The archipelago, or chain of islands, lying at the southern tip of South America is called Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for “Land of Fire”). The Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first European to discover the archipelago, gave it this name because of the fires built by Indians along the coast of South America. The islands belong to Chile and Argentina. Two thirds of the islands, the western part, form the Chilean province of Tierra del Fuego. The remaining islands form part of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego. The capital of the Argentine province is Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

Geography

The islands making up Tierra del Fuego are separated from the South American continent by the Strait of Magellan to the north. The total land area of the archipelago is 28,473 square miles (73,746 square kilometers). The archipelago's main island, which also is called Tierra del Fuego and which is divided between Chile and Argentina, is triangular in shape. The Beagle Channel lies to the south of the main island.

Most of the northern portion of the main island is low lying land. It consists principally of lakes and of moraines, piles of earth and stones carried and deposited by glaciers. In contrast, the southern and western parts of the main island and of the archipelago as a whole are an extension of the Andes Mountains of South America. Mount Darwin in Chile reaches a height of 7,999 feet (2,438 meters). Several of the mountains have glaciers. The smaller Chilean islands to the west largely lie within national parks.

Climate

The climate of the archipelago is cool in summer and cold in winter. Annual rainfall varies widely, from 20 to 180 inches (500 to 4,600 millimeters).

Plant life

The central part of the main island has forests of beech trees. The northern plains have a grass cover. In the exposed southern and western areas the vegetation is limited to mosses and stunted trees.

Economy

There is little agriculture on the archipelago, but oil and gas reserves have been developed in the Chilean section of the island of Tierra del Fuego. Textile and electronic firms have been established at Ushuaia and Río Grande, the two principal cities in the Argentine portion of the island. There is some lumbering in the forested areas around the Beagle Channel and the Strait of Magellan. Fish and crayfish are canned at Ushuaia as well as at Porvenir in the Chilean section.

Roads are poor on the island of Tierra del Fuego, and there are no railways. Air services link major settlements to Punta Arenas in Chile and to Río Gallegos in Argentina. Sea communications are also important, with regular service linking Porvenir with Punta Arenas.

History

Ferdinand Magellan sighted the archipelago in 1520. For 350 years after Magellan's voyage, however, the region was left to the occupation of the native peoples, the Ona, Yahgan, and Alacaluf Indians. In 1826–36 the British made a thorough survey of the islands. The introduction of sheep farming and the discovery of gold after 1880 sparked Argentina and Chile to establish colonies. In 1881 the two countries agreed upon the present boundaries.