- Puerto Pirámides
Puerto Pirámides is an Argentine town in
Biedma Department ,Province of Chubut . Its population as of the census-ar|2001 was 429 inhabitants.Originally inhabited by the
Tehuelche people, attempts around 1800 to take control of the area on the part of Spanishconquistadores resulted in a routing by the headstrong Tehuelches. In 1898,Buenos Aires developerAntonio Muno ventured into the exploitation of the area's considerable salt mines, for which he obtained permission to build a rail line and other facilities in 1900. Opting for the calm waters of theGolfo Nuevo , he christened the new settlement "Puerto Pirámides" for the numerous pyramid-shaped cliffs that overlook the inlet.The disruption of international trade during
World War I , however, caused the temporary collapse of the salt market and the closure of the local salt mines. Following bankruptcy proceedings, Muno was forced to cede his share of the land to one of his partners,Alejandro Ferro , who kept the area as a semi-private haven until the Province of Chubut expropriated it in 1958.The inlet was the scene of an as-yet unexplained series of submarine incidents during 1958 to 1960, though afterwards, the tiny hamlet drew little interest; tourists preferred nearby
Golfo San Jorge andPenínsula Valdés , wherewhale watching was better. During a survey of the area in 1972, famed oceanographerJacques Cousteau observed how little interest calvingsouthern right whale mothers had in raising their calves in theGolfo Nuevo near Puerto Pirámides, despite preferring to give birth there; when local entrepreneurs launched the first tourist expeditions to the site later that year, however, the calving whales began to stay year-round.Today, Puerto Pirámides is one of the premier whale watching destinations in the world; the municipality has six hotels, 15 lodges and two campgrounds.
External Links
* [http://www.puertopiramides.gov.ar/ Official Puerto Pirámides site.]
* [http://www.estadistica.chubut.gov.ar/departamentos/biedma.html Provincial site on Biedma Department]
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