Río Seco, Industrial settlement 14 kilometers north of Punta Arenas, Chile.

Río Seco is a small settlement located about 14 kilometers north of Punta Arenas with industrial and port-related activities in this southern region. The village sits between the sea and surrounding plains, with the Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport located just nearby.

A steam sawmill owned by Alfredo Scott and Mauricio Braun started the settlement in 1881, and by 1886 it held 23 families, mostly from Chiloé. In 1903 Braun, Mateo Bermúdez and Jorge Broughan formed The South American Export Syndicate Ltda., which built the Río Seco frigorífico, Patagonia's first industrial plant, operating from 23 February 1905. President Pedro Montt decreed the town's official founding on 15 October 1906 on a 1,500 by 200 metre site. The plant closed in 1964.

The Natural History Museum displays over 400 animal specimens, marine invertebrates, plants, and fungi housed in former refrigeration buildings. The collection tells the story of this region's wildlife and ecological character.

Río Seco lies 14 km north of Punta Arenas along the road to Chabunco, and the Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport sits within the locality. The Natural History Museum occupies the former refrigeration plant buildings owned by Algina. Expect cold wind and fast-changing weather at any time of year.

On 3 September 1916, the pilot Luis Pardo Villalón brought the Yelcho into the Río Seco pier with the 22 British crew of the Endurance, rescued from Elephant Island together with Ernest Shackleton. The ship had sailed from Punta Arenas for the rescue.