Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (
English
English usually refers to:
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* English people
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Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
: ''Big Island of the Land of Fire'') also formerly ''Isla de Xátiva''
Tierra de Fuego, antes «Isla de Xativa»
Cercle Català d'Història, ''www.cch.cat'', accessed 5 February 2021 is an island near the southern tip of South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural ...
. The western portion (61.4%) of the island () is in 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 eas ...
( Province of Tierra del Fuego and Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province ( es, Provincia Antártica Chilena) is the southernmost and one of four provinces in Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region (XII). The capital is Puerto Williams. The province comprises ...
), while the eastern portion (38.6%, ) is in Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
( Tierra del Fuego Province). It forms the major landmass in an extended group of islands
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
or archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...
also known as Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...
.
The island has an area of , making it the largest island in South America and the 29th largest island in the world. Its two biggest towns are Ushuaia and Río Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
, both in Argentina. Other towns are Tolhuin, Porvenir, Camerón, and Cerro Sombrero
Cerro Sombrero (Spanish for "Hat Hill") is a village ( es, aldea) in southern Chile. It is located in the Primavera commune in the Magallanes Region, in the northern part of Tierra del Fuego, about 125 km from Porvenir. According to the 2 ...
. The Argentine side, Tierra del Fuego Province, has 127,205 inhabitants (2010), whereas the Chilean side, even though its area is significantly larger, has only 6,656 (2012), almost all located in the Tierra del Fuego Province.
Its highest point is unofficially named Monte Shipton (), in 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 eas ...
. Nearby Mount Darwin was previously thought to be the tallest mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...
on the island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...
for a long time, but is just less than a hundred metres shorter. The northern parts of the island have oil deposits; Cerro Sombrero
Cerro Sombrero (Spanish for "Hat Hill") is a village ( es, aldea) in southern Chile. It is located in the Primavera commune in the Magallanes Region, in the northern part of Tierra del Fuego, about 125 km from Porvenir. According to the 2 ...
in Chile is the main extraction centre in the island.
On 17 December 1949, an earthquake occurred in the Chilean portion, near the Argentine border. Recorded as 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 pa ...
, it was the most powerful ever recorded in the south of Argentina.[ Instituto Nacional de Prevención Sísmica]
''Listado de Terremotos Históricos''
.gistering
Geography
Tierra del Fuego is bounded on the east by the South Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...
, on the north by the Magellan Straits
The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pas ...
and on the south and west by a series of fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icel ...
s and channels linked to the Pacific Ocean. One of the few prominent features of the northeast shore is San Sebastián Bay. To the south the island is bounded by the Beagle Channel
Beagle Channel (; Yahgan: ''Onašaga'') is a strait in the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, on the extreme southern tip of South America between Chile and Argentina. The channel separates the larger main island of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego f ...
, south of which lie a series of islands included in Chilean territory. To the west the island has two major inlets, Inútil Bay
300px, Satellite image of Inútil Bay and the Strait of Magellan. Selected settlements are marked with yellow dots.
Inútil Bay (Spanish: ''Bahía Inútil'') or Useless Bay is a bay in the western and Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego Island. Loc ...
and Almirantazgo Fjord
Almirantazgo Fjord ( es, Fiordo Almirantazgo), also known as Almirantazgo Sound ( es, Seno Almirantazgo) or Admiralty Sound, is a Chilean fjord located in the far south of the country at .Earth Info, ''earth-info.nga.mil'' webpage: . The fjor ...
. The latter lies along the Magallanes–Fagnano Fault and is a continuation of the Cami Lake
Fagnano Lake ( es, Lago Fagnano), also called ''Lake Cami'' (), is a lake located on the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, main island of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, and shared by Argentina and Chile. The 645 km2 lake runs east–west f ...
depression in southern Tierra del Fuego.
The southwest part of the island, between the Almirantazgo Fjord and the Beagle Channel and extending west to end at Brecknock Peninsula on the Pacific Ocean, is mountainous with a heavily indented coastline, dominated by the Cordillera Darwin. Most of this part of the island is included in the Alberto de Agostini National Park of Chile.
History
The earliest human settlement occurred more than 10,000 years ago, as people migrated from the mainland, perhaps under pressure from competitors. The Yaghan people were some of the earliest known humans settling in Tierra del Fuego. Certain archeological sites at locations such as Navarino Island, within the islands of Tierra del Fuego, have yielded artifacts and evidence of their culture from the Megalithic era.
The name Tierra del Fuego derives from Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the Eas ...
, who was the first European to visit these lands in 1520, on his voyage to the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
from Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. He believed he was seeing the many fires (fuego in Spanish) of the Amerindians, which were visible from the sea and that the "Indians" were waiting in the forests to ambush his armada. These were fires lit by the Yamana Indians who lived in the northern part of the island, to ward off the low temperatures in the area. Originally called the "Land of Smoke," it was later changed to the more exciting "Land of Fire."
The British commander Robert Fitzroy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra de ...
, on his first voyage aboard in 1830, captured four native Fuegians after they stole a boat from his ship. The men included ''Orundellico,'' later named Jemmy Button
Orundellico, known as "Jeremy Button" or "Jemmy Button" (c. 1815–1864), was a member of the Yaghan (or Yámana) people from islands around Tierra del Fuego, in modern Chile and Argentina. He was taken to England by Captain FitzRoy in HMS ''B ...
by his crew. Fitzroy taught them English and took them with him on his return to England, where he took them to Court to meet the King and Queen in London. They became early celebrities. The surviving three were returned to Tierra del Fuego on the second voyage of ''Beagle'', which included the naturalist Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
, who made extensive notes about his visit to the islands.
In July 1881 the island was divided between Argentina and Chile, each of which had previously claimed it entirely.
The 1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake took place on 17 December 1949, at 06:53:30. It recorded magnitude 7.8 in the Richter scale
The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...
. Its epicenter
The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates.
Surface damage
Before the instrumental pe ...
was located in the east of the Chilean Tierra del Fuego Province, close to the Argentine border, at a depth of 30 km (19 mi).
This was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the south of Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
. It was felt with grade VIII in the Mercalli intensity scale
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the ef ...
, and affected the settlements and some others like Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas (; historically Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. The city was officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to "Punta Are ...
and Río Gallegos
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for " river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, ...
. Due to low population density, damage was limited.
Climate
The region has a subpolar oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
and a mild tundra climate
The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. undra climate https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra-climateThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019 It is classified as ET according to Köppen ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Cfc'' and ''ET'') with short, cool summers with a mean at around and long, cool and wet winters with a mean at around . The northeast is characterized by strong winds and little precipitation, while in the south and west it is very windy, foggy, and wet most of the year, with precipitation levels averaging a year. The permanent snow line begins at . Places in the world with comparable climates are the Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...
, Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
, Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese language, Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakh ...
, Campbell Island, the Kerguelen Islands
The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a group of islands in the sub-Antarctic constituting one of the two exposed parts of the Kerguelen Plateau, a lar ...
, the Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...
, and coastal areas of Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
.
In August 1995 the island was hit by an event of intense winds, cold and snowfall known as the White Earthquake
image:Terremotoblanco.jpg, 400px, Map of Chile showing communes in state of catastrophe during the White Earthquake in red. Communes in pink were declared zones of "agrarian emergency". Communes in both state of catastrophe and agrarian emergency a ...
. This caused the ferry service across Primera Angostura to be suspended, as well as the international road to Río Gallegos
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for " river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, ...
to be closed. In Timaukel alone the mayor reported that 150 thousand sheep and 6,500 heads of cattle were threatened by the event.[A 24 años del terremoto blanco, que dejó una mortandad de 176 mil ovinos](_blank)
Prensa Austral, 11 de agosto de 2019. Consultado el 23 de junio de 2020.
Flora
Only 30% of the islands have forests, which are classified as Magellanic subpolar; the northeast is made up by steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the temperate gras ...
and cool semidesert
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
.
There are six species of tree found in Tierra del Fuego: Canelo or Winter's Bark
''Drimys winteri'', the winter's bark or canelo, is a slender tree in the family Winteraceae, growing up to tall. It is native to the Magellanic and Valdivian temperate rain forests of Chile and Argentina, where it is a dominant tree in the coa ...
('' Drimys winteri''), '' Maytenus magellanica'', '' Pilgerodendron uviferum'' the southernmost conifer in the world, and three kinds of southern beech
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
; '' Nothofagus antarctica'', '' Nothofagus pumilio'' and the evergreen '' Nothofagus betuloides''. Edible fruits grow in open spaces in these forests, such as beach strawberry (''Fragaria chiloensis
''Fragaria chiloensis'', the beach strawberry, Chilean strawberry, or coastal strawberry, is one of two species of wild strawberry that were hybridized to create the modern garden strawberry (''F. × ananassa''). It is native to the Pacific Oc ...
'' var. chiloensis forma chiloensis) and calafate
''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South America an ...
('' Berberis buxifolia''), which have been collected by Indians and residents alike. These forests are unique in the world for having developed in a climate with such cold summers. Tree cover extends very close to the southernmost tip of South America. Winds are so strong that trees in wind-exposed areas grow twisted by the force of winds, and people call the trees " flag-trees" for the shape that they need to take in the fight with the wind. Tree vegetation extends as far south as the Isla de los Estados, Navarino Island and the north of Hoste Island. At altitudes above, dwarf nothofagus
''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...
communities are found. Going further south, Wollaston Islands and the south of Hoste Island are covered by subantarctic tundra.
The forests of Tierra del Fuego have been a source of trees that have been planted abroad in places with a similar climate but that were devoid of trees, such as the Faroe Islands and nearby archipelagos. Most species were gathered from the coldest places in Tierra del Fuego bordering the tundra. This resulted in positive changes, as the heavy winds and cool summers in the Faroe Islands had not formerly allowed the growth of trees from other regions in the world. In the Faroe Islands, the imported trees are used ornamentally, as curtains against wind, and for fighting erosion caused by storms and grazing.
Economy
The main industries are oil, natural gas, sheep farming and ecotourism. On the Argentine side several electronics companies have been established. Ushuaia is home to the small brewing company Cervecería Fueguina, which produces three beers under the Beagle brand name.
See also
* Diego Ramírez Islands
* Karukinka Natural Park
* List of divided islands
This is a list of islands whose land is divided by one or more international borders.
Sea islands
Lake islands
*''De facto'' between Russia (Crimea) ('' disputed'') and Ukraine
** Rotten Sea islands
*Among Finland, Norway, and Sweden:
**Th ...
* Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region
* Tierra del Fuego gold rush
Between 1883 and 1906 Tierra del Fuego experienced a gold rush attracting many Chileans, Argentines and Europeans to the archipelago, including many Dalmatians. The gold rush led to the formation of the first towns in the archipelago and fuele ...
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isla Grande de Tierra Del Fuego
*
Atlantic islands of Argentina
Pacific islands of Chile
Islands of Magallanes Region
Landforms of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina
International islands
Argentina–Chile border