.gov.ar

Chubut (

Atlantic ocean to the east. The province's name derives from the Tehuelche word chupat, meaning "transparent". their description of the Chubut River
.

The largest city is

Welsh-Argentines are concentrated. Many indigenous languages are spoken in Argentina.[4]

History

Argentine Geological Society founder Dr. Victorio Angelelli (2nd from right), ca. 1950, whose study of Chubut's mineral wealth identified resources for economic development.

Before the Spaniards arrived in the Americas, nomadic indigenous Tehuelche people had inhabited the Patagonia region for thousands of years.[5] They lived as hunter-gatherers and covered territory in seasonal cycles as they followed game.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Spanish

Península Valdés
. The indigenous people later destroyed it.

In 1865,

Chubut Valley.[6] The region was disputed between Chile and Argentina until 1881. Chile renounced its claim in order to prevent Argentina from entering into the War of the Pacific
, in which it was already fighting against Peru and Bolivia.

As part of the

Boer people settled in the town of Sarmiento
and in lesser number in other nearby towns.

From 1895 to 1915 hundreds of Spanish and Italian born immigrantes settled in the lower Chubut valley as well a little more than hundred Chileans.[7]: 172 

In 1944, the southern part of Chubut and northern part of Santa Cruz were designated the Comodoro Rivadavia Military Zone. The zone was dissolved in 1955, and Chubut was declared a province. Studies in the 1950s revealed mineral wealth in the province, which the government has tried to develop.

Population shifts of the late 20th century, especially from Buenos Aires, raised the population steadily from 190,000 (1970), to 357,000 (1991) and 413,237 (2001). The government has encouraged people to resettle here. Most of the inhabitants are in the main cities. They have also settled along the Chubut River. Most areas have a population density of less than 1 inhabitant per square kilometer.

Economy

Chubut's economy, for a long time one of the most prosperous in Argentina, is one of the country's least diversified. Nearly one-quarter of its 2006 output, estimated at US$4.652 billion (or a per capita income of US$11,256), is generated by mining and petroleum.

unconventional oil and gas discovery in Chubut from a fracked well in the Early Cretaceous D-129 formation of the Golfo San Jorge basin.[9]
Chubut produces 21% of the nation's fish catch.

Sheep ranching, though less than half as productive in the 21st century compared to as recently as 1990, remains important at the local level. The advent of synthetic replacements to wool after World War II battered the sector. It declined further because of Argentina's political instability and damage from natural disasters. Wool production has risen since 2002, however, and totaled 71,000 tons in 2006.[10]

Geography

Relief

Chubut stretches from the Atlantic to the Andes with 3 distinct environmental regions: The Andes, the central plains and the coastal regions.

last ice age, the movement of the glaciers lead to the formation of extensive areas of depressions that were filled up with water to form the lakes today.[11]

Government House at Rawson
Trevelin

Climate

Köppen climate map of Chubut, Argentina
Cholila Lake
Los Altares

The Andes cause humid winds from the Pacific Ocean to rise so most of the moisture precipitates on the western side of the Andes, leaving all except the Andean portion of the province dry.

cold fronts, which usually move in a west to east direction are moderated as they pass over the Pacific Ocean.[12] As such, cold temperatures are not as extreme as they are in the northern hemisphere.[12] Similar to the rest of Patagonia the climate is characterized by strong winds throughout the year, which also leads to higher evapotranspiration, another factor in the province being mostly dry.[12]

Temperature

Esquel

The western parts of the province are the coldest with an annual mean temperature of 8 °C (46.4 °F) owing to the higher elevations while the coastal areas are the warmest with an annual mean temperature of 12 to 14 °C (53.6 to 57.2 °F).

subtropical air from the north.[12] The westernmost parts of the province are the coolest during the summer, averaging only 14 °C (57.2 °F).[12] The central parts of the province have the most extreme temperatures which can reach over 40 °C (104.0 °F) during the summer and below −20 °C (−4.0 °F) in the winter.[12] The lowest temperature recorded in Chubut was −33 °C (−27.4 °F) in Sarmiento.[12]

Humidity and precipitation

In general, relative humidity values do not vary a lot across the province and the contrast is not that large.[12] In the coastal areas, the mean relative humidity is about 70% while in the rest of the province, it is around 50%–60%.[12] The exception is in the higher altitude areas in the Andes in the colder regions where humidity levels are considerably higher.[12] During the summer months, humidity levels are relatively low.[12]

Because the Andes block most of the moisture from the Pacific Ocean from coming in, causing it to release most of the precipitation on its western slopes, most of the province is dry, averaging less than 200 mm (7.9 in) a year.[12] In the central parts of the province, some areas receive less than 100 mm (3.9 in) of precipitation a year.[12] In the Andean part, precipitation increases towards the Chilean border and precipitation ranges from 700 mm (28 in) to over 3,000 mm (120 in).[11][12] A Mediterranean like precipitation pattern, similar to central Chile with dry summers and wet winters is found in the area between the Andean region to the west and the dry steppes to the east.[12] Although precipitation can widely vary among the province, in all locations, precipitation is higher during the winter months.[12] Thunderstorms are rare and occur exclusively during the summer.[12]

Wind and sunshine

One defining characteristic of the climate in Chubut province is the strong wind that is observed throughout the province.[12] The wind is an additional factor that makes most of the province dry since it favors evaporation of moisture.[12] Most of the wind comes from either the west, southwest or northwest but in coastal areas during the summer months, a sea breeze can form when westerly winds are weak, forming easterly winds that can penetrate up to 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the coast.[12] The mean wind speed is 6 metres per second (20 ft/s) with higher wind speeds being recorded in the south where the average is more than 9 metres per second (30 ft/s).[12] Higher altitude areas are more windy than lower altitude areas, resulting in the Andean region being windier than the coastal areas.[12] As in much of Patagonia, summers tend to be windier than winters.[12]

Sunshine in the province follows a north–south gradient (decreases from north to south), particularly during summer where northern parts of the province can receive 10 hours of sunshine/day while southern parts receive 8 hours of sunshine/day.[12] During winter months, the province receives 4–5 hours of sunshine/day.[12]

Media

Rada Tilly, on the Atlantic Ocean

Newspapers

Print newspapers include:

  • Crónica and El Patagónico in Comodoro Rivadavia
  • El Oeste in Esquel
  • El Diario de Madryn in Puerto Madryn
  • El Chubut and Jornada in Trelew
  • Y Drafod, Welsh language newspaper since 1891

Online journalism

Online journalism has a small, growing presence in Chubut. The six print newspapers have online editions; these are updated every 24 hours. Some new digital proposals make a better use of web's potential. One case is Infochubut.com, a recent publication that works with audio, video, text and photographs for its news and offers forums for public participation. Some radio stations in northwest Chubut began to publish online some of the interviews made in their radio studies.

Radio

The most populous cities are served by AM radio stations, such as Chubut Radio and Three Radio in Trelew, Golfo Nuevo's Radio in Puerto Madryn, National Radio in Comodoro, Rivadavia and Esquel. There are also several FM radio stations which broadcast programs from a national central office.

Television

The provincial government runs a TV network that covers the province. In Trelew, Comodoro Rivadavia, Esquel, Puerto Madryn and in some small towns there are other local TV stations producing local programming to supplement the programming received from the Buenos Aires networks.

Tourism

Península Valdés
, its preferred sanctuary

Tourism is also a growing industry. The main attractions are

Peninsula Valdés and other marine wildlife reservoirs such as Punta Tombo and Punta Ninfas, with right whales, eared seals, elephant seals, penguins, orcas and many other animals. At the Punta Tombo site there is one of the largest breeding areas for the Magellanic penguin.[14]

Further south, on the sparsely populated beaches of the

Esquel, as does the La Hoya ski center. The petrified forest
near Sarmiento is a 150 km2 park with some of the largest fossilised trees in the world.

Transport

The

Esquel, but half of it has not yet been paved. Regular long-distance buses run several times a day to Buenos Aires, and to many locations in the Santa Cruz Province
. Short range buses to towns in Chubut run at least once a day. There are also daily summer buses on the route #25. The Trelew airport (IATA REL) serves regular flights to/from Buenos Aires and El Calafate. Airports are also maintained at Comodoro Rivadavia, Rawson and Esquel.

Major highways include:

  • Route 2, from Puerto Pirámides and Península Valdés
  • Route 3, north–south via Trelew and Comodoro Rivadavia
  • Route 26, west from Comodoro Rivadavia (223 km)
  • Route 20, which continues north 178 km to Jose de San Martín
  • Route 22, north from Perito Moreno (Santa Cruz province) 125 km
  • Route 25, west from Trelew (341 km)
  • Route 62, which continues west 166 km to join Route 40 at Tecka
  • Route 40, traveling north 266 km via Esquel to Cabeza del Indio
  • Route 30, east 73 km from Route 3 to the coast at Camarones
  • Route 259, west from Esquel to Chile.

Four other roads travel west to Chile's Aysén region, including Balmaceda and Coihaique Alto, and two to Chile's Los Lagos region from Corcovado to Palena and from Esquel via Trevelin to Futaleufu.

Government

The provincial government is divided into the usual three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly elected governor, who appoint the cabinet; the legislative; and the judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court and completed by several inferior tribunals.

The Constitution of Chubut Province forms the formal law of the province.

In Argentina, the most important law enforcement organization is the Argentine Federal Police but the additional work is carried out by the Chubut Provincial Police.

Political divisions

Departments of the Province of Chubut

The province is divided into 15 departments (Spanish: departamentos), listed below with their Number (on map), area and populations at the Censuses of November 2000 and October 2010:

Name No. on Map Capital Area (km2) Census 2000 Census 2010
Biedma 15 Puerto Madryn 12,940 58,677 82,883
Cushamen 1 Cushamen 16,250 17,134 20,919
Escalante 2 Comodoro Rivadavia 14,015 143,689 186,583
Florentino Ameghino 3 Camarones 16,088 1,484 1,627
Futaleufú 4
Esquel
9,435 37,540 43,076
Gaiman 5 Gaiman 11,076 9,612 11,141
Gastre 6 Gastre 16,335 1,508 1,427
Languiñeo 7 Tecka 15,339 3,017 3,085
Mártires 8 Las Plumas 15,445 977 778
Paso de Indios 9 Paso de Indios 22,300 1,905 1,867
Rawson 10 Rawson 3,922 115,829 131,313
Río Senguer 11 Alto Río Senguer 22,335 6,194 5,979
Sarmiento 12 Sarmiento 14,563 8,724 11,396
Tehuelches 13 José de San Martín 14,750 5,159 5,390
Telsen 14 Telsen 19,893 1,788 1,644
Chubut Totals Rawson 224,686 413,237 509,108

Institutions

Chubut is covered by the

San Juan Bosco
is in Comodoro Rivadavia.

The university,

Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, is based in Comodoro Rivadavia with campuses at Esquel, Trelew and Puerto Madryn, as well as in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego
.

The Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión is based in the town of Playa Unión.

Localities

References

  1. ^ "Nuevos datos provisorios del Censo 2022: Argentina tiene 46.044.703 habitantes". Infobae. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  2. ^ "TelluBase—Argentina Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  3. ^ "El mapa del desarrollo humano en Argentina" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 25 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Languages of Argentina" - Ethnologue.com (subscription required)
  5. ^ "Tehuelche". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. 2018.
  6. .
  7. .
  8. ^ "El déficit consolidado de las provincias rondará los $11.500 millones este año" (in Spanish). Instituto Argentino para el Desarrollo de las Economías Regionales. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  9. ^ "YPF confirmó la presencia de hidrocarburos no convencionales en Chubut". Archived from the original on 2014-05-26. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  10. ^ MECON Republica Argentina (2008) Archived October 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Annuario Estadístico Chubut" (PDF) (in Spanish). Dirección General de Estadística y Censos Chubut. 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah "Provincia de Chubut–Clima Y Metéorologia" (in Spanish). Secretaria de Mineria de la Nacion (Argentina). Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  13. ^ Ocean Circulation and Climate 2013, p. 316.
  14. ^ C. Michael Hogan (2008) Magellanic Penguin, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg

Further reading

External links

43°18′S 65°06′W / 43.300°S 65.100°W / -43.300; -65.100