Tierra del Fuego, Argentina/Chile

Moody weather and rolling terrain of Tierra del Fuego
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Landscape_of_Tierra_del_Fuego.jpg
Author: Ville Miettinen


Tierra del Fuego, which means "Land of Fire", is the archipelago at the southernmost tip of South America. It comprises the main island, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, which is split between Chile and Argentina, and numerous small islands that include Hornos Island, on which Cape Horn is located.

Tierra del Fuego covers 48,100 sq km (18,572 sq mi). On the Chilean side, the capital of the Province of Tierra del Fuego is Porvenir while on the Argentina side, Ushuaia is the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antartic Territory and South Atlantic Islands.

The highest mountain in Tierra del Fuego is Mount Darwin, on the Chilean side of Isla Grande. It is 2,580 m (8,460 ft) in the Cordillera of the Andes. The mountain is today popular among seasoned climbers.

The port town of Puerto Williams in the Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puerto_Williams_%28Vue_du_Beagle%29.jpg
Author: Serge Ouachée


A grove of Northofagus sp. (southern beeches) on the Argentinian side of Tierra del Fuego
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nothofagus_Tierra_del_Fuego_1.jpg
Author: Jan Reurink


Tierra del Fuego experiences an oceanic climate. The summers are short while the winters long and wet. The western coast receives more rainfall than the east, averaging 3,000 mm (118 in) a year. Summer temperature averages 9°C (48°F) in Ushuaia and drops to 0°C (32°F) in winter.

Tierra del Fuego is rich in wildlife. Most of the places there are relatively untouched as human activities are limited to sheep farming and gold mining in the south and petroleum in the north. These has enabled much of the coastline to remain pristine. Among the animals of the region include sea lions, penguins, trout, and various native birds. Indirect human intervention in the ecology included the introduction of North American beaver, which now the Chilean and Argentinian governments are working to eradicate.

Cape Horn in Chile is the southernmost point on mainland South America
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cap_Horn5.jpg
Author: Butterfly voyages

Visiting Tierra del Fuego

The major settlements in Tierra del Fuego includee Ushuaia in Argentina and Punta Arenas in Chile. There are regular flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and from Santiago to Punta Arenas.

Towns in Tierra del Fuego

Sights & Attractions in Tierra del Fuego

List of World Heritage Sites in Argentina and World Heritage Sites in the World

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