Puerto Williams, often cited as the world’s southernmost city, is in Chile.
The settlement lies on Navarino Island in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region, on the northern shore of the Beagle Channel. It is the capital of Chile’s Antártica Chilena Province and the administrative centre of the Cabo de Hornos commune.
Chile founded the settlement in 1953, originally naming it Puerto Luisa. It was later renamed for John Williams Wilson, a British-born Chilean naval officer associated with early Chilean settlement in the Strait of Magellan. The Chilean Navy remains important to the town, which also supports tourism, scientific work and voyages toward Cape Horn and Antarctica.
The “southernmost city” label needs context. Puerto Williams is farther south than Ushuaia, Argentina, but some writers classify it as a town because of its small population. Chilean authorities and many tourism sources recognize it as a city, while others reserve that description for Ushuaia.