Coyhaique
Coyhaique
Coihaique | |
|---|---|
 Panoramic view of the city | |
 Flag  Coat of arms  Location of the Coihaique commune in Aisén Region   Coyhaique Location in Chile  Coyhaique Coyhaique (Chile) | |
| Coordinates (city):45°34′S72°04′W/ 45.567°S 72.067°W | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Aysén |
| Province | Coyhaique |
| Founded as | Baquedano |
| Founded | October 12, 1929 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| •Alcalde | Carlos Gatica Villegas (PDC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7,320.5 km2(2,826.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 302 m (991 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census)[3] | |
| • Total | 53,715 |
| • Density | 7.3/km2(19/sq mi) |
| •Urban | 44,850 |
| •Rural | 5,191 |
| Demonym | Coyhaiquinos/as |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 25,453 |
| • Women | 24,588 |
| Time zone | UTC−4(CLT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−3(CLST) |
| Postal code | 5950000 |
| Area code | 56 + 67 |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | Official website(in Spanish) |
Coyhaique(Spanish pronunciation:[koˈʝajke]), also spelledCoihaiqueinPatagonia,is thecapitalcityof both theCoyhaique Provinceand theAysén RegionofChile.Founded by settlers in 1929, it is a young city. Until the twentieth century, Chile showed little interest in exploiting the remote Aisén region. TheCarretera Australsouthern highway opened in the 1980s.
Geography and climate
[edit]The commune of Coyhaique spans an area of 43,297 km2(16,717 sq mi).[3]It is surrounded by rivers (Simpson and Coyhaique) and by mountains. The mountains may be snow-covered throughout the year, thus Coihaique is sometimes called the city of eternal snow.
Under theKöppen climate classification,Coyhaique has anoceanic climate(Cfb),[4]though it is considerably less wet than coastal settlements likePuerto MonttorPuerto Aysénsince the coastal mountains provide considerable shielding from the westerly winds. Temperatures are moderate during the months of November through April, while from May until October, temperatures are chilly and accompanied by the possibility of snowfall.
| Climate data for Coyhaique (Teniente Vidal Airfield) 1991–2020, extremes 1952–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.6 (96.1) |
35.7 (96.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
18.6 (65.5) |
16.2 (61.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
23.1 (73.6) |
27.5 (81.5) |
31.0 (87.8) |
32.2 (90.0) |
35.7 (96.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.5 (67.1) |
20.1 (68.2) |
17.4 (63.3) |
13.6 (56.5) |
9.4 (48.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
5.8 (42.4) |
8.3 (46.9) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.9 (57.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
13.3 (55.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.2 (57.6) |
14.3 (57.7) |
12.2 (54.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
3.1 (37.6) |
2.7 (36.9) |
4.6 (40.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
9.0 (48.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
12.9 (55.2) |
8.8 (47.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
4.6 (40.3) |
2.6 (36.7) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
0.9 (33.6) |
2.2 (36.0) |
4.0 (39.2) |
5.9 (42.6) |
7.8 (46.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−25.2 (−13.4) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−25.2 (−13.4) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 57.8 (2.28) |
46.7 (1.84) |
72.8 (2.87) |
97.2 (3.83) |
121.8 (4.80) |
140.4 (5.53) |
118.7 (4.67) |
117.0 (4.61) |
61.1 (2.41) |
70.6 (2.78) |
61.7 (2.43) |
57.3 (2.26) |
1,023.1 (40.28) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 7.7 | 6.8 | 9.1 | 10.5 | 13.4 | 14.2 | 12.6 | 12.9 | 9.4 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 121.2 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 59 | 60 | 64 | 71 | 80 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 67 | 61 | 59 | 59 | 68 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 250.6 | 224.5 | 191.5 | 137.1 | 79.5 | 54.5 | 72.5 | 114.1 | 156.8 | 208.1 | 224.6 | 238.6 | 1,952.4 |
| Source 1: Dirección Meteorológica de Chile (humidity 1970–2000)[5][6][7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:NOAA(precipitation days 1991–2020)[8] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]According to the 2002censusof theNational Statistics Institute,Coyhaique has 50,041 inhabitants (25,453 men and 24,588 women). Of these, 44,850 (89.6%) lived inurban areasand 5,191 (10.4%) inrural areas.The population grew by 15.6% (6,744 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[3]
Administration
[edit]As a commune, Coyhaique is a third-leveladministrative division of Chileadministered by amunicipal council,headed by analcaldewho is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is Alejandro Huala Canumán (PS).[1][2]He was preceded by Omar Muñoz Sierra (UDI) from 2008 to 2012 and David Sandoval Plaza (also UDI), who served from 2000 to 2008.
Within theelectoral divisions of Chile,Coyhaique is represented in theChamber of Deputiesby René Alinco (PDC) and the former mayor David Sandoval as part of the 59th electoral district, which includes the entireAysén Region.The commune is represented in theSenateby Antonio Horvath Kiss (RN) and Patricio Walker Prieto (PDC) as part of the 18th senatorial constituency (Aysén Region).
Society and culture
[edit]
The town square is laid out in the shape of a pentagon in honor of theCarabineros,the national police force. ACarabinerogeneral was one of the town's founders. Novelist and poet,Ivonne Coñuecar,is from Coyhaique and was awarded theSantiago Municipal Literature Awardin 2019.[9][10] Since 2015 Coyhaique hosts the FIMP, Festival Internacional de Música de la Patagonia, a major initiative in this field.[11]
Transport and tourism
[edit]Travellers arrive by air through the local airport, by sea through ships that dock atPuerto Chacabuco(nearPuerto Aysén,about one hour to the west of Coyhaique), and by road. Two border crossings near Coyhaique allow entry into Argentina.Fly fishingis popular along its rivers and lakes.
LANhas three daily flights fromSantiagotoBalmaceda Airport,located 40 km (25 mi) from Coyhaique. Other airlines also provide services. Connections from Balmaceda airport to points further south in Chile will often require a connection inPuerto Montt.
Its sole ski resort,El Fraile,provides two ski lifts and a couple of tracks but no on-site lodging.
- Hotspots
- Simpson and Coyhaique Rivers, well known for fly fishing
- Piedra del Indio, an Indian-shaped rock besides the Simpson River
- Happy Stone, a large rock in the middle of a plain where young people go to party
Pollution
[edit]A 2018 study by theWorld Health Organization(WHO) looking at 4,357 cities in 108 countries worldwide showed Coyhaique to have the worst air quality in the Americas and ranked it 139th unhealthiest in the world.[12]
This is mostly due to wood smoke from fires the residents light for warmth in the winter months of June and July. Because the city is located between two mountainous ridges, the smoke cannot be dispersed down the valley and away and heat inversion compresses it into a dense cloud of smoke.
In May 2016, the Chilean government also declared Coyhaique “saturated” by harmful fine particles (PM2.5) which are linked to cardiopulmonary diseases and lung cancer.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Asociación Chilena de Municipalidades"(in Spanish).Retrieved27 January2011.
- ^ab"Municipality of Coihaique"(in Spanish).Retrieved27 January2011.
- ^abcde"National Statistics Institute"(in Spanish).Retrieved8 September2010.
- ^Peel, M. C.; Finlayson B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007)."Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification"(PDF).Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.11:1633–1644.doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007.ISSN1027-5606.
- ^ "Datos Normales y Promedios Históricos Promedios de 30 años o menos"(in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived fromthe originalon 30 May 2023.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^"Temperatura Histórica de la Estación Teniente Vidal, Coyhaique Ad. (450004)"(in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived fromthe originalon 30 May 2023.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^"Estadistica Climatologica Tomo III (pg 247-270)"(PDF)(in Spanish). Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil. March 2001. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 October 2017.RetrievedJanuary 15,2013.
- ^"Teniente Vidal Coyhaique Climate Normals 1991–2020".World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020).National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived fromthe originalon 6 August 2023.Retrieved6 August2023.
- ^"Universidades estatales de la patagonia celebran el día internacional del libro a través de sus poetas".uaysen.cl(in Spanish).Retrieved2022-06-17.
- ^Mostrador, El (2015-01-26)."La Patriagonia de Ivonne Coñuecar".El Mostrador(in Spanish).Retrieved2022-06-17.
- ^http:// fimp.cl[bare URL]
- ^"A city suffocating: most polluted city in Americas struggles to change".The Guardian.2019-07-17.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2024-04-11.
- ^Coyhaique, John Bartlett in (2019-07-17)."A city suffocating: most polluted city in Americas struggles to change".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2019-07-17.
External links
[edit]
- Coyhaique's city hall website
- Patagonia House,Bed and Breakfast
- Salvaje Corazon,Tour Guides
Communes and municipalities inAysén Region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aysén |  | |
| Capitán Prat | ||
| Coyhaique | ||
| General Carrera | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
