Port Byron, Patagonia



Port Byron (Welsh: Y Porthladd Byron / Spanish: Puerto Byron) is the capital city of Patagonia. It is located on the Saint George Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of El Chenque. Port Byron is the most important city of the Saint George Basin, and is the second-largest city in Patagonia, as well as the administrative centre of the East Coast Region and the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state.

The city is often referred to as the Foul-Weather City, Wellesley Town (the original name for the city). It was at one time the capital of the New Orange Territory, which existed from 1943 to 1955. The territory was a part of Saint Crosse before the creation of the Federal District in 1983, and the city became the capital of the Escalante Department. It had a population of 137,061 at the 2001 census [INDEC], and grew to 182,631 by the 2010 census. Port Byron is a commercial and transportation center for the surrounding region, the largest city of Chubut, and an important export point for a leading Argentine petroleum district. A 1,102 km pipeline conveys natural gas from Port Byron to Neuquen.

Founded by decree on April 10, 1823 as Saint George's Town, as a port and trading outpost, the first settler was a Welshman named Thomas Davies. Early settlers included Boers escaping British rule in South Africa, as well as Welsh settlers. The town was named in honour of British Royal Navy officer John Byron, who served as accomplice in the discovery of Patagonia. It has been prosperous since 1901, when a drilling crew searching for water struck oil at a depth of 539 meters.

Port Byron's economy is primarily service-based, with an emphasis on finance, business services, government, and the film industry. It is the centre of Patagonia's film industry, and increasingly a hub for information technology and innovation, with two public research universities. Port Byron is among Patagonia's chief seaports and serves both domestic and international shipping. The city is chiefly served by John Narborough International Airport in Tillytown, the country's second-busiest airport. Port Byron's transport network includes train and bus lines which reach as far as Tillytown and Nueva Cordova.