Rada Tilly
Encyclopedia
Rada Tilly is a town in Escalante Department
, Chubut Province
(Patagonia
), Argentina
. The town is between Punta Piedras hill to the north and Punta del Marqués to the south. Punta del Marqués, a geographical landmark on San Jorge Gulf, reaches a height of 167 metres (548 ft), and extends into the sea for 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi).
The area was first populated at least 9,000 years ago, and was first recorded by Captain Robert FitzRoy
during his voyage on the HMS Beagle in the early 1830s (best known for its impact on the naturalist Charles Darwin
). The municipality was established on July 24, 1948, as part of a nature conservation effort in the area during the administration of President Juan Perón
. It was named for the Marquess Francisco Everardo Tilly y Paredes, a captain of the Spanish Armada
who defeated Portuguese
forces on the Río de la Plata
, in 1795; is "roadstead
" in Spanish. The municipality is home to a growing population, which reached 6,208 in the 2001 Census, and has doubled every decade since 1980; its estimated population, per the provincial statistical bureau, was 9,226 in 2008. A beach resort city, Rada Tilly became one of the main recreational spots for visitors from nearby Comodoro Rivadavia
, a city 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the north.
The main attraction of the city is its coastline, extending for 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi), covered in fine sand. This uninterrupted geographical feature allows for the enjoyment of numerous leisure activities such as football
, beach volleyball
, and walking
, as well as windsurfing
, kitesurfing
, diving
, snorkeling
, trekking, motocross
, and mountain bicycling. Landsailing (three-wheeled carts with a sail attached to them that move with the force of the wind) is a popular spectator sport in Rada Tilly, and the 2008 Landsailing World Cup was held on these beaches.
Rada Tilly is also a popular fishing
destination, and the wide range of fish includes salmon
, hake
, and sea bass
, among others.
s can be observed. The males are dark brown, and are distinguishable from the females by their manes and larger size; females calf from the last days of December to the last days in January. Other fauna include oysters and seagulls, which frequent the area's coast to feed.
Among the variety of flora found along Punta del Marqués, local species such as: uña de gato
, zampa
, adesmia
, malaspina, duraznillo
, and coiro predominate.
Escalante Department
Escalante Department is a department of Chubut Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 143,000 inhabitants in an area of 14,015 km², and its capital city is Comodoro Rivadavia....
, Chubut Province
Chubut Province
Chubut a province in the southern part of Argentina situated between the 42nd parallel south and the 46th parallel south , the Andes range separating Argentina from Chile, and the Atlantic ocean...
(Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
), Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The town is between Punta Piedras hill to the north and Punta del Marqués to the south. Punta del Marqués, a geographical landmark on San Jorge Gulf, reaches a height of 167 metres (548 ft), and extends into the sea for 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi).
The area was first populated at least 9,000 years ago, and was first recorded by Captain Robert FitzRoy
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy RN achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality...
during his voyage on the HMS Beagle in the early 1830s (best known for its impact on the naturalist Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
). The municipality was established on July 24, 1948, as part of a nature conservation effort in the area during the administration of President Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
. It was named for the Marquess Francisco Everardo Tilly y Paredes, a captain of the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
who defeated Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
forces on the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
, in 1795; is "roadstead
Roadstead
A roadstead is a place outside a harbor where a ship can lie at anchor. It is an enclosed area with an opening to the sea, narrower than a bay or gulf. It has a surface that cannot be confused with an estuary. It can be created artificially by jetties or dikes...
" in Spanish. The municipality is home to a growing population, which reached 6,208 in the 2001 Census, and has doubled every decade since 1980; its estimated population, per the provincial statistical bureau, was 9,226 in 2008. A beach resort city, Rada Tilly became one of the main recreational spots for visitors from nearby Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the San Jorge Basin....
, a city 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the north.
The main attraction of the city is its coastline, extending for 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi), covered in fine sand. This uninterrupted geographical feature allows for the enjoyment of numerous leisure activities such as football
Football in Argentina
Football in Argentina is the most popular sport, the one with the most players and is the most popular recreational sport, played from childhood into old age...
, beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
, and walking
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
, as well as windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
, kitesurfing
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing or Kiteboarding is an adventure surface water sport that has been described as combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a...
, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, snorkeling
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
, trekking, motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
, and mountain bicycling. Landsailing (three-wheeled carts with a sail attached to them that move with the force of the wind) is a popular spectator sport in Rada Tilly, and the 2008 Landsailing World Cup was held on these beaches.
Rada Tilly is also a popular fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
destination, and the wide range of fish includes salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, hake
Hake
The term hake refers to fish in either of:* family Phycidae of the northern oceans* family Merlucciidae of the southern oceans-Hake fish:...
, and sea bass
Sea bass
-Family Serranidae:* Barred sand bass , lives mainly off the coast of California* Black sea bass , whose range is the eastern coast of the United States...
, among others.
Wildlife and vegetation
From the look out point on Punta del Marqués, opened at the site in February 1986, a natural reserve for sea lionSea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
s can be observed. The males are dark brown, and are distinguishable from the females by their manes and larger size; females calf from the last days of December to the last days in January. Other fauna include oysters and seagulls, which frequent the area's coast to feed.
Among the variety of flora found along Punta del Marqués, local species such as: uña de gato
Cat's claw
Cat's claw or Cat's Claws is a common name for several plants:* Acacia greggii, a tree species native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico...
, zampa
Atriplex
Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache . The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments...
, adesmia
Adesmia
Adesmia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the sub family Faboideae and is the only genus found in the Tribe Adesmieae. Species in this genus include Adesmia balsamica and Adesmia resinosa....
, malaspina, duraznillo
Colliguaja
Colliguaja is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae....
, and coiro predominate.