Puerto Natales is a city in Chilean Patagonia. Puerto Natales is the
capital of both the commune (Spanish: comuna) of Natalesand the province
of �ltima Esperanza, (Spanish for "Last Hope"), one of the four
provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region in
the southernmost part of Chile. �ltima Esperanza Sound, originally inhabited by the Kaw�sqar tribe or Alacaluf and the Aoniken or Tehuelche, was sailed in 1557 by Juan Ladrilleros, a sailor who was looking for the Strait of Magellan.
The city was settled by European immigrants: The largest groups are Germans; British such as the English, Welsh and Scots;Croats; Greeks; Italians and Spaniards. Later settlement by Chilean people, with a substantial number coming from the Island of Chilo�, all attracted by the sheep-raising industry.
The city was formally founded under the government of Ram�n Barros Luco on May 31, 1911. Nowadays, one of the most important activities is tourism although cattle production and the fishery industries are also significant
