Chile, are believed to have migrated to this area more than 10,000 years ago and established their traditional hunter-gatherer culture. Europeans first came across them and the area in the early sixteenth century. It was not until the 19th century that Europeans began to be interested in the area for development; its towns had sometimes supplied whaling ships. At the end of the 19th century, gold was discovered in the region, attracting masses of migrants and immigrants seeking fortunes. By 1890 there were approximately 300 goldminers in the Picton, Lennox and Nueva islands and Puerto Toro which was founded in 1892. Puerto Navarino, on the west side of the Navarino island, was founded in June 1938. In addition, some of the islands were developed to support sheep ranching, and meat and wool exports became important. Puerto Williams was founded 1953, developed primarily as a naval base for Chile. Its naval hospital of 463 m2 (today 638 m2) opened in 1960. In 2002 the electrical power supply was transferred from the Chilean Navy to a private provider. According to the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina, Puerto Williams is the start point for vessels of all nations in traffic between the Straits of Magellan and Argentine ports in the Beagle Channel. Demography Between 1982 and 2002, the population of Puerto Williams grew from 1,059 to 2,874. Since 1982, Puerto Williams has been classified as an urban entity by Chile's National Statistics Institute (INE), although the department generally classifies a city as an urban entity with more than 5,000 residents. Local celebrations Glorias Navales Regata: In the last week of May, the city holds a sailing competition attracting international participants. The competition is on its 7th season and has more than 300 participants every year. The journey starts from the city's port and takes the fjords route. The regatta is part of the Chilean Navy's Month of the Sea activities that commemorate the Naval Battle of Iquique in 1879. Fiesta de la nieve ("Snow Festival"): Celebrating the winter season in July, the city celebrates the winter with snow games, cars and rodeos, in a celebration that lasts 6 days. Climate The climate of Puerto Williams is a temperate subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) bordering closely on a tundra climate (ET) according to the Köppen climate classification. The summers are short and cool while the winters are long, wet,