Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Porvenir is the
only major town
in Chilean
Tierra del
Fuego.
Argentine Tierra del Fuego, with 35,000 in each
of the two major towns, Ushuaia and Rio
Grande. Island residents are called Fuegians
(Foo-JEE-ins).
History
In the 2nd century A.D., Egyptian navigators
sailing eastward exploring the Indian and
Pacific Oceans are thought by some to have
sighted Tierra del Fuego and noted it on their
maps. A later map noted the western opening of
a strait to the north of the island. In 1428, an
Italian cartographer drew a map showing the
island and the waterway which was used by
two Portuguese ships in 1514. They sailed into
the strait but soon retreated, not realizing that
it was a through passage that connected the
two oceans. Magellan persevered in 1520 and
was soon followed by other European explorers,
particularly British and Dutch. Driven by their
search for wealth and spices, they had no desire
to settle the land.
The Dutch
braved the open
sea route
around the
Cape and
named it for the
town they came
from, Cape
Hoorn.
It wasn't until 1830 when Robert Fitzroy (Eng-
lish) and his party anchored offshore to chart
the coast and nearby islands, that Europeans
encountered the island natives. Four distinct
tribes lived on Tierra del Fuego but two were
dominant. The Onas who lived inland survived
by hunting, primarily for guanacos. They ate
the meat and used the skin to cover themselves
and their rude huts. The Yahgans were canoe
Indians who lived along the southern channel
and hunted and fished for their food. It was
 
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