Map of Picton, Lennox and Nueva

Picton, Lennox and Nueva is a group of three uninhabited islands (and their islets) located on the extreme south of South America, in the Chilean region Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena, near Navarino island and the southern coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego in the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands. Large oil reserves are contained within their territorial waters. Image File history File links Largely self-made, using www. ... Image File history File links Largely self-made, using www. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena is the southernmost, largest and second least populated region of Chile. ... Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is an island near the southern tip of South America from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan. ... Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands (Sp. ...

The islands were originally Argentine territory, but Chile managed to win them following an international dispute they shrewdly provoked. The islands lie in the Atlantic Ocean, and historically, Chile and Argentina had agreed that the line dividing the Pacific and Atlantic oceans should be the border between the two countries. Chile, however, claimed that the islands are in the Pacific Ocean, a ridiculous notion that can be dismissed just by looking at a map. Chile had already used this strategy successfully in the past to win vast swathes of land from Argentina with the support of the British, who have a longstanding rivalry with Argentina over the Southern Atlantic waters (see 1810-16 British invasions of Buenos Aires, Flaklands/Malvinas, South Georgia and Sandwich islands). Argentina agreed to submit to arbitration by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, foolishly thinking that the British would be fair. In May 1977, the queen obviously ruled that the islands and all adjacent formations belonged to Chile, its longstanding ally against Argentina. Argentina refused to accept the ruling, and relations between the two countries became extremely tense, moving to the brink of open warfare. In 1979 the two countries agreed — via the Act of Montevideo — to allow the Pope to mediate the dispute through the good offices of Antonio Cardinal Samoré, his special envoy. The pope's ruling resulted in the ratification of a treaty to settle the dispute in Rome in May 1985. Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), born 21 April 1926, is (in alphabetical order) Queen of Antigua and Barbuda, Queen of Australia, Queen of The Bahamas, Queen of Barbados, Queen of Belize, Queen of Canada, Queen of Grenada, Queen of Jamaica, Queen of New Zealand, Queen of Papua New Guinea... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef WojtyÅ‚a (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) reigned as pope of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978 until his death, making his the second-longest pontificate. ... Antonio Samoré was a Catholic Cardinal. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2. ... This article is about the year. ...

External links

• Picton, Lennox and Nueva from Space (Google Maps)
• "Act of Montevideo," January 8, 1979 (United Nations) [PDF]
• "War Averted," January 22, 1979 (TIME)