Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for "Land of Fire") (English pronunciation ; Spanish ) , an archipelago, 28,476 sq mi (73,753 sq km), separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan at the southernmost tip of South America.

Geography

The archipelago consists of a main island (Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, often called Tierra del Fuego as well or Isla Grande) with an area of 48,100 km² , and a group of smaller islands.

Half of this island, and the islands west and south of it, are part of the Magallanes Region of Chile, the capital and chief town of which is Punta Arenas, situated on the mainland across the strait. The biggest Chilean towns are Porvenir, on the main island, and Puerto Williams, on Navarino Island. Puerto Toro lies a few kilometers south of Puerto Williams and is the southernmost town in the world.

The eastern part of the archipelago belongs to Argentina, being part of the Tierra del Fuego Province; its capital, Ushuaia, is the world's most southerly city, properly speaking, the other important city in the region being Río Grande, near the Atlantic coast.

The southern point of the archipelago forms Cape Horn.

History

Its name comes from Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first European to pass it in 1520, he believed he was seeing the many fires (fuego in Spanish) of the Amerindians, which were visible from the sea. He believed that the "Indians" were waiting in the forests to ambush his armada. It is however, more likely that the fires he witnessed were from natural sources such as lightningBergreen, Laurence. 2003. Over the Edge of the World. p179. ISBN 0-06-621173-5.

Four native Fuegians, including "Jemmy Button" (Orundellico), were brought from Tierra del Fuego by Robert Fitzroy on the first voyage of the Beagle in 1830. They were taken to meet the King and Queen in London and were to an extent celebrities. The surviving three returned to Tierra del Fuego with the Beagle with Charles Darwin, who made extensive notes about his visit to the islands.

In 1881 it was divided between Argentina and Chile.

Flora

There are only three species of trees found in Tierra Del Fuego: Canelo or Winter's Bark (Drimys winteri), and two kinds of Southern Beech, Nothofagus antarctica and Nothofagus pumilio.

Economy

The main industries are oil, natural gas, sheep farming and ecotourism. On the Argentine side there are several electronic factories established.

See also

• 1984 Argentina and Chile Peace and Friendship Treaty
• Mamihlapinatapai
• The Voyage of the Beagle
• Yaghan language (only two speakers left)
• Moribund Savages' of Tierra del Fuego

References

• Bridges, Lucas. 1948. Uttermost Part of the Earth. Reprint with Introduction by Gavin Young, Century Hutchinson, 1987. ISBN 0-7126-1493-1
• Keynes, Richard. 2002. Fossils, Finches and Fuegians: Charles Darwin's Adventures and Discoveries on the Beagle, 1832-1836. HarperCollinsPublishers, London. Reprint: 2003.
• Bollen, Patrick. 2000. "Tierra del Fuego" B/W Photobook. Lannoo Publishers, Tielt, Belgium. ISBN 9020940406