Gaiman, Chubut

Gaiman
Town
Gaiman
Location of Gaiman in Argentina
Coordinates: 43°17′S 65°29′W / 43.283°S 65.483°W / -43.283; -65.483Coordinates: 43°17′S 65°29′W / 43.283°S 65.483°W / -43.283; -65.483
Country  Argentina
Province  Chubut
Department Gaiman
Founded by David D. Roberts
Government
 • Major Mariano García Aranibar (Justicialist Party)
Elevation 27 m (89 ft)
Population
 • Total 4,730
Time zone UTC-3 (ART)
CPA base U9105
Dialing code +54 280
Climate BWk

Gaiman is a town in the Chubut Province of Patagonia in Argentina. It has a population of 4,730 as per the 2010 census [INDEC]. It is located in the River Chubut's lower valley (called Dyffryn Camwy in Welsh), about 15 km west of Trelew. Gaiman is a cultural and demographic centre of the main region of the Welsh settlement in Argentina, known in Welsh as Y Wladfa Gymreig.

The town was founded in 1874 by David D. Roberts and acquired municipal rights in 1885. The Central Chubut Railway arrived in 1908 connecting Gaiman to Trelew. The Gaiman Train Tunnel was built in 1914 when the railway extended to Las Plumas (Welsh: Dôl y Plu).

Many people in the region have maintained the use of Welsh alongside Spanish. The annual youth Eisteddfod, a Welsh cultural festival, is held here every September. The Museo Histórico Regional (Regional Historical Museum) in the former station house commemorates the history of the Welsh community in the region. There are a number of Welsh Protestant chapels, of which the largest is Capel Bethel.

The town's name originates in an indigenous Tehuelche place-name meaning "rocky point." Just 10 km (6 mi) to the south of Gaiman is the Bryn Gwyn Paleontological Park.


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