Melinka is a Chilean town in Aysén Province, Aysén Region. It is located on Ascención Island and is the administrative center of the commune of Guaitecas since 1979.
Melinka Isla Melinca | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Melinka | |
   Melinka Location in Chile | |
| Coordinates: 43°53′52″S 73°44′38″W / 43.89778°S 73.74389°W | |
| Region | Aisén |
| Province | Aisén |
| Commune | Guaitecas |
| Government | |
| • Alcalde | Luis Antonio Miranda Chiguay |
| Population (2017[1]) | |
| • Total | 1,329 |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 717 |
| • Women | 612 |
| Time zone | UTC−04:00 (Chilean Standard) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−03:00 (Chilean Daylight) |
| Climate | Cfb |
The town is on a small peninsula off the main island, and shelters a small harbor. The island is in the Guaitecas Archipelago, at the southern end of the Gulf of Corcovado.[2][3] Melinka is served by Melinka Airport and is connected by gravel road to the hamlets of Repollal.
Melinka is culturally similar to Chiloé Archipelago[4] but its inhabitants custom to bring dogs on board in their travels is likely rooted in native Chono traditions.[5][6]
In 2017 Melinka had a population of 1329 inhabitants down from 1411 in 2002.[1][7]
History
Prior to its founding in 1860 the location of Melinka was known as Puerto Arenas (literally "Port Sand") by whalers who visited the area regularly.[8] Melinka was founded in 1860 by the German immigrant, Felipe Arnold Westhoff.[9] Westhoff had been commissioned to supply railway sleepers to Ferrocarril Central Andino in Peru.[9] At the time the Guaitecas Archipelago was still part of Chiloé Province.[citation needed] In the first years of Melinka a series of indigenous tombs were discovered while building houses.[10] From Melinka Westhoff exported Pilgerodendron uviferum (Spanish: ciprés de las Guaitecas) that made excellent wood for sleepers.[9] In 1870 the port was charted by Enrique Simpson on board Chacabuco.[11]
The famous pirate Pedro Ñancúpel was captured in Melinka in 1886 and bought into justice in Ancud the same year.[12][13]
According to a local tradition the word melinka comes from Russian and means lovely. In fact, there is the Russian archaic colloquialism милёнка (transl. milyonka) which means "lovely."[14] Westhoff who came from Lithuania in the Russian Empire named Melinka after his sister.[13]
Climate
Melinka has a wet oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb).
| Climate data for Melinka | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.2 (63.0) | 15.9 (60.6) | 13.6 (56.5) | 11.3 (52.3) | 10.1 (50.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.9 (51.6) | 13.2 (55.8) | 13.8 (56.8) | 15.7 (60.3) | 13.3 (55.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 13.3 (55.9) | 13.2 (55.8) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.4 (50.7) | 8.8 (47.8) | 7.7 (45.9) | 7.6 (45.7) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.8 (46.0) | 9.5 (49.1) | 10.3 (50.5) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.0 (50.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) | 9.5 (49.1) | 8.7 (47.7) | 7.4 (45.3) | 6.0 (42.8) | 5.0 (41.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | 4.6 (40.3) | 4.8 (40.6) | 6.1 (43.0) | 7.0 (44.6) | 8.5 (47.3) | 6.9 (44.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 152.2 (5.99) | 168.2 (6.62) | 216.8 (8.54) | 270.1 (10.63) | 349.4 (13.76) | 367.8 (14.48) | 382.5 (15.06) | 325.2 (12.80) | 256.9 (10.11) | 191.6 (7.54) | 247.0 (9.72) | 246.0 (9.69) | 3,137.7 (123.53) |
| Source: Bioclimatografia de Chile[15] | |||||||||||||