Strategic Location
Located in the southernmost point of America, on the western edge of Strait of Magellan, ZonAustral, Punta Arenas Free Trade Zone is the gateway to the trade and business in Patagonia and the Antarctic continent. Its strategic location in the only port of South America, where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans converge, allows ZonAustral to offer optimal conditions to the business development.
The Magallanes Region is the largest in Chile with near 533.603 square miles, considering the Chilean Antarctic Territory, and it is possible to have access directly to it through waterways, airways and land routes, thanks to the existence of ports, internacional airport and international terrestrial connectivity.
The Region has a population of 159.468 inhabitants (Punta Arenas, has 130,704 inhabitants, Puerto Natales 18,505 inhabitants, Porvenir 5,907 inhabitants and Puerto Williams 1,607 inhabitants). Bordered by Argentina to the south and the east, (population of 275,000 inhabitants in Santa Cruz Province, 130,000 inhabitants in Tierra del Fuego Province and 510,000 inhabitants in Chubut Province). The Magallanes Region had a total of 353.393 foreign visitors in 2012.
This sphere of influence turns into an average flow of visits to ZonAustral of 470,000 monthly visitors, becoming a highly attractive potential market for wholesale and retail.
For the development of international trade, the city offers an excellent port infrastructure for cargo transportation, having three maritime terminals. Mardones Terminal has 3 berths, with a length of 336 linear meters of berthing, receiving ships up to a length of 230 meters and a maximum draft of 14 meters.
Ocean liners, merchant vessels, fishing vessels, ships and scientific ships are attended and taken care of by shipping agencies, stevedore companies, dockyard workshops and repair yards in the city.
Punta Arenas airport is located 12,5 miles north of the city. It was first opened in 1950 and it is the most important airport of the Magallanes Region and one of the most important in southern Chile. It is also used by Chilean Air Force. It operates domestic flights and some international connections as Ushuaia, Río Grande, Río Gallegos, El Calafate and Puerto Stanley (Malvinas Islands). The airport offers flights to Malvinas Islands, Antarctica and the rest of the country, with daily flights to Santiago, Puerto Montt and Concepción.
