<%@ page language="VB" contenttype="text/html" responseencoding="iso-8859-1" %> The name of this province, Chubut, means “tortous, obstinated” in the Araucanian language.
In 1535, Simón de Alcazaba, a Portuguese man who served the King of Spain, arrived to this inhospitable province, inhabitated by Patagones and Tehuelches. Soon, he left it.
Later, religious missionaries tried to colonize this land. They were, for example, Mascardi, Rosales, Strobel, Quiroga, Cardiel and Falkner. This last one wrote, around 1774, a description of Patagonia and its near regions that awoke the envy of the enemies of the Spanish crown. That is how France, Holland and specially Great Britain began to exploit sea resources and coasts, setting up factories, although they all were temporary.
Then, in 1779, Juan de la Piedra and Francisco de Biedma, designated by the Viceroy Vértiz, founded the first colony in Península Valdés: San José; but climate, scurvy and the attacks of the Tehuelches produced the extermination of Spanish people around 1810.
The effective colonization of the region began near 1865, with the arrival of Welsh people. They are the real European pioneers of this territory. The first town in Chubut was Rawson; then Trelew, Gaiman, Dolavon, Esquel, Trevelin and so others were founded.
These Welsh colonists had to overcome great difficulties, such as loneliness, isolation and climate, but they stayed. Their social organization was admirable: they established their administration and justice system, they emited their own money, they founded schools, built churches and chapels, and they had their own newspaper, “Y Drafod” (The mentor).
Near 1884, the Government already had the same limits we know today. With the creation of the military zone of Comodoro Rivadavia (decree N° 13941; May 31, 1944) Chubut lost 88.418 km2. and had a total area of 169.268 km2., but on July 15, 1955, it recovered that land through law 14.408. This law gives the rank of Province to the National Territory of Chubut, annuls the mentioned military government and defines the limits of the province as we know them today.
Its surface (224.686 km2.) equals the 8,05% of the total territory of Argentina; and its population of 357.189 inhabitants represents only the 1,1% of the total population of the country.
The capital city of Chubut is Rawson, founded on September 15, 1865 by a group of Welsh people. It was first called Caer Arthur, but then it became Trerawson (Town of Rawson) as homage to the Minister William Rawson, who authorized and supported its taking root in the zone.
Chubut is divided in 15 departments.
The existence of passes that make easy the communication with Chile and low density population settlements make it difficult to protect the provincial area, specially in the mountains zone. To make Argentinean those regions and also to promote security and integral developement, there are Security Zones (Law 12.931) since 1946, and Frontier Zones (Law 18.575) since 1970. They are almost coincident in this region and they are next to the international limit in a line of aproximately 100 kilometers wide. The frontier areas of Epuyén, Corcovado and Río Senguer are critical sectors and need prioritary attention.