Tierra del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego, archipelago, at the southern extremity of South America, from which it is separated on the north-west by the Strait of Magellan, and belonging partly to Argentina and partly to Chile. The islands are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Southern Ocean on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west; their southern extremity is Cape Horn. The archipelago consists of a large main island, sometimes called Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego or Great Island (formerly King Charles South Land), and many smaller islands. The Argentine portion, lying east of a line connecting the eastern entrance of the Strait of Magellan with the middle of Beagle Channel, includes the main island and Staten Island at the south-eastern extremity; it has an area of about 21,615 sq km (8,345 sq mi) and a population (1989 estimate) of 58,881. The rest of the archipelago is included politically in the Chilean Territory of Magellanes (population, 1993, 171,059). Area of the entire archipelago, about 71,500 sq km (27,600 sq mi).

The eastern portion of the main island is, geographically, a continuation of the plateau of Patagonia. All the islands are mountainous reaching a high point on Cerro Yogan (2,469 m/8,100 ft). The mean annual temperature is about 6° C (43° F), and annual precipitation is about 635 mm (25 in). On the mountain slopes facing the wind, rain is almost continuous. Gold deposits and seams of lignite are found, but minerals are exploited minimally. The most important industry is the raising of livestock, particularly of sheep. The Yahgan aboriginal peoples in the south are thought to be related to the tribes of Patagonia; they are few in number and rapidly disappearing. The first European to sight the archipelago was the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, who named it in 1520, during his circumnavigation of the globe. No systematic exploration took place until several British expeditions were undertaken in the 19th century. The most famous of these expeditions was the survey (1831-1836) described by Charles Darwin in his Zoology of the Voyage of HMS Beagle (1840). The boundary between Chile and Argentina was set in 1881.