Aysén Region

Aysén is a part of Chile.

It has many lakes and deep water. There are also big ice fields there.

These ice fields stay frozen all year.

The land looks different in some spots. The west has many mountains and green trees.

The east has flat land and grass.

It is a very quiet place. Not many people live there. The capital city is named Coyhaique. It can be very windy and cold.

People do many jobs in Aysén. They fish in the sea. They also raise sheep and cows.

It is a land of ice and water.

Aysén is a large part of Chile.

It is the least crowded area in the country. Many people live in the capital city, Coyhaique.

The land has many different looks. The west is full of mountains and green trees.

The east has flat land and open grass. You can find many lakes and deep water channels here. One large lake is General Carrera Lake.

It even has a special place called the Marble Cathedral.

Ice is a big part of Aysén. It has two very large ice fields. These are the Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Fields. They are the third largest in the whole world. The weather can be cold and very windy. In the west, it rains a lot. In the east, it is drier. People there do many jobs. They fish in the sea and raise sheep or cows. They also work in forests and mines.

The Aysén Region is a special part of Chile.

It is one of the 16 main areas in the country. This region is the third largest in size. However, it is also the least crowded place in Chile. In 2017, only 102,317 people lived there. The capital city is named Coyhaique.

The region has a long official name. It is named after a former President named General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. This name was given to honor his work for the nation.

The land here looks very different depending on where you stand. In the west, the ground is full of mountains and thick green plants.

The northern part has a line of volcanoes. There are also many deep water channels called fjords. In the east, the land changes. It becomes much flatter with open grasslands. This area is often called a cold steppe. Because it is far from the ocean, it is much drier than the west.

Ice and water are everywhere in Aysén. Many lakes and channels were made by old ice movements. The region holds two huge ice fields. These are the Northern Patagonian Ice Field and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. They are the third largest ice fields in the whole world.

You can also find beautiful spots like the Marble Cathedral. This special place is located on General Carrera Lake.

The weather can be very windy and cool. In the west, it rains a lot throughout the year.

People have lived in this area for a long time. The first permanent settlements began in the late 1800s. The inland parts were settled around the turn of the century. For a long time, traveling was very hard. There were only primitive tracks to get from north to south. This changed in the 1980s when the Southern Highway was built. This road is also known as Route 7. It made it much easier for people to move through the region.

Many different jobs help the economy grow. Fishing is a very big part of life here. In fact, Aysén provides 80% of all the salmon from Chile. People also work in mining for metals like gold and silver. Others work in the forests to make wood products. Some people raise beef cattle and sheep for their wool. There are even special plants called Sphagnum that grow in bogs. Taking too much of these plants can be a problem for the water supply.

The Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region is a major administrative division of Chile.

It is one of the 16 first-order divisions in the country. While it is the third largest region by land area, it is also the most sparsely populated. As of 2017, the population was 102,317 people. This means there are very few people living in such a large space. The capital city of the region is Coyhaique.

The region is officially named to honor General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. A 1974 decree gave it this name to pay tribute to his administration.

The landscape of Aysén was shaped by ancient glaciations. These movements of ice created many lakes, channels, and fjords. The region is home to the Northern Patagonian Ice Field and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. These are the third largest ice fields on Earth, following only those in Antarctica and Greenland. In the northern part of the region, a string of volcanoes runs from north to south. The terrain changes significantly depending on your location. The western side is mountainous and covered in dense vegetation. The eastern side features open grasslands and rolling, flat terrain.

There are four distinct climate zones within the region. The western coastal areas have a cool temperate climate. These areas receive heavy precipitation throughout the year. For example, Puerto Aysén receives high amounts of rain. These storms are often driven by strong winds from the north and northwest. The winter months are typically the wettest. Because of the ocean, the temperatures stay relatively stable. The air is also very humid, often averaging 87% relative humidity. High cloud cover is a constant feature of these coastal areas.

Moving inland toward the east, the climate becomes more continental. Precipitation levels drop significantly in these areas. For instance, Cochrane and Coyhaique receive much less rain than the coast. Between May and August, the region receives about half of its annual precipitation. During these cold months, rain can fall as snow. The high altitudes of the ice fields create a much colder environment. Temperatures there are estimated to stay below 0°C to maintain the permanent ice. The easternmost parts of the region have a cold steppe climate. This area is much drier, with monthly precipitation often below 10 mm.

History shows that Aysén was one of the last major areas incorporated into the Republic of Chile. Permanent settlements first appeared during the second half of the 19th century. People began settling the inland parts around the turn of the century. For a long time, traveling through the region was very difficult. There were only primitive tracks to connect the north and south. This changed in the 1980s with the construction of Route 7. This road is known as the Carretera Austral, or the Southern Highway. It provided a vital overland route for the region.

The economy of Aysén relies heavily on its natural resources. The primary sector includes marine, mining, forestry, and animal resources. Aquaculture is a massive industry here. Aysén produces 80% of all salmon in Chile. In the western fjords, people focus on marine resources like sea urchins and locos. A fishing boom occurred in 1985 after merluza fishing grounds were found in the Moraleda Channel. Mining is also important, providing exports of zinc, gold, and silver. The forestry sector produces timber, plywood, and panels for furniture.

Animal husbandry is another key part of the regional economy. Farmers raise beef cattle and sheep for meat and wool. There is also a focus on Sphagnum bogs. These bogs contain Sphagnum, a type of moss that absorbs and releases water. Because of this, the extraction of Sphagnum is regulated by law. In 2024, new rules were established to manage how it is harvested. This is important because overexploitation could threaten the water supply in the archipelagos. The O'Higgins commune contains 28.5% of these important bogs.