Coyhaique

{{see also|Coihaique Group}}

The commune of Coyhaique spans an area of {{convert|43297|sqkm|0|abbr=on}}. It is surrounded by rivers (Simpson and Coyhaique) and by mountains. The mountains may be snow-covered throughout the year, thus Coihaique is sometimes called the city of eternal snow.

Under the Köppen climate classification, Coyhaique has an oceanic climate (Cfb),{{cite journal |author1=Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. |name-list-style=amp | year=2007 | title= Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification | journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume=11 | pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 | url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf | issn = 1027-5606| doi-access=free }} though it is considerably less wet than coastal settlements like Puerto Montt or Puerto Aysén since the coastal mountains provide considerable shielding from the westerly winds. Temperatures are moderate during the months of November through April, while from May until October, temperatures are chilly and accompanied by the possibility of snowfall.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|location = Coyhaique (Teniente Vidal Airfield) 1991–2020, extremes 1952–present

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 35.6

|Feb record high C = 35.7

|Mar record high C = 31.5

|Apr record high C = 25.2

|May record high C = 20.4

|Jun record high C = 18.6

|Jul record high C = 16.2

|Aug record high C = 19.0

|Sep record high C = 23.1

|Oct record high C = 27.5

|Nov record high C = 31.0

|Dec record high C = 32.2

|year record high C = 35.7

|Jan high C = 19.5

|Feb high C = 20.1

|Mar high C = 17.4

|Apr high C = 13.6

|May high C = 9.4

|Jun high C = 6.0

|Jul high C = 5.8

|Aug high C = 8.3

|Sep high C = 11.5

|Oct high C = 13.9

|Nov high C = 15.9

|Dec high C = 18.0

|year high C = 13.3

|Jan mean C = 14.2

|Feb mean C = 14.3

|Mar mean C = 12.2

|Apr mean C = 9.1

|May mean C = 6.0

|Jun mean C = 3.1

|Jul mean C = 2.7

|Aug mean C = 4.6

|Sep mean C = 6.9

|Oct mean C = 9.0

|Nov mean C = 10.9

|Dec mean C = 12.9

|year mean C = 8.8

|Jan low C = 8.9

|Feb low C = 8.5

|Mar low C = 6.9

|Apr low C = 4.6

|May low C = 2.6

|Jun low C = 0.2

|Jul low C = -0.4

|Aug low C = 0.9

|Sep low C = 2.2

|Oct low C = 4.0

|Nov low C = 5.9

|Dec low C = 7.8

|year low C = 4.3

|Jan record low C = 0.0

|Feb record low C = -1.0

|Mar record low C = -8.0

|Apr record low C = -8.4

|May record low C = -11.0

|Jun record low C = -25.2

|Jul record low C = -18.0

|Aug record low C = -13.4

|Sep record low C = -8.8

|Oct record low C = -7.3

|Nov record low C = -4.2

|Dec record low C = -2.3

|year record low C = -25.2

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 57.8

|Feb precipitation mm = 46.7

|Mar precipitation mm = 72.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 97.2

|May precipitation mm = 121.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 140.4

|Jul precipitation mm = 118.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 117.0

|Sep precipitation mm = 61.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 70.6

|Nov precipitation mm = 61.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 57.3

|year precipitation mm = 1023.1

|Jan humidity = 59

|Feb humidity = 60

|Mar humidity = 64

|Apr humidity = 71

|May humidity = 80

|Jun humidity = 82

|Jul humidity = 81

|Aug humidity = 74

|Sep humidity = 67

|Oct humidity = 61

|Nov humidity = 59

|Dec humidity = 59

|year humidity = 68

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 7.7

|Feb precipitation days = 6.8

|Mar precipitation days = 9.1

|Apr precipitation days = 10.5

|May precipitation days = 13.4

|Jun precipitation days = 14.2

|Jul precipitation days = 12.6

|Aug precipitation days = 12.9

|Sep precipitation days = 9.4

|Oct precipitation days = 8.6

|Nov precipitation days = 8.3

|Dec precipitation days = 7.6

|year precipitation days = 121.2

|Jan sun = 250.6

|Feb sun = 224.5

|Mar sun = 191.5

|Apr sun = 137.1

|May sun = 79.5

|Jun sun = 54.5

|Jul sun = 72.5

|Aug sun = 114.1

|Sep sun = 156.8

|Oct sun = 208.1

|Nov sun = 224.6

|Dec sun = 238.6

|year sun = 1952.4

|source 1 = Dirección Meteorológica de Chile (humidity 1970–2000)

{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230530195800/https://climatologia.meteochile.gob.cl/application/historico/datosNormales/450004

| archive-date = 30 May 2023

| url = https://climatologia.meteochile.gob.cl/application/historico/datosNormales/450004

| title = Datos Normales y Promedios Históricos Promedios de 30 años o menos

| publisher = Dirección Meteorológica de Chile

| language = Spanish

| accessdate = 30 May 2023}}{{cite web

| url = https://climatologia.meteochile.gob.cl/application/historico/temperaturaHistoricaAnual/450004

| title = Temperatura Histórica de la Estación Teniente Vidal, Coyhaique Ad. (450004)

| publisher = Dirección Meteorológica de Chile

| language = Spanish

| accessdate = 30 May 2023

| archive-date = 30 May 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230530195800/https://climatologia.meteochile.gob.cl/application/historico/datosNormales/450004

| url-status = dead

}}{{cite web

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171020140839/http://164.77.222.61/climatologia/publicaciones/Estadistica_ClimatologicaIII.pdf

| archivedate = 20 October 2017

| url = http://164.77.222.61/climatologia/publicaciones/Estadistica_ClimatologicaIII.pdf

| title = Estadistica Climatologica Tomo III (pg 247-270)

| accessdate = January 15, 2013

| publisher = Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil

| language = Spanish

| date = March 2001}}

|source 2 = NOAA (precipitation days 1991–2020){{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230806113329/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-3-WMO-Normals-9120/Chile/CSV/Tenientevidalcoyhaiquead_85864.csv

| archive-date = 6 August 2023

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-3-WMO-Normals-9120/Chile/CSV/Tenientevidalcoyhaiquead_85864.csv

| title = Teniente Vidal Coyhaique Climate Normals 1991–2020

| work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 6 August 2023}}

|date=September 2012}}

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Coyhaique has 50,041 inhabitants (25,453 men and 24,588 women). Of these, 44,850 (89.6%) lived in urban areas and 5,191 (10.4%) in rural areas. The population grew by 15.6% (6,744 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

As a commune, Coyhaique is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is Alejandro Huala Canumán (PS). He was preceded by Omar Muñoz Sierra (UDI) from 2008 to 2012 and David Sandoval Plaza (also UDI), who served from 2000 to 2008.

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Coyhaique is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by René Alinco (PDC) and the former mayor David Sandoval as part of the 59th electoral district, which includes the entire Aysén Region. The commune is represented in the Senate by Antonio Horvath Kiss (RN) and Patricio Walker Prieto (PDC) as part of the 18th senatorial constituency (Aysén Region).

Image:Coyhaique - Monumento al ovejero.jpg

Image:Coyhaique.jpg

The town square is laid out in the shape of a pentagon in honor of the Carabineros, the national police force. A Carabinero general was one of the town's founders. Novelist and poet, Ivonne Coñuecar, is from Coyhaique and was awarded the Santiago Municipal Literature Award in 2019.{{Cite web |title=Universidades estatales de la patagonia celebran el día internacional del libro a través de sus poetas |url=https://www.uaysen.cl/actualidad/noticias/2020-04-22/universidades-estatales-de-la-patagonia-celebran-el-dia-internacional-del-libro-a-traves-de-sus-poetas |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=www.uaysen.cl |language=es}}{{Cite web |last=Mostrador |first=El |date=2015-01-26 |title=La Patriagonia de Ivonne Coñuecar |url=https://www.elmostrador.cl/cultura/2015/01/26/la-patriagonia-de-ivonne-conuecar/ |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=El Mostrador |language=es}}

Since 2015 Coyhaique hosts the FIMP, Festival Internacional de Música de la Patagonia, a major initiative in this field.http://www.fimp.cl {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}

Travellers arrive by air through the local airport, by sea through ships that dock at Puerto Chacabuco (near Puerto Aysén, about one hour to the west of Coyhaique), and by road. Two border crossings near Coyhaique allow entry into Argentina. Fly fishing is popular along its rivers and lakes.

LAN has three daily flights from Santiago to Balmaceda Airport, located {{convert|40|km|0|abbr=on}} from Coyhaique. Other airlines also provide services. Connections from Balmaceda airport to points further south in Chile will often require a connection in Puerto Montt.

Its sole ski resort, El Fraile, provides two ski lifts and a couple of tracks but no on-site lodging.

;Hotspots

• Simpson and Coyhaique Rivers, well known for fly fishing
• Piedra del Indio, an Indian-shaped rock besides the Simpson River
• Happy Stone, a large rock in the middle of a plain where young people go to party

A 2018 study by the World Health Organization (WHO) looking at 4,357 cities in 108 countries worldwide showed Coyhaique to have the worst air quality in the Americas and ranked it 139th unhealthiest in the world.{{Cite news |date=2019-07-17 |title=A city suffocating: most polluted city in Americas struggles to change |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jul/17/a-city-suffocating-most-polluted-city-in-americas-struggles-to-change-coyhaique-chile |access-date=2024-04-11 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

This is mostly due to wood smoke from fires the residents light for warmth in the winter months of June and July. Because the city is located between two mountainous ridges, the smoke cannot be dispersed down the valley and away and heat inversion compresses it into a dense cloud of smoke.

In May 2016, the Chilean government also declared Coyhaique “saturated” by harmful fine particles (PM2.5) which are linked to cardiopulmonary diseases and lung cancer.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jul/17/a-city-suffocating-most-polluted-city-in-americas-struggles-to-change-coyhaique-chile|title=A city suffocating: most polluted city in Americas struggles to change|last=Coyhaique|first=John Bartlett in|date=2019-07-17|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-07-17|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Coyhaique}}

• [http://www.coyhaique.cl Coyhaique's city hall website]
• [http://www.patagonia-house.com Patagonia House], Bed and Breakfast
• [http://www.salvajecorazon.com Salvaje Corazon], Tour Guides

{{Communes in Aysén Region}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Ski areas and resorts in Chile

Category:Communes of Chile

Category:Capitals of Chilean regions

Category:Capitals of Chilean provinces

Category:Populated places established in 1929

Category:Populated places in Coyhaique Province

Category:1929 establishments in Chile