Strait of Magellan, in Tierra del Fuego

The Straits of Magellan (rarely referred to as the Magellanic Straits) comprise a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland Chile and north of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The waterway is the most important natural passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, but it is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the inhospitable climate and the narrowness of the passage. Tierra del Fuego Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (literally, Great Island of the Land of Fire) is an island near the southern tip of South America from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan. ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... There are several traditions of navigation. ...

History

Ferdinand Magellan (the original name, in Portuguese, Fernão de Magalhães), a Portuguese sailor in service to the Spanish King, became the first European to navigate the strait in 1520, during his global circumnavigation voyage. Because Magellan's ships entered it on November 1, All Saints' Day, it was originally named Estrecho de Todos los Santos (Strait of All Saints). Later the Spanish king changed the name to Estrecho de Magallanes in honor of Magellan. Since its discovery the Spanish Empire and the Kingdom of Chile saw it as its southern boundary. The first Spanish colonization attempt was led by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa who founded Nombre de Jesús and Rey Don Felipe on its northern shores. The cities suffered severe food shortages, and years afterwards in 1587 the English navigator Sir Thomas Cavendish landed at the site of Rey Don Felipe and found only ruins of the settlement. He renamed the place Port Famine. Other early explorers included Francis Drake. For the Presidential railcar named Ferdinand Magellan, see Ferdinand Magellan Railcar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... All Saints in Poland The festival of All Saints, also sometimes known as All Hallows, or Hallowmas, is a feast celebrated in honour of all the saints and martyrs, known or unknown. ... An anachronous map of the overseas Spanish Empire (1492-1898) in red, and the Spanish Habsburg realms in Europe (1516-1714) in orange. ... the Captaincy until 1776 the Captaincy between 1776 and 1818 The Kingdom of Chile or Realm of Chile (Spanish: Reino de Chile), also known as the General Captaincy of Chile (Capitanía General de Chile), was an administrative territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818, the year in... Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1532 - 1592) was a Spanish explorer, author, historian, astronomer, scientist, and humanist. ... Puerto Hambre, also known as Puerto del Hambre and at one time as Port Famine, is a historic settlement site at Buena Bay on the west side of the Strait of Magellan approximately 58 km (36 miles) south of Punta Arenas in the Región de Magallanes y la Ant... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A navigator is the person onboard a ship responsible for the navigation of the vessel. ... Thomas Cavendish (1555-1592) was born in Trimley St. ... Puerto Hambre, also known as Puerto del Hambre and at one time as Port Famine, is a historic settlement site at Buena Bay on the west side of the Strait of Magellan approximately 58 km (36 miles) south of Punta Arenas in the Región de Magallanes y la Ant... This article is about the Elizabethan naval commander. ...

Incorporation to Chile

Chilean Basislines in the Strait of Magellan according to decree 416 14 Juni 1977

Chile took possession of the channel on May 23, 1843. Chilean president Bulnes ordered the expedition after speaking with the Chilean libertador Bernardo O'Higgins who feared an occupation by Great Britain or France. The first Chilean settlement was Fuerte Bulnes situated in a forested zone on the north side of the strait. Fuerte Bulnes was later abandoned and the city of Punta Arenas was founded in 1848 further north where the Magellanic forests met the Patagonian plains. In front of Punta Arenas, on the other shore of the strait in Tierra del Fuego the village of Porvenir emerged during a gold rush in the late 1800s. is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1843 (MDCCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Libertadores (Spanish, Liberators) refers to the leaders of the revolutions which gained the nations of Latin America independence from Spain and Portugal. ... Bernardo OHiggins Riquelme (August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842), South American independence leader, was one of the commanders – together with José de San Martín – of the military forces that freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. ... Chilean fort located by the Strait of Magellan, 62 km due South from Punta Arenas. ... Memorial to Hernando de Magallanes in Punta Arenas. ... The Magellanic subpolar forests are a terrestrial ecoregion of southernmost South America, covering parts of southern Chile and Argentina, and is part of the Neotropic ecozone. ... Tierra del Fuego Cerro Sombrero Village, Chile. ... Founded in 1883 by immigrants from Croatia and Chiloe during a minor nineteenth century gold rush, Porvenir is the capital of the Chilean province of Tierra del Fuego. ... For other meanings, see Gold rush (disambiguation) A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold. ...

Until the Panama Canal was finished in 1914, the Straits of Magellan were the main route for steam ships traveling from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific; it was often considered the only safe way to move between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Protected by Tierra del Fuego to the south and the bulk of South America to the north, ships crossed with relative ease, removed from the dangers of Drake Passage. Despite these natural defenses, sailing ships such as the clippers preferred Drake Passage as they had more room to maneuver. The Drake Passage is the relatively narrow stretch of ocean separating Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America) from Antarctica, the waters of which are notoriously turbulent, unpredictable, and frequented by icebergs and sea ice. The Panama Canal is a waterway in Central America which joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. ... Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ... Tierra del Fuego Cerro Sombrero Village, Chile. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica. ... A model of a vessel of the clipper type, the four-masted barque named Belle Étoile A clipper was a very fast multiple-masted sailing ship of the 19th century. ... Cape Horn from the South. ... For other uses, see Iceberg (disambiguation). ... An icebreaker navigates through young (1 year old) sea ice Nilas Sea Ice in arctic Sea ice is formed from ocean water that freezes. ...

Features

The strait is approximately 570 km long and is about 2 km wide at its narrowest point (Carlos III Island).^[1] The northwestern portion of the strait is connected with other sheltered waterways via the Smyth Channel. This area is similar to those of the Inside Passage of Alaska. Southward from Cape Froward, the principal shipping route follows through the Magdalena Channel. It links the strait with the Beagle Channel. Part of the Inside Passage. ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... Cape Froward (, ) is the southernmost point on the mainland of South America. ... Sea lions on La Isla de Los Lobos in the Beagle Channel Glacier on the north shore of the Beagle Channel Beagle Channel is a strait separating islands of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, in extreme southern South America. ...

The eastern opening is the wide bay on the border of Chile and Argentina in which the border limitation was defined in the 1984 Peace and Friendship Treaty. Immediately west are located Primera Angostura and Segunda Angostura, which are narrows formed by two different-aged terminal moraines.^[2] Here also lies Magdalena Island, which is part of Los Pingüinos Natural Monument. In this part of the strait, its southern boundary follows first the shoreline of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, then follows the northern end of the Canal Whiteside and continues along the shoreline of Dawson Island. The 1984 Argentina and Chile Peace and Friendship Treaty (Spanish: Tratado de Paz y Amistad) was a agreement signed in 1984 between Argentina and Chile over the possession of the Picton, Lennox and Nueva islands and sea located south of Tierra del Fuego resolving a serious border conflict between the... Moraine is the general term for debris of all sorts originally transported by glaciers or ice sheets that have since melted away. ... Strait of Magellan with Dawson Island highlighted in red Dawson Island (Lat: 53. ...

The western part of the strait stretches northwestwardly from the northern end of Magdalena Channel to the strait's Pacific entrance. This portion of the strait is flanked on the south by Capitán Aracena Island, Clarence Island, Santa Inés Island, Desolación Island and other smaller islands, and on the north by Brunswick Peninsula, Riesco Island, Muñoz Gamero Peninsula and other minor islands. Here, two narrow channels that open into the strait, connect with Seno Otway and Seno Skyring. Francisco Coloane Coastal and Marine Protected Area, which protects Humpback Whales, is located in this area. This part of the strait lies on the elongated Magallanes-Fagnano Fault, which marks a plate boundary between the South American Plate and the Scotia Plate. This fault continues southward under the Almirantazgo Fjord and then low the Fagnano Lake. Clarence Island (Spanish: Isla Clarence) is an island in the Patagonian Archipelago, Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. ... Desolación Island is an island in the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. ... Brunswick Peninsula (Spanish: ) is a large peninsula in Magallanes y la Antártica Region, Patagonia, Chile, at . ... Binomial name Borowski, 1781 Humpback Whale range The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a baleen whale. ...  The South American plate, shown in purple The South American Plate is a tectonic plate covering the continent of South America and extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. ...  The Scotia plate, shown in blue-green towards the bottom of the map The Scotia Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate bordering the South American Plate on the north, the South Sandwich microplate to the east, and the Antarctic Plate on the south and west. ... The Fagnano (Spanish: Lago Fagnano or Lago Cami) is a lake located on the main island of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, and shared by Argentina and Chile. ...

To the west, there are a number of access points from the Pacific, though the most easily seen here is the roughly 200 km (110 nmi) stretch from the Queen Adelaide Archipelago (at center left) to the bulk of the Strait (at lower center). The islands and mountains are highlighted by bright white snow, while the lower-elevation lands to the north and east remain clear. This image was acquired by the Aqua satellite on 27 August 2003. Aqua (EOS PM-1) is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in orbit around the Earth, studying the precipitation, evaporation, and cycling of water. ... is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At the site of Primera Angostura, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is as closest to the mainland of South America.

See also

• Monte Sarmiento
• Agostini Fjord

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Strait of Magellan

References

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Gallery

The Strait of Magellan at dawn Image File history File links Strait_of_magellan_dawn. ...

The Strait of Magellan at sunset Image File history File links Strait_of_magellan_decline. ...

A map of the Strait of Magellan Download high resolution version (1009x805, 135 KB)A map of the Straits of Magellan. ...

A true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite image, the entire Strait is visible The Strait of Magellan File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Ash plumes on Kamchatka Peninsula, eastern Russia MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999 on board the Terra (EOS AM) and in 2002 on board the Aqua (EOS PM) satellites. ... Over-Simplified diagram A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water, and thus lies between two land masses. ...

Coordinates: 53°28′51″S, 70°47′00″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...