Strait of Magellan
Encyclopedia
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America
and north of Tierra del Fuego
. The waterway is the most important natural passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, but it is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the unpredictable winds and currents and the narrowness of the passage.
(Portuguese: Fernão de Magalhães), a Portuguese sailor in the service of Charles I of Spain, became the first European to navigate the strait in 1520 during his global circumnavigation voyage.
On March 22, 1518, the expedition was organized in Valladolid
, naming Magellan captain general of the fleet and governor of all the lands discovered, and establishing the privileges of Magellan and his business associate Ruy Falero. The fleet would become known as the "Armada de las Molucas" or "Navy of the Moluccas". The expeditionary fleet of 5 ships set sail from Sanlucar de Barrameda
on September 20, 1519.
The five ships included La Trinidad (100 to 110 barrels) under the command of Magellan; La San Antonio (120 barrels) under the command of Juan de Cartagena; La Concepción (90 barrels) under the command of Gaspar de Quezada (Juan Sebastián Elcano
served as boatswain); La Victoria (85 barrels) under the command of Luis de Mendoza; and La Santiago, under command of Juan Rodríguez Serrano.
Magellan's ships entered the strait on November 1, 1520, All Saints' Day, and the strait was therefore originally named Estrecho de Todos los Santos (Strait of All Saints). Later the Spanish king changed the name to Estrecho de Magallanes in honor of Magellan. The Spanish Empire
and the Captaincy General of Chile used it as the southern boundary of their territory. The first Spanish colonization attempt was led in 1584 by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
, who founded Nombre de Jesús and Rey Don Felipe
on the northern shore of the strait. These towns suffered severe food shortages, and when the English navigator Sir Thomas Cavendish
landed at the site of Rey Don Felipe in 1587, he found only ruins of the settlement. He renamed the place Port Famine
. Other early explorers included Francis Drake
. The strait was first carefully explored and thoroughly charted by Phillip Parker King, who commanded the British survey vessel HMS Adventure
, and in consort with HMS Beagle
spent five years surveying the complex coasts around the strait. This survey was presented at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society
in 1831.
took possession of the channel on May 23, 1843. Chilean president Bulnes ordered this expedition after consulting the Chilean libertador
Bernardo O'Higgins
(1778-1842), who feared an occupation by Great Britain or France. The first Chilean settlement was Fuerte Bulnes
, situated in a forested zone on the north side of the strait. Fuerte Bulnes was later abandoned, and in 1848 the city of Punta Arenas
was founded farther north where the Magellanic forest
s meets the Patagonian plains. In Tierra del Fuego, across the strait from Punta Arenas, the village of Porvenir emerged during a gold rush
in the late 19th century.
Argentina effectively recognized Chilean sovereignty
over the Strait of Magellan in the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina. Argentina had previously claimed all of the strait, or at least the eastern third of it.
Until the Panama Canal
opened in 1914, the Strait of Magellan was the main route for steam ships traveling from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. It was often considered the only safe way to move between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as the Drake Passage
separating Cape Horn
(the southern tip of South America) from Antarctica is notorious for turbulent and unpredictable weather, and is frequented by icebergs and sea ice
. Ships in the strait, protected by Tierra del Fuego to the south and the coast of continental South America to the north crossed with relative ease, and Punta Arenas become a primary refueling port providing coal for steam ships in transit. Sailing ships, however, due in part to variable winds and currents in the strait, generally preferred the Drake Passage, as they had more room to maneuver there.
). The northwestern portion of the strait is connected with other sheltered waterways via the Smyth Channel
. This area is similar to the Inside Passage
of Alaska. Southward from Cape Froward, the principal shipping route follows the Magdalena Channel
.
The eastern opening is a wide bay on the border of Chile and Argentina
between Punta Dúngeness
on the mainland and Cabo del Espíritu Santo on Tierra del Fuego, the border as defined in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina
. Immediately west are located Primera Angostura
and Segunda Angostura
, narrows formed by two terminal moraine
s of different ages. The Primera Angostura is the closest approach of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego to the mainland of South America. Farther west lies Magdalena Island, part of Los Pingüinos Natural Monument
. The strait's southern boundary in the east follows first the shoreline of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, then the northern end of the Whiteside Channel and the shoreline of Dawson Island
.
The western part of the strait leads northwest from the northern end of the Magdalena Channel to the strait's Pacific entrance. This portion of the strait is flanked on the south by Capitán Aracena Island, Clarence Island
, Santa Inés Island, Desolación Island
and other smaller islands, and on the north by Brunswick Peninsula
, Riesco Island, Muñoz Gamero Peninsula
and other minor islands. Two narrow channels connect the strait with Seno Otway
and Seno Skyring
. Francisco Coloane Coastal and Marine Protected Area
, a sanctuary for Humpback Whale
s, is located in this area. This part of the strait lies on the elongated Magallanes-Fagnano Fault
, which marks a plate boundary between the South American Plate
and the Scotia Plate
. This fault continues southward under the Almirantazgo Fjord
and then below the Fagnano Lake
.
states that "Nothing in this Part affects: … (c) the legal regime in straits in which passage is regulated in whole or in part by long-standing international conventions in force specifically relating to such straits". Article V of the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina established a legal regime for the Strait of Magellan, and in a diplomatic letter to major shipping nations in 1873 Chile promised freedom of navigation through and neutrality within the strait.
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...
and north of 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 waterway is the most important natural passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, but it is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the unpredictable winds and currents and the narrowness of the passage.
History
Ferdinand MagellanFerdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
(Portuguese: Fernão de Magalhães), a Portuguese sailor in the service of Charles I of Spain, became the first European to navigate the strait in 1520 during his global circumnavigation voyage.
On March 22, 1518, the expedition was organized in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, naming Magellan captain general of the fleet and governor of all the lands discovered, and establishing the privileges of Magellan and his business associate Ruy Falero. The fleet would become known as the "Armada de las Molucas" or "Navy of the Moluccas". The expeditionary fleet of 5 ships set sail from Sanlucar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and...
on September 20, 1519.
The five ships included La Trinidad (100 to 110 barrels) under the command of Magellan; La San Antonio (120 barrels) under the command of Juan de Cartagena; La Concepción (90 barrels) under the command of Gaspar de Quezada (Juan Sebastián Elcano
Juan Sebastián Elcano
Juan Sebastián Elcano was a Basque Spanish explorer who completed the first circumnavigation of the world. As Ferdinand Magellan's second in command, Elcano took over after Magellan's death in the Philippines.-Early life:Elcano was born to Domingo Sebastián Elcano I and Catalina del Puerto...
served as boatswain); La Victoria (85 barrels) under the command of Luis de Mendoza; and La Santiago, under command of Juan Rodríguez Serrano.
Magellan's ships entered the strait on November 1, 1520, All Saints' Day, and the strait was therefore originally named Estrecho de Todos los Santos (Strait of All Saints). Later the Spanish king changed the name to Estrecho de Magallanes in honor of Magellan. The Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
and the Captaincy General of Chile used it as the southern boundary of their territory. The first Spanish colonization attempt was led in 1584 by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa was a Spanish explorer, author, historian, astronomer, and scientist. His birthplace is not certain and may have been Pontevedra, in Galicia, where his paternal family originated or Alcalá de Henares in Castile, where he later is known to have studied...
, who founded Nombre de Jesús and Rey Don Felipe
Puerto Hambre
Puerto Hambre, originally Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, also known as Puerto del Hambre and at one time as Port Famine, is a historic settlement site at Buena Bay on the west side of the Strait of Magellan approximately south of Punta Arenas in the Región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena,...
on the northern shore of the strait. These towns suffered severe food shortages, and when the English navigator Sir Thomas Cavendish
Thomas Cavendish
Sir Thomas Cavendish was an English explorer and a privateer known as "The Navigator" because he was the first who deliberately tried to emulate Sir Francis Drake and raid the Spanish towns and ships in the Pacific and return by circumnavigating the globe...
landed at the site of Rey Don Felipe in 1587, he found only ruins of the settlement. He renamed the place Port Famine
Puerto Hambre
Puerto Hambre, originally Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, also known as Puerto del Hambre and at one time as Port Famine, is a historic settlement site at Buena Bay on the west side of the Strait of Magellan approximately south of Punta Arenas in the Región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena,...
. Other early explorers included Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
. The strait was first carefully explored and thoroughly charted by Phillip Parker King, who commanded the British survey vessel HMS Adventure
HMS Aid (1809)
HMS Aid was a 10-gun Royal Navy transport ship launched in 1809 at Kings Lynn. She was converted to a survey ship in March 1817, and was renamed HMS Adventure in 1821. The ship was sold in 1853....
, and in consort with HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames, at a cost of £7,803. In July of that year she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom in which...
spent five years surveying the complex coasts around the strait. This survey was presented at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
in 1831.
Incorporation into Chile
ChileChile
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...
took possession of the channel on May 23, 1843. Chilean president Bulnes ordered this expedition after consulting the Chilean libertador
Libertador
Libertador may refer to:*one of several people known as "Libertadores", particularly José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar*El Libertador, Buenos Aires, Argentina*Puerto Libertador, Colombia...
Bernardo O'Higgins
Bernardo O'Higgins
Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile , he is considered one of Chile's founding fathers, as he was the first holder...
(1778-1842), who feared an occupation by Great Britain or France. The first Chilean settlement was Fuerte Bulnes
Fuerte Bulnes
Fuerte Bulnes is a Chilean fort located by the Strait of Magellan, 62 km south of Punta Arenas. It was founded in 1843 over a rocky hill at Punta Santa Ana, under the command of President Manuel Bulnes Prieto....
, situated in a forested zone on the north side of the strait. Fuerte Bulnes was later abandoned, and in 1848 the city of Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas is a commune and the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. The city was officially renamed Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to Punta Arenas...
was founded farther north where the Magellanic forest
Magellanic subpolar forests
The Magellanic subpolar forests are a terrestrial ecoregion of southernmost South America, covering parts of southern Chile and Argentina, and is part of the Neotropic ecozone...
s meets the Patagonian plains. In Tierra del Fuego, across the strait from Punta Arenas, the village of Porvenir emerged during a gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
in the late 19th century.
Argentina effectively recognized Chilean sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
over the Strait of Magellan in the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina. Argentina had previously claimed all of the strait, or at least the eastern third of it.
Until the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
opened in 1914, the Strait of Magellan was the main route for steam ships traveling from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. It was often considered the only safe way to move between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as the Drake Passage
Drake Passage
The Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces—Sea of Hoces—is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica...
separating Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
(the southern tip of South America) from Antarctica is notorious for turbulent and unpredictable weather, and is frequented by icebergs and sea ice
Sea ice
Sea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
. Ships in the strait, protected by Tierra del Fuego to the south and the coast of continental South America to the north crossed with relative ease, and Punta Arenas become a primary refueling port providing coal for steam ships in transit. Sailing ships, however, due in part to variable winds and currents in the strait, generally preferred the Drake Passage, as they had more room to maneuver there.
Features
The strait is approximately 570 km (307.8 nmi; 354.2 mi) long and about 2 km (1.1 nmi; 1.2 mi) wide at its narrowest point (Carlos III Island, west of Cape FrowardCape Froward
Cape Froward is the southernmost point on the mainland of South America. It is located in the North shores of Magellan Strait, being the southern tip of the Brunswick Peninsula; in Chilean territory....
). The northwestern portion of the strait is connected with other sheltered waterways via the Smyth Channel
Smyth Channel
Smyth Channel is a principal Patagonia channel. Its south arm is the southward continuation of the Sarmiento Channel and is located in Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region...
. This area is similar to the Inside Passage
Inside Passage
The Inside Passage is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The route extends from southeastern Alaska, in the United States, through western British Columbia, in Canada, to northwestern Washington...
of Alaska. Southward from Cape Froward, the principal shipping route follows the Magdalena Channel
Magdalena Channel
Magdalena Channel is a Chilean channel joining the Strait of Magellan with Cockburn Channel and is part of a major navigation route which ultimately connects with the Beagle Channel. It separates Capitán Aracena Island from the westernmost portion of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, and crosses...
.
The eastern opening is a wide bay on the border of Chile and 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...
between Punta Dúngeness
Punta Dúngeness
Punta Dúngeness is a headland at the eastern entrance of the Strait of Magellan on its north shore, opposite Cabo del Espiritu Santo in Tierra del Fuego. West of the Punta Dungeness lies the Bahia Possession...
on the mainland and Cabo del Espíritu Santo on Tierra del Fuego, the border as defined in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina
Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina
The Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina was signed into agreement at the Vatican on 29 November 1984.It was ratified...
. Immediately west are located Primera Angostura
Primera Angostura
Primera Angostura is a sound of the Strait of Magellan in Tierra del Fuego. It is the narrowest part of the Strait between the island and the continent. The sound was named Primera Angostura as it was the first narrows of the strait that ships met when sailing through the strait from east to...
and Segunda Angostura
Segunda Angostura
Segunda Angostura is a sound of the Strait of Magellan between the Patagonian mainland and Tierra del Fuego. It is located southwest of Primera Angostura, the narrowest part of the Strait between the island and the continent...
, narrows formed by two terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....
s of different ages. The Primera Angostura is the closest approach of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego to the mainland of South America. Farther west lies Magdalena Island, part of Los Pingüinos Natural Monument
Los Pingüinos Natural Monument
Los Pingüinos Natural Monument is located northeast of Punta Arenas, Chile. Magdalena Island, situated in the middle of the Strait of Magellan, is the main part of this natural monument. The largest penguin colonies of south Chile are on this island, including an estimated 60,000 breeding pairs...
. The strait's southern boundary in the east follows first the shoreline of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, then the northern end of the Whiteside Channel and the shoreline of Dawson Island
Dawson Island
Dawson Island is an island in the Strait of Magellan that forms part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, 100 km south of the city of Punta Arenas in Chile, and part of the Municipality of Punta Arenas. It is located southeast of Brunswick Peninsula and is an approximately 1290 km² tract...
.
The western part of the strait leads northwest from the northern end of the Magdalena Channel to the strait's Pacific entrance. This portion of the strait is flanked on the south by Capitán Aracena Island, Clarence Island
Clarence Island, Chile
Clarence Island is an island in the Patagonian Archipelago, Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. It belongs to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and to the municipality of Punta Arenas. It is located just south of Brunswick Peninsula and has an area of...
, Santa Inés Island, Desolación Island
Desolación Island
Desolación Island is an island at the western end of the Strait of Magellan in the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. It belongs to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago...
and other smaller islands, and on the north by Brunswick Peninsula
Brunswick Peninsula
Brunswick Peninsula is a large peninsula in Magallanes y la Antártica Region, Patagonia, Chile, at . It is wide at its base in the north, and almost in the south. It measures in length from the base to Cape Froward, the southernmost point of the American mainland. This yields an area of more...
, Riesco Island, Muñoz Gamero Peninsula
Muñoz Gamero Peninsula
Muñoz Gamero Peninsula is a peninsula in Chile. It is bordered on the west by the Smyth Channel and is connected to the Patagonia mainland by a narrow isthmus, which separates Skyring Sound from Seno Obstrucción. The peninsula consists of several smaller peninsulas jutting from its central land...
and other minor islands. Two narrow channels connect the strait with Seno Otway
Seno Otway
Seno Otway is a large inland sound lying between Brunswick Peninsula and Riesco Island in southern Chile. Alternatively called Otway Sound, this natural waterway occupies a valley blocked by a large terminal moraine left by the retreat of a glacier during the last glacial period.USGS, 2008 In spite...
and Seno Skyring
Seno Skyring
Seno Skyring is a large inland sound lying north of Riesco Island and south of mainland South America in southern Chile. Alternatively called Skyring Sound, this natural waterway occupies a valley blocked by a large terminal moraine left by the retreat of a glacier during the last glacial period...
. Francisco Coloane Coastal and Marine Protected Area
Francisco Coloane Coastal and Marine Protected Area
Francisco Coloane Coastal and Marine Protected Area is a national reserve of southern Chile's Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region....
, a sanctuary for Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...
s, is located in this area. This part of the strait lies on the elongated 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....
, which marks a plate boundary between the South American Plate
South American Plate
The South American Plate is a continental tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America and also a sizeable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge....
and the Scotia Plate
Scotia Plate
The Scotia Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate bordering the South American Plate on the north, the South Sandwich Plate to the east, and the Antarctic Plate on the south and west....
. This fault continues southward under the 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...
and then below the Fagnano Lake
Fagnano Lake
Cami Lake is a lake located on the main island of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, and shared by Argentina and Chile....
.
Navigation status
Article 35 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea , which took place from 1973 through 1982...
states that "Nothing in this Part affects: … (c) the legal regime in straits in which passage is regulated in whole or in part by long-standing international conventions in force specifically relating to such straits". Article V of the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina established a legal regime for the Strait of Magellan, and in a diplomatic letter to major shipping nations in 1873 Chile promised freedom of navigation through and neutrality within the strait.
See also
- Monte SarmientoMonte SarmientoMonte Sarmiento is a pyramidal peak with a glaciated saddle-shaped summit located within Alberto de Agostini National Park, in the Chilean portion of Tierra del Fuego. It rises abruptly from the east shore of the Magdalena Channel and marks the western border of the Cordillera Darwin...
- Agostini FjordAgostini FjordAgostini Fjord, also known as Agostini Sound, is a fjord in Tierra del Fuego that separates two branches of the Cordillera Darwin, the Cordón Navarro in the southwest and the mountain range that includes Monte Buckland in the northeast...
- Bahia Possession