Diego Ramírez Islands


The Diego Ramírez Islands are a small group of islands located in the southernmost extreme of Chile.

Geography

The islands lie about west-southwest of Cape Horn and south-southeast of Ildefonso Islands, stretching north-south. They are divided into a smaller northern group with six islets, and a larger southern group, separated by a passage wide. The two largest islands, Isla Bartolomé and Isla Gonzalo, both lie in the southern group. Águila Islet, the southernmost land of the group, is at 56°32'9"S.
Diego Ramírez Islands lies about 350 km north of Sars Bank, a seamount that may have been once an island.

History

They were first sighted on 12 February 1619 by the Spanish Garcia de Nodal expedition, and named after the cosmographer of the expedition, Diego Ramírez de Arellano. They were cited as the southernmost land mass plotted as of that time, and retained the distinction for 156 years, until the discovery of the South Sandwich Islands in 1775.
In 1892 the Chilean government rented the islands to Pedro Pablo Benavides for fishing and on condition that a lighthouse, a port and a school were built. Later the rent was transferred to Koenigswerther and Pasinowich.
The Chilean Navy established a meteorological station above Caleta Condell, a small cove on the northeast side of Isla Gonzalo, in 1957, and resupply it several times each year. This is the southernmost inhabited outpost outside Antarctica, even if the South Sandwich Islands are regarded as part of South America, since the Argentinian station on Thule Island was dismantled in June 1982. The next southerly inhabited outpost of South America is the lighthouse of Cape Horn. Cruise ships occasionally pass by on their way to and from Antarctica.
The islands are an important nesting site for a number of southern seabirds, including the black-browed albatross, shy albatross, grey-headed albatross, rockhopper penguin and southern giant-petrel.

Climate

The islands have a tundra climate, with abundant precipitation.