Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego
Encyclopedia
Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (literally, Great Island of the Land of Fire) is an island near the southern tip of South America
from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan
. Its western part, 29,484.7 km², 61.43% of the island, is in Chile
(Province of Tierra del Fuego
and Antártica Chilena Province
), while the eastern part, 18,507.3 km², 38.57% of the island, is in Argentina
(Tierra del Fuego Province
). It forms the major landmass in the island group also called Tierra del Fuego
.
The island has an area of 47,992 km², making it the 29th largest island in the world. Its two primary towns are Ushuaia
and Río Grande
, both in Argentina, while its highest point is Monte Darwin
(2,488 m), in Chile. Other towns are Tolhuin
and Porvenir in Argentina and Chile respectively. The northern parts of the island have oil deposits, Cerro Sombrero
in Chile is the main extraction centre in the island.
s and channel
s. One of the few prominent features of the northwest shore is San Sebastián Bay
. On the south the island is bounded by Beagle Channel
, south of which lies a series of Chilean islands. To the east the island has to major inlets of the Inútil Bay
and Almirantazgo Fjord
. The later one lies along the Magallanes-Fagnano Fault
and is a contiuation of the depression of Cami Lake in southern Tierra del Fuego.
The name Tierra del Fuego derives from Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first European to visit these lands in 1520. 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 southern 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."
Four native Fuegians, including "Jemmy Button" (Orundellico), were brought from Tierra del Fuego by Robert Fitzroy on his first voyage with the HMS 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; previously it was claimed by both countries in its entirety.
There are six species of tree found in Tierra del Fuego: Canelo or Winter's Bark (Drimys winteri), Maytenus magellanica, Pilgerodendron uviferum the southernmost conifer in the world , and three kinds of Southern Beech; Nothofagus Antarctica, Nothofagus pumilio and the evergreen Nothofagus betuloides. Very delicious fruits grow in open spaces in these forests, such as beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis var. chiloensis forma chiloensis) and calafate (Berberis buxifolia), which were and are collected respectively by Indians and countrymen. 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 communities are found. Going further south, Wollaston Islands and the south of Hoste Island are covered by subantarctic tundra.
Forests from Tierra del Fuego have expanded beyond local importance; they have been a source of trees that have been planted abroad in places with practically the same climate but which were originally devoid of trees like Faroe Islands and nearby archipelagos. Most species were gathered from the coldest places in Tierra del Fuego, sites mainly with tundra borders. This effort resulted in positive changes, as the heavy winds and cool summers in the Faroe Islands did not allow the growth of trees from other regions in the world. The imported trees are used ornamentally, as curtains against wind, and for fighting erosion caused by storms and grazing in the Faroe Islands.
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...
. Its western part, 29,484.7 km², 61.43% of the island, is in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
(Province of Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego Province, Chile
Tierra del Fuego Province is one of four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena . It includes the Chilean part of the main island of Tierra del Fuego. There is also an Argentine province of the same name, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina...
and Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province is the southernmost and one of four provinces in Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region . The capital is Puerto Williams...
), while the eastern part, 18,507.3 km², 38.57% of the island, is in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(Tierra del Fuego Province
Tierra del Fuego Province (Argentina)
Tierra del Fuego is an Argentine province entirely separated from mainland Argentina by the Strait of Magellan. It includes:* The eastern part of the Isla Grande of Tierra del Fuego archipelago and the Staten Island.* Argentina's claims to the Falkland Islands and to...
). It forms the major landmass in the island group also called Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
.
The island has an area of 47,992 km², making it the 29th largest island in the world. Its two primary towns are Ushuaia
Ushuaia
Ushuaia may refer to the following:*Ushuaia, a city in Argentina.**Ushuaia Department, an administrative division**Ushuaia River**Ushuaia International Airport**Colegio Nacional de Ushuaia, National School of Ushuaia....
and Río Grande
Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego
-External links:* * * *...
, both in Argentina, while its highest point is Monte Darwin
Mount Darwin (Andes)
Mount Darwin, the highest peak in Tierra del Fuego at forms part of the Cordillera of the Andes, South America, just to the north of the Beagle Channel. It is formed of crystalline schists and has massive glaciers down its steep southern slopes....
(2,488 m), in Chile. Other towns are Tolhuin
Tolhuin
Tolhuin is a town in the province of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. It has 1,382 inhabitants as per the . It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Fagnano, in the southern part of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. It is the third biggest settlement on the Argentine side of Tierra del Fuego after...
and Porvenir in Argentina and Chile respectively. The northern parts of the island have oil deposits, Cerro Sombrero
Cerro Sombrero
Cerro Sombrero is a village in southern Chile, in the Primavera commune, on the Northern part of Tierra del Fuego, in Magallanes Region, about 125 km from Porvenir. According to the 2002 census, it had 687 inhabitants....
in Chile is the main extraction centre in the island.
Geography
Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is bounded on the northeast by the South Atlantic and by the south and west by a series of fjordFjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
s and channel
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
s. One of the few prominent features of the northwest shore is San Sebastián Bay
San Sebastián Bay
San Sebastián Bay is located in the northern part of the Argentine Tierra del Fuego Province....
. On the south the island is bounded by Beagle Channel
Beagle Channel
thumb|right|300px|Aereal view of Beagle Channel. The Chilean [[Navarino Island]] is seen in the top-right while the Argentine part of [[Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego]] is seen at the bottom-left....
, south of which lies a series of Chilean islands. To the east the island has to major inlets of the Inútil Bay
Inútil Bay
thumb|right|300px|Satellite image of Inútil Bay and the Strai of Magellan. Selected settlements are marked with yellow dots.Inútil Bay is bay in the western and Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego Island. Located as a body of water in the Strait of Magellan Inútil Bay provides access to Camerón and...
and Almirantazgo Fjord
Almirantazgo Fjord
Almirantazgo Fjord, also known as Almirantazgo Sound , is a Chilean fjord cutting deeply into the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The fjord is a southeastern projection of Canal Whiteside, which separates the just mentioned island from Dawson Island...
. The later one lies along the Magallanes-Fagnano Fault
Magallanes-Fagnano Fault
The Magallanes-Fagnano fault is a continental transform fault.The fault marks a transform boundary between the Scotia Plate and the South American Plate, cutting across continental crust. It runs under the Strait of Magellan's western arm, Almirantazgo Sound and Fagnano Lake....
and is a contiuation of the depression of Cami Lake in southern Tierra del Fuego.
History
Earliest human settlement occurred more than 10,000 years ago. The Yaghan people were some of the earliest known humans settling in Tierra del Fuego, with certain recognizable archeological sites at locations such as Navarino Island within the islands of Tierra del Fuego.The name Tierra del Fuego derives from Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first European to visit these lands in 1520. 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 southern 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."
Four native Fuegians, including "Jemmy Button" (Orundellico), were brought from Tierra del Fuego by Robert Fitzroy on his first voyage with the HMS 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; previously it was claimed by both countries in its entirety.
Climate
The climate in this region is very inhospitable. It is a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfc) with short, cool summers and long, wet, moderate winters: the northeast is characterized by strong winds and little precipitation, in the south and west it is very windy, foggy, and wet for most of the year, and there are very few days without rain, slush, hail or snow. The permanent snow-line begins at 700 m (2,300 ft) above sea level. Isla de los Estados, east of Ushuaia, receives of rain. Rainfall is heavier in the west, a year. Temperatures are steady throughout the year: in Ushuaia they hardly surpass in summers and average in winters. Snowfall can occur in summer. The cold and wet summers help preserve the ancient glaciers. The southernmost islands possess subantarctic climate typical of tundra that makes the growth of trees impossible. Some areas in the interior have a polar climate. Regions in the world with similar climates to southern Tierra del Fuego are: Aleutian islands, Iceland, Alaska Peninsula and Faroe Islands.Flora
Only 30% of the islands have forests, which are classified as Magellanic subpolar; the northeast is made up by steppe and cool semidesert.There are six species of tree found in Tierra del Fuego: Canelo or Winter's Bark (Drimys winteri), Maytenus magellanica, Pilgerodendron uviferum the southernmost conifer in the world , and three kinds of Southern Beech; Nothofagus Antarctica, Nothofagus pumilio and the evergreen Nothofagus betuloides. Very delicious fruits grow in open spaces in these forests, such as beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis var. chiloensis forma chiloensis) and calafate (Berberis buxifolia), which were and are collected respectively by Indians and countrymen. 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 communities are found. Going further south, Wollaston Islands and the south of Hoste Island are covered by subantarctic tundra.
Forests from Tierra del Fuego have expanded beyond local importance; they have been a source of trees that have been planted abroad in places with practically the same climate but which were originally devoid of trees like Faroe Islands and nearby archipelagos. Most species were gathered from the coldest places in Tierra del Fuego, sites mainly with tundra borders. This effort resulted in positive changes, as the heavy winds and cool summers in the Faroe Islands did not allow the growth of trees from other regions in the world. The imported trees are used ornamentally, as curtains against wind, and for fighting erosion caused by storms and grazing in the Faroe Islands.
Economy
The main industries are oil, natural gas, sheep farming and ecotourism. On the Argentine side there are several electronic companies established. Tierra del Fuego is also home to the small brewing company Cervecería Fueguina, which produces three beers under the Beagle brand name.See also
- List of divided islands
- Almirantazgo FjordAlmirantazgo FjordAlmirantazgo Fjord, also known as Almirantazgo Sound , is a Chilean fjord cutting deeply into the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The fjord is a southeastern projection of Canal Whiteside, which separates the just mentioned island from Dawson Island...
- 1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquakeThe 1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake was a seismic movement that took place in the island of Tierra del Fuego, on 17 December 1949, at 06:53:30 AM. It recorded magnitude 7.8 in the Richter scale...