Transport in Chile is mostly by road. The far south of the country is not directly connected to central Chile by road, and water transport also plays a part there. The railways were historically important in Chile, but now play a relatively small part in the country's transport system. Because of the country's geography and long distances between major cities, aviation is also important.
The Strait of Magellan, also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was navigated by canoe-faring indigenous peoples including the Kawésqar for thousands of years. The strait is approximately 570 km long and 2 km wide at its narrowest point. In 1520, the Spanish expedition of Ferdinand Magellan, after whom the strait is named, became the first Europeans to discover it.
The Cape May–Lewes Ferry is a ferry system in the United States that traverses a 17-mile (27 km) crossing of the Delaware Bay connecting North Cape May, New Jersey with Lewes, Delaware. The ferry constitutes a portion of U.S. Route 9 and is the final crossing of the Delaware River-Delaware Bay waterway before it meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Puerto Natales is a city in Chilean Patagonia. It is the capital of both the commune of Natales and the province of Última Esperanza, one of the four provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region in the southernmost part of Chile. Puerto Natales is the only city in the province. It is located 247 km (153 mi) northwest of Punta Arenas. It is the final passenger port of call for the Navimag ferry sailing from Puerto Montt into the Señoret Channel as well as the primary transit point for travellers to Torres del Paine National Park, Chile.
The Carretera Austral is the name given to Chile's Route 7. The highway runs south for about 1,240 kilometers (770 mi) from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins, passing through rural Patagonia.
Bernardo O'Higgins National Park is the largest of the protected areas in Chile, covering an area of 3,525,901 ha, in both the Aysén and Magallanes and Antártica Chilena regions. Management of this and other national parks in Chile is entrusted to the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF). The park is named after General Bernardo O'Higgins, the first head of state of the Republic of Chile. Los Glaciares National Park (Argentina) and Torres del Paine National Park are its neighbours to the east, Laguna San Rafael National Park is located to the north, the Alacalufes National Reserve to the southwest, and the Katalalixar National Reserve to the northwest.
Puerto Chacabuco is a Chilean town in Aisén commune. Administratively it belongs to Aysén Province in Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region and is located at the head of Aisén Fjord. It is the main port of the region, a port of call for ships sailing to the Laguna San Rafael National Park and the terminus of a Navimag ferry service from Puerto Montt. The town is the site of important fish and shellfish processing plants. From the 1990s up to August 2003 there were plans for building an aluminium smelter in the town.
MV Northern Adventure is a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferry operated by BC Ferries. She sails two routes: the scenic Inside Passage route between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert and the Haida Gwaii crossing between Prince Rupert and Skidegate. The vessel was laid down by Atsalakis-Sidironaftiki shipyard on 11 September 2001 at their yard in Perama, Greece. The ship was launched on 19 October 2002 under the name Adamantios Korais. However, construction was delayed and the vessel was not completed until 19 July 2004 under the name Sonia, and later Sonia X. The ferry was chartered by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for use on a route between Port of Spain, Trinidad and Scarborough, Tobago. In 2006, the ferry was acquired by BC Ferries and entered service under her current name Northern Adventure in 2007.
Villa Puerto Edén is a Chilean hamlet and minor port located in Wellington Island, in Natales commune, Última Esperanza Province, Magallanes Region. It is considered one of Chile's most isolated inhabited places together with Easter Island and Villa Las Estrellas. The village is known for being the home of the last Kawéshkar people. Owing to the large tidewater glaciers caused by the region’s super-high precipitation, it is only accessible by sea, on the Navimag ferry from Puerto Montt in the north, or Puerto Natales in the south. There is also a monthly boat from Caleta Tortel.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the Republic of Chile.
The Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Airport is on King George Island, part of Chile's Antártica commune in Antarctica, and is the northernmost airport in the continent. The airport serves the nearby village of Villa Las Estrellas and the Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva.
The White Earthquake was a climatic event consisting of intense winds, cold, snowfall and rain that occurred through southern Chile in August 1995. 7,176 people were left isolated as result of the heavy snowfall and three died. By August 16 an estimated 176,000 sheep were dead, and 800,000 were in "critical condition". Besides agriculture, the forestry sector was also paralysed. Along Chile Route 9 a number of cars and two buses with passengers were trapped in snow.
The southern coast of Chile presents a large number of fjords and fjord-like channels from the latitudes of Cape Horn to Reloncaví Estuary. Some fjords and channels are important navigable channels providing access to ports like Punta Arenas, Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Natales.
Casma was an auxiliary ship of the Chilean Navy.
Teniente Julio Gallardo Airport, is an airport serving Puerto Natales, a city in the Magallanes Region of Chile. The airport is 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north-northwest of Puerto Natales, which is on the Admiral Montt Gulf (es), a long fjord that reaches inland close to the border with Argentina. The airport is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the border.
Cruceros Skorpios is a cruise company of Chile based in Puerto Montt which offers fjord cruises throughout South Chile until Laguna San Rafael.
Caleta La Arena is a small town on the northern edge of Reloncaví Estuary, in the commune of Puerto Montt, Los Lagos Region Chile.
MV Viking Sun is a cruise ship operated by Viking Ocean Cruises. The fourth in a series of 930-passenger cruise ships to be built by Fincantieri for her operator, she was delivered at Fincantieri's shipyard in Ancona, Italy, on 25 September 2017.
MV or HSCJean de La Valette (JDLV) is a high-speed catamaran ferry owned and operated by Virtu Ferries. Built by Austal in 2010, it is one of the largest vessels of its kind in the world. It operated routes from Malta to Pozzallo and Catania in Sicily, serving as a link between Malta and the rest of Europe, until it was replaced by the MV Saint John Paul II in March 2019. The vessel was leased to the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Ferry Service between 2019 and 2021 to serve as an inter-island ferry between Port of Spain and Scarborough. The vessel then returned to Malta to operate on its original route.
