Tierra del Fuego - Terra del Fuoco

Disambiguation - For toponyms of identical name, see Tierra del Fuego (disambiguation).

Tierra del Fuego is a region ofArgentina whose territory coincides with the homonymous province (Tierra del Fuego, Antártida and Islas del Atlántico Sud).

To know

Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago in South America, located at the southern tip of the continent. It extends south and east from the Strait of Magellan. The island territory, with an area of ​​73,753 km², is divided between theArgentina and the Chile and it is composed, in addition to the main island (also called Isola Grande), by numerous smaller islands, almost all in Chilean territory, such as Dawson Island, the Diego Ramírez Islands and the island of Cape Horn. The island of the States, together with the eastern part of the Isola Grande, instead belong politically to the Argentine Republic. The first Europeans to reach the territory were the sailors of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition in 1520. Since then, no European has established his residence there until the second half of the 19th century, when some pioneers were attracted by the possibilities of oviniculture and the prospects of Gold rush. Today, oil extraction dominates economic activity in the north of Tierra del Fuego, while tourism, industry and logistics related to Antarctica activities are relevant in the south.

When to go

The climate of Tierra del Fuego is influenced by latitude, by the nearby presence of the Antarctic glacial mass, by the currents of the oceans and by the very nature of the territory. The nearby continent of Antarctica exposes the archipelago to the presence of cold air masses, especially in winter, while the presence on three sides of oceanic waters tends at the same time to keep the temperature range low between summer and winter. The prevailing winds, which can reach 135 km / h, blow from west to east, parallel to the Cordillera Darwin, which instead forms a barrier to glacial air masses coming from the south. The region has an oceanic climate, with short cool summers and long humid, moderately cold winters: the average annual temperature, at sea level, oscillates between 5 ° C and 6 ° C, while in winter the presence of the sea affects on the coast, which rarely sees temperatures below 0 ° C. Inside the Isola Grande the thermal amplitude increases, causing frequent frosts in winter. The value of the average annual rainfall is high above all in the south-west area, especially in correspondence with the Andean hills, and decreases in the north-eastern areas: it goes from 5000 mm in the westernmost Chilean islands to an annual quantity of 300 mm in Bahía San Sebastián, in Argentine territory. Snow can fall even in summer.

Background

The name "Tierra del Fuego" (in Spanish Tierra del Fuego) was coined by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinando Magellano; sailing on behalf of the Spanish Crown, in 1520 he was the first European to reach this territory. Sailing near the coast he noticed the smoke of several fires lit by the Yánama to keep warm, believing that the "Indians" were hiding in the forest to prepare an ambush for the men of his fleet. Originally called "Land of Fumes", the area later took the name of "Land of Fire". In 1525 Francisco de Hoces was the first to hypothesize that the territory was actually an island or an archipelago, rather than an offshoot of what would later be called Terra Australis. Francis Drake in 1578 and an expedition of the Dutch East India Company in 1616 made new geographical discoveries. The name Cape Horn is due to the last expedition. During the second half of the 19th century, the archipelago began to come under the influence of Argentina and Chile. Both countries began to claim full ownership of the islands. During the 1940s, Argentina and Chile formulated their claims on the Antarctic territory. Governments exploited the key role of the geographic proximity of Tierra del Fuego, important for the provision of science bases in Antarctica, to support their claims. In the 1950s the Chilean army founded Puerto Williams to counter the position of Ushuaia as the only settlement in the Beagle Channel, an area whose boundaries drawn in 1881 were disputed by the Argentines.

Territories and tourist destinations

Urban centers

Other destinations

How to get

By plane

There are regular flights from Aerolineas Argentinas Buenos Aires to Ushuaia is Rio Grande. Air services also connect important settlements to Punta Arenas in Chile.

By car

The Argentine National Road 3 connects Buenos Aires to the border with Chile near Tierra del Fuego. There is no road from major cities in Chile to Tierra del Fuego, so the Argentine road must be used. To reach Tierra del Fuego by car the ferry service must be used.

On boat

Ferry service "Melinka" connects regularly Porvenir is Punta Arenas, and ship service from Ushuaia to Isla Navarino, Chile. There is also a ferry at the narrowest point of the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Tierra del Fuego of mainland Chile to Primera Angostura (between Punta Delgada is Cerro Sombrero), with many departures from 08:30 (mainland) to 11:00 (island) every day. The crossing takes about 20 minutes.

By bus

Buses from all over Argentina enter Tierra del Fuego via Rio Gallegos.

How to get around

Flights can be booked at the "Aerolineas Argentinas" office in Ushuaia. Buses to Buenos Aires and other destinations (besides Puerto Natales) all stop at Rio Gallegos. It may be cheaper to just buy a ticket to Rio Gallegos and buy a one-way ticket from there.

What see

What to do

• Catamaran trips - catamaran trip will take you around the Beagle Channel and will offer you a beautiful view of the mountains, cormorants, sea lions and penguins.
• Cerro Castor - this winter sports center offers skiing and snowboarding. Nearby, you can also go snowmobiling or sledding with dogs (huskies) during the winter.
• Fin del Mundo train - a steam train that leaves Ushuaia for the national park.
• Hike the Martial glacier - as long as you wear comfortable shoes and have the patience, a walk up to the Martial Glacier will provide a beautiful view of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel.
• Excursion around Escondido and Fagnano lakes - beautiful places to walk, relax, fish, or ride a horse.
• Kayaking the Beagle Channel - Kayaking can be taken near Ushuaia's Aeroparque, on the headland.
• See king penguins - to Parque Pingüino Rey, on the eastern bank of the Bahía Inútil.
• Take a cruise - Several cruises operate from Ushuaia, along the Beagle Channel and some islands, such as Los Lobos Islands.
• Take a trip to Cabo San Pablo, Ojo del Albino or Laguna Esmeralda - these sites offer wild and breathtaking landscapes.
• Tierra del Fuego National Park

At the table

The regional specialty is the king crab, called centolla in Spanish and seafood are usually excellent. Otherwise, the local cuisine follows Chilean and Argentine traditions. Fruits and vegetables have to be transported from thousands of miles away, so they are rarely tasty and quite expensive.

Drinks

Ushuaia has several bars and a night club.

Safety

Crime rates in Tierra del Fuego are very low.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Tierra del Fuego
• Commons contains images or other files on Tierra del Fuego
• Wikiquote contains quotes from or about Tierra del Fuego

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