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Hornos Island ( es, Isla Hornos) is a
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an island at the southern tip of South America. The island is mostly known for being the location of
Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramír ...
. It is generally considered South America's southernmost island, but the
Diego Ramírez Islands The Diego Ramírez Islands ( es, Islas Diego Ramírez) are a small group of subantarctic islands located in the southernmost extreme of Chile. History The islands were first sighted on 12 February 1619 by the Spanish Garcia de Nodal expedition, ...
are farther south. The island is one of the Hermite Islands, part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The
Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the W ...
maintains a station on the island, consisting of a residence, utility building, chapel, and lighthouse. A short distance from the main station is a memorial, including a large sculpture featuring the silhouette of an
albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pac ...
, in honour of the sailors who died while attempting to "round the Horn". The island is within the
Cabo de Hornos National Park Cabo de Hornos National Park is a protected area in southern Chile that was designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005, along with Alberto de Agostini National Park. The world's southernmost national park, it is located 12 hours by boat from ...
.


Ecology

The island is dominated by Megallanic moorlands. Exposed locations are dominated by bunch grasses and short shrubs, low to the ground to avoid wind. Short trees found only in wind protected areas. The world's southernmost tree, a '' Nothofagus betuloides'', is found on Hornos Island. The island has extensive penguin colonies along the coast, with no land predators present. Several raptors live on the island and prey on penguins.


People

In 2019, the island had a population of five, consisting of the lighthouse keeper, his wife, and their three children. The island is also the southernmost extension of pre-industrial humanity. The world's southernmost archaeological site, consisting of harpoon points, butchered bones, and a hearth or cooking camp, was found in 2019.


Geology

The composition of the island is mainly of Cretaceous granite with Jurassic volcanic rocks in the northwest. The lower areas of the island are filled with
peat moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...
.


Climate

: Mean temperature: 5.3 °C (41.54 °F) : Maximum temperature: 20.5 °C (68.9 °F) (February 1996) : Minimum temperature: −14.5 °C (5.9 °F) (June 1992) : Mean relative humidity: 86.4% : Mean wind direction: 264° : Mean wind speed: 84 knots : Maximum wind speed: 119 knots (August 1995) : Rainfall (yearly mean): 697.5 mm : Maximum rainfall: 1263.2 mm (1990)


References

Islands of Tierra del Fuego Lighthouses in Chile Hermite Islands {{MagellanAntarctic-geo-stub