Chubut ( from Tehuelche 'transparent'; ) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Andes range to the west (bordering Chile), and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The province's name derives from the Tehuelche word , meaning 'transparent', their description of the Chubut River.

The largest city is Comodoro Rivadavia in the south of the province; it had 199,369 inhabitants at the 2022 Census. The administrative capital is Rawson (27,157). Other important cities are Puerto Madryn (97,625), Trelew (104,657), Esquel (36,624) and Sarmiento (13,892). Gaiman (6,376) is a cultural and demographic centre of the region known as in which Welsh-Argentines are concentrated.

History

thumb|left|220px|[[w:es:Asociacion Geologica Argentina|Argentine Geological Society founder Victorio Angelelli (second from right), 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. They lived as hunter-gatherers and covered territory in seasonal cycles as they followed game.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Spanish missionaries came to the area, and founded the San José Fort on Península Valdés. The indigenous people later destroyed it.

In 1865, Welsh people came to Chubut on the Mimosa and settled in the Chubut Valley. 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 Conquista del Desierto (Conquest of the Desert), Argentina organized the National Territory of Chubut in 1884, after the last indigenous cacique, Inacayal, surrendered to government forces. Luis Fontana was named governor. At the beginning of the 20th century, after the Boer War, some 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 immigrants settled in the lower Chubut valley as well a little more than hundred Chileans.

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 357,189 (1991), to 413,237 (2001), to 509,108 (2010) and to 592,621 (2022). 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. This sector's contribution (mostly centered around Comodoro Rivadavia) helped give Chubut the nation's fourth-highest per capita output in 2011, US$25,250. Petroleum refining is the main economic activity of the province; it generates 13% of Argentine oil production (mostly off-shore). On May 21, 2014, Miguel Galuccio of YPF and Chubut Governor Martin Buzzi announced the first unconventional oil and gas discovery in Chubut from a fracked well in the Early Cretaceous D-129 formation of the Golfo San Jorge basin. 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 for 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.

Geography

Relief

Chubut stretches from the Atlantic to the Andes with 3 distinct environmental regions: The Andes, the central plains and the coastal regions. The Andes in the westernmost parts of the province mostly extend along the Chilean border. In the Andean region, the climate is cold for its latitude owing to the higher elevations there and the influence of winds from the Pacific Ocean.

Further south, on the sparsely populated beaches of the Golfo San Jorge, is the only place in the world where the peculiar, flightless Chubut steamer duck can be observed. In the Andean region, the Los Alerces National Park, impressive lakes and hikes near Esquel are also visited every year by many tourists. The 'Old Patagonian Express' (also known as La Trochita), the old steam train made famous by Paul Theroux, attracts many to Esquel, as does the La Hoya ski center. The petrified forest near Sarmiento is a 150&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> park with some of the largest fossilised trees in the world.

Transport

The Ruta Nacional 3 runs along the coast line up to Buenos Aires, and down to Tierra del Fuego. The Ruta Nacional 25 crosses Chubut from East to West, connecting Trelew and 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 (General Enrique Mosconi International Airport), 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&nbsp;km)
  • Route 20, which continues north 178&nbsp;km to Jose de San Martín
  • Route 22, north from Perito Moreno (Santa Cruz province) 125&nbsp;km
  • Route 25, west from Trelew (341&nbsp;km)
  • Route 62, which continues west 166&nbsp;km to join Route 40 at Tecka
  • Route 40, traveling north 266&nbsp;km via Esquel to Cabeza del Indio
  • Route 30, east 73&nbsp;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

right|225px|thumb|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 15 May 1991, 17 November 2000, 27 October 2010 and 16 May 2022:

{| class="sortable wikitable"

|-

! Name || No. on Map || Capital || Area (km<sup>2</sup>) || Census 1991 || Census 2000 || Census 2010 || Census 2022

|-

| Biedma ||align="center"|15|| Puerto Madryn ||align="right"|12,940||align="right"|45,494||align="right"|58,677||align="right"|82,883||align="right"|103,173

|-

| Cushamen ||align="center"| 1|| Cushamen ||align="right"|16,250||align="right"|13,885||align="right"|17,134||align="right"|20,919||align="right"|28,209

|-

| Escalante ||align="center"| 2|| Comodoro Rivadavia ||align="right"|14,015||align="right"|129,229||align="right"|143,689||align="right"|186,583||align="right"|215,453

|-

| Florentino Ameghino ||align="center"| 3|| Camarones ||align="right"|16,088||align="right"|1,166||align="right"|1,484||align="right"|1,627||align="right"|1,786

|-

| Futaleufú ||align="center"| 4|| Esquel ||align="right"|9,435||align="right"|30,782||align="right"|37,540||align="right"|43,076||align="right"|50,316

|-

| Gaiman ||align="center"| 5|| Gaiman ||align="right"|11,076||align="right"|8,209||align="right"|9,612||align="right"|11,141||align="right"|12,639

|-

| Gastre ||align="center"| 6|| Gastre ||align="right"|16,335||align="right"|1,900||align="right"|1,508||align="right"|1,427||align="right"|1,195

|-

| Languiñeo ||align="center"| 7|| Tecka ||align="right"|15,339||align="right"|3,321||align="right"|3,017||align="right"|3,085||align="right"|2,884

|-

| Mártires ||align="center"| 8|| Las Plumas ||align="right"|15,445||align="right"|805||align="right"|977||align="right"|778||align="right"|754

|-

| Paso de Indios ||align="center"| 9|| Paso de Indios ||align="right"|22,300||align="right"|1,883||align="right"|1,905||align="right"|1,867||align="right"|1,886

|-

| Rawson ||align="center"|10|| Rawson ||align="right"|3,922||align="right"|100,243||align="right"|115,829||align="right"|131,313||align="right"|145,763

|-

| Río Senguer ||align="center"|11|| Alto Río Senguer ||align="right"|22,335||align="right"|6,172||align="right"|6,194||align="right"|5,979||align="right"|6,366

|-

| Sarmiento ||align="center"|12|| Sarmiento ||align="right"|14,563||align="right"|7,663||align="right"|8,724||align="right"|11,396||align="right"|14,596

|-

| Tehuelches ||align="center"|13|| José de San Martín ||align="right"|14,750||align="right"|4,801||align="right"|5,159||align="right"|5,390||align="right"|5,978

|-

| Telsen ||align="center"|14|| Telsen ||align="right"|19,893||align="right"|1,636||align="right"|1,788||align="right"|1,644||align="right"|1,623

|-

| Chubut Totals|||| Rawson ||align="right"|224,686||align="right"|357,189||align="right"|413,237||align="right"|509,108||align="right"|582,621

|}

Institutions

Chubut is covered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Comodoro Rivadavia. The cathedral, dedicated to 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

  • Astra, Chubut
  • Cerro Dragón oil field
  • El Escorial, Chubut
  • Quinta El Mirador

References

Further reading

  • Chubut Province in Argentour