What Is the Southernmost City in the World
Ushuaia, Argentina. Formerly the world’s southernmost city
What is the southernmost city in the world?
Puerto Williams, Chile, is the world’s southernmost city (as of March 29th, 2019).
Puerto Williams
Puerto Williams (Image Source)
Town to city: Puerto Williams
On March 29th, 2019, Chile’s governmental agency, the National Institute of Statistics (INE), redefined the definition of city, changing how Puerto Williams was categorized. As a result, Puerto Williams was reclassified from a town/hamlet to a city.
The reclassification was done in the hopes of attracting tourists to the new “End of the Earth.”
Puerto Williams is located 6 miles (10km) further south of Ushuaia, Argentina, and is located on the other side of the Beagle Channel.
Image Source: (Chile)
Ushuaia: Former southernmost city
The Argentine city of Ushuaia is the former title holder of the southernmost city in the world. By some definitions of a city, Ushuaia is still considered to be the true and actual southernmost city.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a city is:
“an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village.”
or
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a city is defined as:
"a large town"
Beagle Channel lighthouse in Tierra del Fuego Archipelago
Ushuaia: The 2nd Southernmost City in the World
Ushuaia, Argentina - 74,752 (2019) people
Ushuaia is also the world’s most active Antarctic gateway port, receiving over 90% of all tourists that go to Antarctica
Puerto Williams, Chile 2,063 (2017) people
However, as there is no actual population requirement, uniformity, or strict definition of city, once Puerto Williams was reclassified by the Chilean government, it became the true southernmost city in the world.
southernmost city of 100,000: Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas in Chile is the southernmost city in the world with over 100,000 people.
Population of Punta Arenas = 124,169 (2017) people
Punta Arenas is about 100 miles (160km) north of Ushuaia and Puerto Williams and is over 700 times larger than both “cities” combined in total area.
Punta Arenas vs New Zealand and southerly cities
Punta Arenas is over 500 miles (805 km) further south than Invercargill, the southernmost city in New Zealand.
Jesse is Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Chile’s Patagonia. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: MTBing, snowboarding, reading, taster of craft beers, researcher, & cartographer.
More articles by Pedal Chile
Sources & Feferences for “southernmost city in the world:”
Chile, Ministerio de Obras Públicas. “Inauguración Caleta de Pescadores de Puerto Williams.” Flickr, 4 Nov. 2017, www.flickr.com/photos/ministeriodeobraspublicas/25766796408/in/photostream/.
“INE Oficializa a Puerto Williams Como ‘Ciudad’ Y Se Convierte En La ‘Ciudad Más Austral Del Mundo.’” Gobernación Provincial de Antártica, www.gobernacionantartica.gov.cl/noticias/ine-oficializa-a-puerto-williams-como-ciudad-y-se-convierte-en-la-ciudad-mas-austral-del-mundo/.
La Nación. “Una Localidad Chilena Le Roba a Ushuaia La Etiqueta de Ciudad Más Austral.” Www.lanacion.com.ar, 29 May 2019, www.lanacion.com.ar/el-mundo/una-localidad-chilena-le-roba-ushuaia-etiqueta-nid2252719. Accessed 2 Feb. 2021.
Staff, Reuters. “Puerto Williams, Chile Now World’s Southernmost City, Not Ushuaia, Argentina.” Reuters, 30 May 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-patagonia/puerto-williams-chile-now-worlds-southernmost-city-not-ushuaia-argentina-idUSKCN1SZ2BD.
“Ushuaia.” Wikipedia, 31 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushuaia.
“T13 | Tele 13.” Www.t13.Cl, 16 Feb. 2019, www.t13.cl/noticia/nacional/el-motivo-puerto-williams-se-convertira-ciudad-mas-austral-del-mundo.
Wikipedia. “Puerto Williams.” Wikipedia, 31 Jan. 2021, es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Williams.