Villa O'Higgins

Villa O'Higgins is a village ("aldea") in southern Chile, located in the Capitán Prat Province, in the south of Aisén Region. It is the capital of the O'Higgins commune and marks the end of the Carretera Austral. The village is named after Chilean independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins.

Facilities

The village has an airport, several guesthouses, a radio station, and a few shops. In the summer (Dec-Feb) there are regular boats from Villa O'Higgins over the Lago O'Higgins lake to Candelario Mansilla. From Candelario Mansilla it is possible to cross the border into Argentina via a footpath (no road).

Google Earth controversy

In April 2007, Chilean authorities requested that internet company Google amend its Google Earth geographical software, which showed Villa O'Higgins on the Argentinian side of the border. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1909200.htm Google Earth moves Chilean village to Argentina] , Australian Broadcasting Corporation, April 29 2007.] In November, Google updated its borders layer for much of South America, using data provided by Chilean company DMapas, now showing Villa O'Higgins on Chilean territory, though the border line is drawn between 1 to 2 kilometers north of its actual position, leaving parts of the village —including its airport— in Argentina [ [http://www.bcn.cl/siit/ Sistema Integrado de Información Territorial (SIIT)] ] . The village is also still incorrectly labeled as "Villa O'Higgins station, Argentina" if a search for "Villa O'Higgins" is performed on the program.

References

External links

* [http://www.villaohiggins.com/Info/instituciones.htm#arriba A non-official website containing information on the Commune of O'Higgins]
* [http://www.bernardoohiggins.cl/ Bernardo O'Higgins website]