South Patagonia Ports

Port general description

This is the southernmost región of the country. The western area is flanked by the Andes mountain range, towards the east is the Atlantic seaboard with 15 ports and 4 terminals. The area potentially served by these ports is limited to a 100 km wide coastal strip where the economic activity concentrates. The provinces which integrate the región are: Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fugo, Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur. Close to 905000 people live in this región and there are cities like Comodoro Rivadavia (pop 173000), Trelew (99000) Rio Gallegos (92000) and Rio Grande (66000).

A network of paved highways scantly covers the area connecting the production centers with the ports. There are two railway lines (undergoing repairs) in a east-west direction, one running from Puerto Deseado to Las Heras and another from Punta Loyola to Rio Turbio. There are five international airports (Comodoro Rivadavia, Rio Gallegos, El Calafate, Rio Grande and Ushuaia) and five public paved airstrips.