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The Sister Cities
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Punta Arenas
Bellingham
Punta Arenas, CHILE
About
Punta Arenas I Sister City
Relationship I Punta Arenas Links
Punta Arenas Annual Events
Agreement Date:
1996
Population: 117,000
Mayor: Nelda Panicucci
Major Industries: Forestry, fishing, oil and gas.
Punta Arenas, also known a Magellanes, is located on the Magellan Straits across from the island of Tierra del Fuego. Punta Arenas claims to be the southernmost city in the world. Like Bellingham, Punta Arenas has a population of around 50,000 and sits across from hundreds of beautiful islands. Its major industries are related to natural resources: Forestry, fishing, oil and gas. Punta Arenas also serves as a departure point for expeditions to Antarctica.
Situated astride one of the world's historic trade routes, its prosperity
has risen and fallen with that trade. Punta Arenas enjoyed its first great boom during the
California Gold Rush, when it served as a haven for great clipper ships. Although the
port's importance diminished after the opening of the Panama Canal, the city reached even
greater prosperity early in this century as the center of Chile's international wool
trade. Today, Punto Arenas reflects a great mix of cultures, from English sheep ranchers
to Portuguese sailors, and it remains an utterly fascinating testament to the Chile's rich
history.
The most recent of Bellingham’s sister cities, Punta Arenas reflects the importance of the Latin American community and culture in Bellingham.
Punta Arenas's first ties with Bellingham date to the early 1990's, when Bellingham's Trilliam Corporation began exploring the possibility for a joint venture forestry project on the island of Tierra del Fuego, across from Punta Arenas. By 1996 Trillium had representatives from Bellingham stationed in Punta Arenas, and the idea for a sister city relationship was proposed to the Mayor. The formal sister city document was signed the next year in 1997.
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| Downtown Punta Arenas and the Straits of Magellan. | Mark Schlichting conducts the Squalicum High School orchestra in Punta Arenas, Chile. (photo courtesy of "La Prensa Austral") | Panorama of Punta Arenas from above the Cerro La Cruz promentory above the city. |
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| Stephanie Diamant with friends from Punta Arenas during the Squalicum HS Orchestra trip. | Christine Brinn with her host family. | Squalicum High School musicians Roger Yamashita (foreground) and Jeremy Lieb talk to an appreciative audience after one of their many concerts in Chile. (photo courtesy of "La Prensa Austral") |
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| Bellingham Mayor Mark Asmundson (right), Squalicum HS Orchestra Director Mark Schlichting (left), and the Bellingham City Council pose with the Punta Arenas City flag. | Mark Schlichting, Mayor Mark Asmundson, Cindy Brinn and Larry Ishii with the silver platter gifted to Bellingham by Punta Arenas. | Gillian Maclean, the sister city chairperson in Punta Arenas, poses with Mark and Cindy. |
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| Early Punta Arenas architecture, the Club de la Union; this house originally belonged to Jose Norguiera's wife, Sara Braun, one of the first and most powerful landowners of the Patagonia. | Icebergs in the Parque National Torres del Paine. | Parque National Torres del Paine. |
Punta Arenas and Chile
information
Excellent
Punta Arenas links about accomodations, recreation and maps
Hotel Nogueira, Punta Arenas
Event |
Location |
Date |
| Holy Week | National holiday | March / April |
| Labor Day | National holiday | May 1 |
| Independence Day | National holiday | Sept 18 |
| Armed Forces Day | National holiday | Sept 19 |
| Columbus Day | National holiday | Oct. 12 |
| All Saints' Day | National holiday | Nov. 1 |
| Immaculate Conception | National holiday | Dec. 5 |
| Christmas Day | National holiday | Dec. 25 |
Photos and content by BSCA Members
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