Everything about Tierra Del Fuego totally explained
Tierra del Fuego (
Spanish for "
Land of Fire", in English ; Spanish ) is an
archipelago separated from the southernmost tip of the
South American mainland by the
Strait of Magellan. The southern point of the archipelago forms
Cape Horn.
Geography
island (
Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, often simply called Tierra del Fuego or Isla Grande) with an area of, and a group of smaller islands.
Half of this island, and the islands west and south of it, are part of the
Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region, the capital and chief town of which is
Punta Arenas, situated on the mainland across the strait. The biggest
Chilean towns are
Porvenir, capital of the Chilean
Province of Tierra del Fuego, on the main island, and
Puerto Williams, on
Navarino Island, being the capital of the
Antártica Chilena Province.
Puerto Toro lies a few kilometers south of Puerto Williams and is the
southernmost town in the world.
The eastern part of the archipelago belongs to
Argentina, being part of the
Tierra del Fuego Province; its capital is
Ushuaia, the biggest city of the archipelago, and the other important city in the region is
Río Grande, over the Atlantic coast.
The
Darwin Range ends in the Mount Bove, this Range contains many glaciers that even touch the ocean.
History
Its name comes from
Ferdinand Magellan who was born in Portugal, and was the first European to pass it 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.
The Yamana Indians spent a great deal of their time fishing and hunting from their canoes. They also used to carry a lighted fire aboard. Fire was critical to their survival since they wore little to no clothing.
Four native
Fuegians, including "
Jemmy Button" (Orundellico), were brought from Tierra del Fuego by
Robert Fitzroy on his first voyage with the
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 name of the area is a strong misnomer, because Europeans at first, before exploring the region, thought that going too far south will mean entering into zones of too much heat. 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's 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 (2300 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 (the southernmost city in the world) 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 that have 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
trees found in Tierra del Fuego: Canelo or Winter's Bark (
Drimys winteri),
Maytenus magellanica, the southernmost conifer in the world (
Pilgerodendron uviferum), 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, this is the case of
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 (around 9°C). 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 500 m (1600 ft), 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 stopped having local importance, they've been considered as the source from where trees have been planted abroad in places with practically the same climate but which are originally devoid of trees like
Faroe Islands and nearby archipelagos, most of 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 didn't allow the tree's growth in Faroe from other regions in the world, they're used as ornamental, as curtains against wind and for fighting erosion caused by storms and grazing in Faroe.
Fauna
Among the most notable animals in the archipelago that are found:
parakeets,
seagulls,
guanacos,
foxes,
kingfishers,
condors,
owls, and firecrown
hummingbirds. North
American beaver, introduced in the 1940s, have proliferated and caused considerable damage to the island's forests.
Salmoninae
Like mainland Chile and Argentina to the North, the archipelago boasts some of the finest trout fishing in the world. Sea Run Brown Trout often exceed 9 kg, particularly in rivers such as the Rio Grande and San Pablo and in the
Lago Fagnano. Much of this water is private, catch and release and fly fishing only.
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
brewing company Cervecería Fueguina, known for its three styles of
Beagle Beer.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tierra Del Fuego'.
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