Strait of Magellan

Map of the Strait of Magellan

The Strait of Magellan is a narrow waterway in Chile that separates Tierra del Fuego from the mainland of the continent of South America. Ferdinand Magellan's expedition that circumnavigated the globe discovered this passageway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in 1520. This Strait is important because it provided a relatively safe, while still dangerous, passage through the dangerous and tricky waters surrounding the tip of South America, although the Panama Canal has eliminated the need for its use.

The Strait is part of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region.