Beagle channel

The Beagle Channel is a strait located in the extreme south of South America. It divides the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego into the main island in the north and several smaller islands in the south. The eastern part forms the border between Chile and Argentina. In the east on the Atlantic Ocean, it forms part of the border between Argentina and Chile. In the west, however, it lies entirely within Chile. The strait is about 250 kilometers long, while the narrowest passage is about 5 kilometers wide. In the west it opens into the Pacific Ocean through the Darwin Sound. It is navigable for large ships. However, there are safer passages to the south (Drake Strait) and to the north (Magellan Strait). The smaller islands (Picton, Lennox and Nueva) located to the east of the channel were the cause of long territorial conflicts between Chile and Argentina. In 1984 they were officially assigned to Chile. The main settlements along the channel are Ushuaia in Argentina and Puerto Williams in Chile. The strait is named after the ship HMS Beagle that carried out hydrographic surveys in this area.

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