Misplaced Pages

#806193

56-701: With an area of 4,117 square kilometers (1,590 sq mi), Hoste is the second largest island of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago , after Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The western area of the island forms part of the Alberto de Agostini National Park . The most southern point of the island is the False Cape Horn , on the Hardy Peninsula. It has 5 peninsulas : Hardy, Cloué, Rous, Pasteur and Dumas. Peninsula Hardy (sometimes called "Pen Hardy")

112-400: A Dutch East India Company expedition in 1616 learned more about the geography. The latter expedition named Cape Horn at Hornos Island . On his first voyage with HMS  Beagle in 1830, Robert FitzRoy picked up four native Fuegians , including " Jemmy Button " ( Orundellico ) and Yokcushlu , and brought them to England. The three who survived the voyage were taken to London to meet

168-607: A Romanian explorer, was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the region. Granted rights by the Argentine government to exploit any gold deposits he found in Tierra del Fuego, Popper has been identified as a central figure in the Selk'nam genocide . Following contact with Europeans, the native Selk'nam and Yaghan populations were greatly reduced by unequal conflict and persecution by settlers, by infectious diseases to which

224-755: A colony in Brunswick Peninsula to assert sovereignty over the strategic Strait of Magellan . Early sheep herding activity in the Chilean colony was very modest. The first men to realize the potential for large-scale sheep herding in the lands around the Strait of Magellan were a group of British immigrants that settled in Punta Arenas in the 1870s, following its development in the Falkland islands. The first successful attempt at sheep farming in

280-471: A few days' time half a dozen companies had been formed with big capitals, and in order to save their homes the colonists formed themselves into one company, the United Estancias of Ultima Esperanza. At the auction there were wild scenes, enormous bids were made, and lots were sold at prices ten times their true value. The result was that most of the purchasers could not pay at the proper time When

336-479: A few small islands in the Beagle Channel, and Chile , which controls the remaining land area. The southernmost extent of the archipelago is just north of latitude 56°S . The earliest known human settlement in Tierra del Fuego dates to approximately 8,000 BC. Europeans first explored the islands during Ferdinand Magellan 's expedition of 1520. Tierra del Fuego and similar namings stem from sightings of

392-510: A glacier-carved depression in a pull-apart basin that has developed along the Magallanes-Fagnano Fault zone. Podzols and inceptisols occur beneath Nothofagus betuloides forests in Tierra del Fuego. The Tierra del Fuego region has a subpolar oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfc ) with short, cool summers and long, wet, moderately mild winters: the precipitation averages 3,000 mm (118 in)

448-406: A main island, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego , often simply called Tierra del Fuego or Isla Grande, with an area of 48,100 km (18,572 sq mi), and a group of smaller islands. Of the main island the westernmost 29,484.7 km (11,384 sq mi , 61.43%) belongs to Chile, and 18,507.3 km (7,146 sq mi , 38.57%) belongs to Argentina. The archipelago is divided by an east–west channel,

504-457: A plains region ( Spanish : Región de las Planicies Orientales ) plus a sub-Andean zone in-between the last two zones ( Spanish : Región Sub-Andina Oriental ). The geology of the archipelago is influenced by the effects of the Andean orogeny and the repeated Pleistocene glaciations . The geology of the island can be divided into large east–west-oriented units. The southwestern islands of

560-512: A plan to quickly set up large sheep farms. These men went in 1888 to Buenos Aires and then to Río Negro where they purchased thousands of sheep, horses and supplies. All sheep, herders, horses and supplies gathered at the Argentine outpost of Fortín Conesa from where they departed south on September 8. The herders followed a route along the coast similar to modern National Route 3 for hundreds of kilometers until reaching their land grants in

616-476: A year in the far west, but precipitation decreases rapidly towards the eastern side. Temperatures are steady throughout the year: in Ushuaia they hardly surpass 9 °C (48 °F) in summers and average 0 °C (32 °F) in winters. Snowfall can occur in summer. The cold and wet summers help preserve the ancient glaciers . The southernmost islands possess a sub-antarctic climate typical of tundra that makes

SECTION 10

#1732780847807

672-437: Is a prominent area to watch rare, endemic dolphins, and the less-studied pygmy right whales . Pinnipeds inhabiting the areas include South American sea lions ( Otaria flavescens ), South American fur seals ( Arctophoca australis ), the carnivorous and seal-eating leopard seals ( Hydrurga leptonyx ), and gigantic southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonine )  – the largest extant marine mammal that

728-421: Is also home to the lizard with the world's southernmost distribution, Liolaemus magellanicus . North American beavers , introduced during the 1940s, have proliferated and caused considerable damage to the island forests. The governments have established a wide-reaching program to trap and kill beavers in Tierra del Fuego. Like the mainland of Chile and Argentina to the north, this archipelago boasts some of

784-512: Is known to underlie some of the oil wells in northern Tierra del Fuego. The Magallanes–Fagnano Fault , a sinistral strike slip fault crosses the southern part of the main island from west to east. It is an active fault , located inside and parallel to the Fuegian fold and thrust belt , and marks the boundary between a southern belt of Paleozoic meta sediments and a northern Mesozoic belt of sedimentary sequences. Fagnano Lake occupies

840-685: Is located at one of the most southerly extremes of South America . It is the southern landform which extends into the Drake Passage to make the Bahía Nassau . False Cape Horn (Spanish: Falso Cabo de Hornos ) is located at the southern tip of this peninsula. The island was explored by the French La Romanche scientific expedition in 1882–1883. As of 1894 the Stirling House , a prefab house built on behalf of

896-524: Is not a cetacean . The following table lists islands over 1 km . Area figures are from the USGS unless otherwise specified. Today, the main economic activities of the archipelago are fishing, extraction of natural gas and oil , sheep farming , and ecotourism . Tourism is gaining increasing importance as it attracts numerous upmarket visitors. Much of the tourism is based on "southernmost" claims: for example, both Ushuaia and Puerto Williams claim to be

952-562: The Beagle Channel , immediately south of the main island. The largest islands south of the Beagle Channel are Hoste and Navarino . The western part of the main island, and almost all the other islands, belong to Chile. They 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 largest Chilean towns are Porvenir , capital of

1008-738: The South American Mission Society , was reinstalled in Tekenika Bay, on the southeast coast of Hoste Island in order to avoid the abuses and crimes caused by the recent arrival of miners and diseases in Ushuaia. (Eventually the house was declared a National Monument and was moved to the lands of the Martin Gusinde Anthropological Museum in Puerto Williams ). There had already been unsuccessful attempts at cattle farming by

1064-401: The "southernmost city in the world". On the Argentine side of Tierra del Fuego, the government has promoted the establishment of several electronic companies via tax exemptions, particularly in the city of Río Grande . Energy production is a crucial economic activity. On the Argentine side of Tierra del Fuego during the period 2005–2010, petroleum and natural gas extraction contributed 20% of

1120-459: The 1940s Chile and Argentina lodged their Antarctic claims. In the 1950s, the Chilean military founded Puerto Williams . In the 1960s and 1970s, sovereignty claims by Argentina over Picton, Lennox, and Nueva Islands in Tierra del Fuego led the two countries to the brink of war. In 1986, the Argentine congress decided that the Argentine part of Tierra del Fuego should be a new province. This happened in 26 April 1990. The archipelago consists of

1176-563: The Chilean Province of Tierra del Fuego , located on the main island, and, on Navarino Island, Puerto Williams , which is the capital of the Antártica Chilena Province . Puerto Toro lies a few kilometers south of Puerto Williams. Arguably, it is the southernmost village in the world. The mostly uninhabited islands north and west of the main island are part of Magallanes Province . The eastern part of

SECTION 20

#1732780847807

1232-529: The Chilean government, after which the island was abandoned. Well into the 20th century, a few Yaghan families lived on the island. These indigenous peoples vanished after contact with adventurers and fishermen. Since then, the island has remained virtually uninhabited. The 1992 census reported a population of six living in three houses in the Hoste census enumeration district [1] . However, some if not all, of this population could be located on one or more of

1288-484: The Strait had been leased or reserved by 1884. At this point the governor of the Argentine territory of Santa Cruz Carlos María Moyano travelled to the Falkland Islands where he promised cheap rental of land for any farmer that moved in to the scarcely populated territory. A group of five settlers who arrived this way, Henry Jamieson, John Hamilton , William Saunders, Mac Clain and George Mac George set up

1344-735: The Straits of Magellan is credited to the Englishman Henry Reynard ( Spanish : Enrique Reynard ) who raised sheep in 1877 on Isabel Island . These sheep were brought to the Straits of Magellan by Chilean governor Diego Dublé Almeyda who travelled specifically for that purpose to the Falkland Islands in the corvette Chacabuco in 1876. In Port Stanley he bought 300 sheep and back in Chile he sold them to Henry Reynard. By 1878, this first sheep-raising experiment

1400-674: The archipelago, including Cape Horn , are part of the South Patagonian Batholith , while the Cordillera Darwin and the area around the Beagle Channel form the principal mountain range hosting the highest mountains. The Magallanes fold and thrust belt extends north of Almirantazgo Fjord and Fagnano Lake , and north of this lies the Magallanes foreland, an old sedimentary basin that hosts hydrocarbon reserves . Orthogneiss dated at 525 million years

1456-555: The auctions finished in September 1906, three companies owned by a total of 18 individuals owned most of the land suitable for sheep farming around the Strait. Many of the early sheep farming pioneers were not able to continue in business as owners, but some did. The concentration of land in a few properties gave land tenure in Magallanes as a latifundium structure. This increased concentration of land ownership faced criticism from authors like Lautaro Navarro who in 1908 wrote "...what

1512-537: The early western settlers https://berksfhs.org/sheep-farming-in-patagonia/ They founded "The Patagonian Wool Company". During the 1910s, the economy of Magallanes faced several challenges such as the decline in sea traffic as a result of the opening of Panama Canal in 1914 and the establishment of customs in Punta Arenas. From 1912 until 1922, a powerful multinational labor movement originated in Punta Arenas and expanded throughout southern Patagonia, confronting

1568-423: The events of Patagonia Rebelde , and addition to competition from New Zealand sheep farmers . After recognising the concentrated land tenure as a cause of social tensions, Chilean authorities begun in the 1930s efforts to redistribute land and diversify the economy. Finally, in the 1950s, oil began to be extracted from oil platforms in the Strait of Magellan, effectively ending the dependence on sheep farming for

1624-663: The finest trout fishing in the world. Sea-run brown trout often exceed 9 kg (20 lb), particularly in rivers such as the Rio Grande and the San Pablo, and in the Lago Fagnano . Waters adjacent to Tierra del Fuego are very rich in cetacean diversity. Sightings of southern right whales in Tierra del Fuego have increased in the 2000s, humpbacks , and some others such as blue whales , southern fins , southern seis , and southern minkes . Beagle Channel

1680-644: 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: the Aleutian islands , Iceland , the Alaska Peninsula , the Faroe Islands , Macquarie Island , and the Heard and McDonald Islands . Only 30% of the islands have forests, which are classified as Magellanic subpolar . The northeastern portion of

1736-569: 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 to fight erosion caused by storms and grazing in the Faroe Islands. Among the most notable animals in the archipelago are austral parakeets , gulls , guanacos , South American foxes , kingfishers , Andean condors , king penguins , owls , and firecrown hummingbirds . Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego

Hoste Island - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-483: The humid climate and swampy terrain. When most of the land leases around the Strait of Magellan expired around 1902, the Chilean government decided to auction the lands. This was possibly due to pressure from commercial interests in Valparaíso and Santiago that had come to realize how profitable sheep raising in Magallanes was. Chilean and foreign entrepreneurs that had leased the lands sought to be able to purchase

1848-656: The indigenous people had no immunity , and by mass transfer to the Salesian mission of Dawson Island. Despite the efforts of the missionaries, many natives died. Today, only a few Selk'nam remain . Some of the few remaining Yaghan have settled in Villa Ukika in Navarino Island ; others have scattered throughout Chile and Argentina. Following the signing of the Boundary Treaty of 1881 , Tierra del Fuego

1904-614: The king and queen and were, for a time, celebrities. They returned to Tierra del Fuego in the Beagle with FitzRoy and Charles Darwin , who made extensive notes about his visit to the islands. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Salesian Catholic missions were established in Río Grande and Dawson Island . Anglican missionaries, who had established missions on Keppel Island in 1855, established new missions in 1870 at Ushuaia . These missions continued to operate through

1960-475: The land directly from the state but were unsuccessful in their attempts. The first actions begun on March 20, 1903. Sheep farms around Última Esperanza Sound was initially unaffected by the auctions but on 15 March 1905, these lands too were auctioned. Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego became the main landowner in the area establishing its local estancia headquarters in Cerro Castillo . In

2016-510: The local economy. The sheep farming boom altered not only the demographic and economic outlook of Southern Patagonia, but also changed the steppe ecosystem . Research suggests that sheep excrement might have caused eutrophication of lagoons like Potrok Aike , and sheep might also have caused considerable erosion . The Strait of Magellan and the Atlantic coast were covered by natural grasslands so no clearing of forests occurred during

2072-427: The main island and a few small islands in the Beagle Channel belong to Argentina. They are part of the Tierra del Fuego, Antarctic Territory and South Atlantic Islands Province , whose capital is Ushuaia , the largest city of the archipelago. The other important city in the region is Río Grande on the Atlantic coast. The Cordillera Darwin in the southwestern part of the main island contains many glaciers that reach

2128-417: The main island between 1883 and 1909. Numerous Argentines, Chileans, and Croatians settled on the main island, leading to increased conflicts with native Selk'nam . These late nineteenth century gold rushes led to the founding of numerous small settlements by immigrants, such as the Argentine settlements of Ushuaia and Río Grande and the Chilean settlements of Porvenir and Puerto Toro . Julius Popper ,

2184-497: The many bonfires that the natives built. Settlement by those of European descent and the displacement of the native populations did not begin until the second half of the nineteenth century, at the height of the Patagonian sheep farming boom and of the local gold rush . Today, petroleum extraction dominates economic activity in the north of Tierra del Fuego, while tourism, manufacturing, and Antarctic logistics are important in

2240-452: The nineteenth century. Missionary Thomas Bridges (1842–1898) learned the native language and compiled a 30,000-word Yaghan grammar and dictionary while he worked at Ushuaia. It was published in the 20th century and is considered an important ethnological work. An 1879 Chilean expedition led by Ramón Serrano Montaner reported large amounts of placer gold in the streams and river beds of Tierra del Fuego. This prompted massive immigration to

2296-441: The ocean. While Mount Darwin had previously been thought to be the tallest mountain in the archipelago, this distinction now belongs to the unofficially named Monte Shipton at 2,580 metres (8,460 feet). The topography of Tierra del Fuego can be divided into four regions: an outer archipelago region ( Spanish : Región Archipielágica ) to the south and west, a mountainous region in the south ( Spanish : Región Cordillerana ),

Hoste Island - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-534: The only forests in the world to have 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 into twisted shapes, inspiring people to call them "flag-trees". Tree vegetation extends to the southern tip of the region, Isla Hornos , although the Wollaston Islands are mostly covered by subantarctic tundra except in wind sheltered areas where

2408-544: The powerful coalition of Argentinean and Chilean authorities and foreign landowners. It did face a strong repression between 1918 and 1922, culminating in the Patagonia rebelde . In 1920, in the aftermath of the First World War , the price of wool had dropped significantly provoking an economic crisis in the sheep-breeding Argentine Patagonia. The sheep farming economy came to face increased social unrest, such as

2464-669: The region is made up of steppe and cool semi-desert. Six species of tree are 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 . Several kinds of fruit grow in open spaces in these forests, such as beach strawberry ( Fragaria chiloensis var. chiloensis forma chiloensis ) and calafate ( Berberis buxifolia ), which have long been gathered by both Native Americans and residents of European descent. They are

2520-549: The region's economic output. 54°S 70°W  /  54°S 70°W  / -54; -70 Patagonian sheep farming boom In late 19th and early 20th centuries, sheep farming expanded across the Patagonian grasslands making the southern regions of Argentina and Chile one of the world's foremost sheep farming areas. The sheep farming boom attracted thousands of immigrants from Chiloé and Europe to southern Patagonia. Early sheep farming in Patagonia

2576-543: The revolution was favourable to Chile's interests, and I daresay that is a rather ugly page in the history of a so-called democratic people. Men who knew Patagonia before and now say that the "star of Ultima Esperanza sank when the all-mighty company became its master." Interesting article in Berkshire History Society about the Waldron and Payne families of Lambourn and Peasemore House who were some of

2632-469: The smaller islands nearby which also belonged to the same district. In December 1978, the island served as a station for Chilean warships during Operation Soberania . Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego ( / t i ˈ ɛər ə d ɛ l ˈ f w eɪ ɡ oʊ / , Spanish: [ˈtjera ðel ˈfweɣo] ; Spanish for " Land of Fire ", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off

2688-534: The south. The earliest human settlement occurred approximately 8,000 BC. The Yaghan were some of the earliest known humans to settle in Tierra del Fuego. Archeological sites with characteristics of their culture have been found at locations such as Navarino Island . The name Tierra del Fuego was given by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan while sailing for the Spanish Crown in 1520; he

2744-527: The southernmost tip of the South American mainland , across the Strait of Magellan . The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego , with an area of 48,100 km (18,572 sq mi), and a group of many islands, including Cape Horn and Diego Ramírez Islands . Tierra del Fuego is divided between Argentina , which controls the eastern part of the main island and

2800-582: The territory of Santa Cruz. As movement of livestock of this magnitude was unheard of the region the feat was later baptised as El Gran Arreo or The Great Herding by writer José Salvador Borerro Rivera . In Chile, sheep farming expanded from the Strait of Magellan to the area around Última Esperanza Sound where in 1893 that the first estancia was established. Attempts to establish a cattle farming business by entrepreneur Daniel Cruz Ramírez around 1899 in Muñoz Gamero Peninsula failed given

2856-449: The trees can survive. Forests from Tierra del Fuego have expanded beyond local importance. These forests have been a source of trees that have been transplanted abroad in places with similar climate, but which originally were devoid of trees, such as the Faroe Islands and nearby archipelagos. Most species were gathered from the coldest places in Tierra del Fuego, mainly sites with tundra borders. This effort resulted in positive changes, as

SECTION 50

#1732780847807

2912-526: Was appropriate for the Territory was subivision [of land into smaller properties] as means to increase the population and give land access to small capitalists who whished to establish estancias in their own lands". With particular reference to the Última Esperanza area Swedish explorer Carl Skottsberg was also critical of the auctions and the resulting changes in land property, in his book The Wilds of Patagonia (1911) he wrote: "I can hardly believe that

2968-481: Was considered a success and it created a huge demand for land among individuals who attempted to establish their own sheep-raising businesses. Strong networks of racialized corruption strengthened the British control on lands, commerce and political influence and favored the displacement of indigenous peoples in the continental area and the selknam genocide in Tierra del Fuego. All the best sheep-herding areas along

3024-456: Was divided between Argentina and Chile; previously, it had been claimed in its entirety by both countries. In 1945, a division of Chilean CORFO (Spanish acronym for Production Development Corporation), engaged in oil exploration , discovered oil in northern Tierra del Fuego. Extraction began in 1949 and, in 1950, the Chile state-owned ENAP (National Petroleum Company) . Until 1960, most oil extracted in Chile came from Tierra del Fuego. During

3080-602: Was oriented towards wool production but changed over time with the development of industrial refrigerators towards meat export. Besides altering the demographic and economic outlook of Southern Patagonia the sheep farming boom also changed the steppe ecosystem . Sheep farming in Patagonia was carried out in an estancia system. Each of these estancias was administered from a casco central (a central complex of buildings) where administrators, foremen and workers lived. Sociedad Explotadora de Magallanes possessed more than 200,000 sheep by 1901. In 1843, Chile established

3136-495: Was the first European to visit these lands. He believed he was seeing the many fires ( fuego in Spanish) of the indigenous inhabitants, which were visible from the sea, and that the "Indians" were waiting in the forests to ambush his armada . In 1525, Francisco de Hoces was the first to speculate that Tierra del Fuego was one or more islands rather than part of what was then called Terra Australis . Francis Drake in 1578 and

#806193