Puerto Madryn is a city in southern Argentina. It is located on the Golfo Nuevo south of the Valdés peninsula on the Atlantic coast in the Chubut province of Patagonia. With a good 82,000 inhabitants, Puerto Madryn is the third largest city in the province. The city is located at the foot of the Patagonian Meseta, which slopes down to the sea in the Golfo Nuevo in the form of a natural amphitheater. To the north of the Gulf is the Valdés Peninsula, a world-famous nature reserve (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999), where the wildlife on the coast is largely intact to this day. Sea lions, whales, penguins, seals and various bird species are at home here. Puerto Madryn is spoiled by many hours of sunshine all year round and is therefore considered an attractive bathing resort. The town was founded in 1865 by immigrants from Wales. At the end of the 19th century it was connected by a railway line, which is now disused, to the southwest inland neighboring town of Trelew, which is intensively farmed in the area. The products were shipped in Puerto Madryn. However, around 1970, due to an unfavorable customs policy, the town's activity dropped and its importance as a port declined. Today it is primarily important as the location of the country's only aluminum producer and as the center of the province's fishing and tourism sectors. Puerto Madryn is known as a starting point for tours to the Valdés Peninsula with its intact wildlife and as a seaside resort. Puerto Madryn has made a name for itself internationally, especially as a diving metropolis.