Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt
Meli Pulli | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of the Commune of Puerto Montt | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Los Lagos |
| Province | Llanquihue |
| Founded as | Melipulli |
| Founded | 12 February 1853 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rabindranath Quinteros Lara |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,673 km2 (646 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Population (2002) | |
| • Total | 175,938 |
| • Density | 113.9/km2 (295/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (Chile Time (CLT)[1]) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (Chile Summer Time (CLST)[2]) |
| Website | http://www.puertomonttchile.cl |
Puerto Montt is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region. It has a population of 153,118 (city only, 2002 census) and a city area of 39.58 km², It forms part of Chilean Patagonia.
History
Originally, the site was covered by a thick forest and was called Melipulli (Means Four hills in Mapudungun). It was selected as an entrance to Lake Llanquihue when its proximity to the open sea was discovered. In the summer of 1851, an expedition arrived from Chiloé to begin the clearing of the area and the building of houses for the new inhabitants. The city itself was founded on February 12, 1853, after government-sponsored immigration from Germany that began in 1848 populated the region and integrated it politically to the rest of the country. It was named after Manuel Montt, President of Chile between 1851 and 1861, who set in motion the German immigration. For further reading about the origins of these inhabitants, see Monte Verde, an archaeological site near Puerto Montt.
Colonization of Southern Chile
The Chilean government encouraged German immigration in 1848, a time of revolution in Germany. Before that Bernhard Eunom Philippi recruited nine working families to emigrate from Hesse to Chile.
The origin of the German immigrants in Chile began with the Law of Selective Immigration of 1845. The objective of this law was to bring people of a medium social/high cultural level to colonize the southern regions of Chile; these were between Valdivia and Puerto Montt. Some report [citation needed] that 20,000 immigrated as a result. According to another source, no more than 5,600 out of about 11,000 German emigrants to Chile between 1846 and 1914 settled in Southern Chile.[3] The process was administered by Vicente Pérez Rosales by mandate of the then-president Manuel Montt. The German immigrants revived the domestic economy and they changed the southern zones. An example of this constructive spirit was stated by the leader of the first colonists Carlos Anwandter, who proclaimed to all the colonists:
- We shall be honest and laborious Chileans as the best of them, we shall defend our adopted country joining in the ranks of our new countrymen, against any foreign oppression and with the decision and firmness of the man that defends his country, his family and his interests. Never will have the country that adopts us as its children, reason to repent of such illustrated, human and generous proceeding,...
The expansion and economic development of Valdivia were limited in the early 19th century. To stimulate economic development, the Chilean government initiated a highly-focused immigration program under Vicente Pérez Rosales as government representative.[citation needed] Through this program, thousands of Germans settled in the area, incorporating then-modern technology and know-how to develop agriculture and industry. Some of the new immigrants stayed in Valdivia but others were given forested land, which they cleared for farms[4]
- Valdivia, situated at some distance from the coast, on the Calle-calle river, is a German town. Everywhere you meet German faces, German signboards and placards alongside the Spanish. There is a large German school, a church and various Vereine, large shoe-factories, and, of course, breweries...
Economy
Puerto Montt is the capital of the X region Los Lagos and the main sea port at the end of the western continental land of Chile. The city is the principal commercial, services and financial hub of the Southern region of Northern Patagonia. As its main port, Puerto Montt is often considered the capital to Patagonia.
The city's economy is now based upon agriculture, forestry, fishing and salmon aquaculture in the surrounding islands and fjords. It is the fastest-growing city in southern Chile, mainly because of the explosive growth of salmon culture. Puerto Montt is also the gateway to Chiloé Island and the many other smaller islands in Chile's inland sea. Other major cities and towns around Lake Llanquihue include Osorno, Valdivia, Puerto Varas, the industrial town of Llanquihue, the cultural town of Frutillar , and Puerto Octay, all adding importance to Puerto Montt.
Puerto Montt is often referred to as The Salmon Capital of Chile. The city is configured as the hub of the largest salmon Industry of the world, closely followed by Norway. Hatcheries, fisheries and packing plants are all located south of Puerto Montt. Fresh salmon is flown daily to world markets and frozen salmon is shipped by ocean to all destinations. The tremendous growth of the region, mainly due to the salmon industry, but also due to rapid expansion of forestry, cattle and tourism, has proven the massive economic potential of Puerto Montt and its surrounding area.
Puerto Montt has an airport, El Tepual, where two airlines operate regular flights to and from Santiago, Punta Arenas, Balmaceda, Concepción, Temuco and Bariloche (Argentina). The airlines operating at the airport are LAN Airlines (the country's largest) and Sky Airlines. The flight time to Santiago is approximately two hours.
Gallery
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The city of Puerto Montt in 1895 -
Coastal stroll of Puerto Montt -
Angelmo, Puerto Montt
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References
- ^ "Chile Time". World Time Zones .org. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ^ "Chile Summer Time". World Time Zones .org. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ^ "United States perceptions of Latin America, 1850-1930: A "New West", south of Capricorn?".
(p. 115) For ten years after the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, immigrants came from Germany. They established themselves principally in the Llanquihue in the towns of Frutillar, Puerto Octay, Puerto Varas, Osorno and Puerto Montt all areas known as Northern Patagonia. Valdivia prospered with industries, including shipyards, the Hoffmann Gristmill, the Rudloff shoe factory and many more enterprises. The steel mills of Corral were the biggest recorded private investment in Chile at the time, and were the first steel mills in South America. In 1891 Valdivia became a commune according to a law that created that subdivisions in Chile. After that the Malleco Viaduct had been built in 1890 the railroads advanced further south reaching Valdivia in 1895. The first train with passengers arrived in 1899. The German military culture had great influence on the Army of Chile. At the end of the 19th century, adopted the Prussian military tradition, especially after the Civil War of 1891. A German-Chilean, Emil Körner, reached the rank of commander-in-chief of the Army in 1900. The total German emigration to Chile between 1846 and 1914 was about only 11,000, and of these, no more than around 5,600 are estimated to have settled in southern Chile.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|quote=at position 10 (help) - ^ Luis Otero, La Huella del Fuego: Historia de los bosques y cambios en el paisaje del sur de Chile (Valdivia, Editorial Pehuen)
External links
- http://www.puertomonttchile.cl
- Puerto Montt City Guide
- Satellite view of Puerto Montt Google Maps
- Works on history and culture of Puerto Montt by the anthropologist Wladimir Soto Cárcamo
