Brunswick Peninsula () is a large peninsula in Magallanes y la Antártica Region,

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, at .

Geography

The Brunswick Peninsula is triangular in shape, joined to the mainland in the north by a wide

isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

. It widens to almost in the south. 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 the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natura ...

defines the eastern and southern limits while the Otway Sound ( Seno Otway) delimits its western shores. It measures in length from the base to Cape Froward, the southernmost point of the American mainland. This yields an area of more than .

Origin of name

Brunswick is a city, and former duchy in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It was the seat of the

Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel () was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. It had an area of 3,828 square kilometres in the mid 17th century. Va ...

. In 1815 Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, nephew of Britain's

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

, joined the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

in the Quatre Bras Battle against

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and was killed in battle.Regina B. Johnson: Strait of Magellan, a voyage throughout History XVI-XXI centuries

/ref> In his honor, English explorers gave the name Brunswick to the newly charted land of South America.

Settlement

The only city in the Peninsula is

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...

, the regional capital. It is located on the northeast coast and near the

Straits 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 the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natural ...

. The area is thinly populated with all settlements clustered on the east coast but the entire peninsula is treated as a single administrative unit, the commune (municipality) of Punta Arenas. The commune also includes all islands west of the ''

Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego ( English: ''Big Island of the Land of Fire'') also formerly ''Isla de Xátiva'' is an island near the southern tip of South America from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan. The western portion (61. ...

'' and north of Cockburn and Magdalena channels. These are mostly uninhabited and among them are: Isla Capitán Aracena, Clarence Island (south),

Desolación Island Desolación Island () (Spanish for ''Desolation'') is an island at the western end of the Strait of Magellan in the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. Its northwestern point is called ''Cabo Pilar'' (Cape Pillar), and marks the ...

, and Dawson Island (southeast). To the northwest, the peninsula borders the commune of Laguna Blanca, and in the northeast, San Gregorio.

References

Peninsulas of Chile Landforms of Magallanes Region {{MagellanAntarctic-geo-stub