Desventuradas Islands

Desventuradas Islands
NASA Landsat 7 Pseudo Geocover 2000, Worldwind
Desventuradas Islands is located in Pacific Ocean
{{{alt}}}
Desventuradas Islands
Location of the Desventuradas Islands in the Pacific Ocean
Map of Desventuradas Islands (Chile)
Location of Desventuradas Islands in Chile

The Desventuradas Islands, also known as Islas de los Desventurados,[1] (Spanish: Unfortunate Islands) is a group of four small islands located 850 kilometres (530 mi) off the coast of Chile, northwest of Santiago in the Pacific Ocean.[2] The islands together have a total land area of four square kilometers.

The vegetation is a miniature mosaic of matorral, barren rock, various size trees, and shrubs mixed with ferns and perennial herbs. There are no permanent sources of fresh water on the islands. Vertebrates inhabiting both islands are exclusively limited to birds. Ten species of marine birds and one land bird species, some of them endangered, make their nests on or visit the islands.

Because of their isolation and difficulty of access, there are no human settlements on these islands, but a detachment of the Chilean Navy is stationed on Isla San Félix, which also hosts a 2,000 meter runway (ICAO code for the airfield: SCFX).

Contents

History

The islands were sighted by Juan Fernández in 1574, and perhaps earlier by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520. Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa wrote in 1579 that "they are now called after St Felix and St Ambor (i.e. Felix and Nabor)". However, by linguistic corruption, the name of the martyr Ambor (Nabor) became confused with that of the more famous bishop Saint Ambrose (San Ambrosio).[3]

San Felix played a part in the Falklands war. In May 1982 the Chilean government allowed RAF Nimrod MR2's to fly maritime reconnaissance sorties from the island, gathering information on the movements of the Argentine Navy.[4]

List of islands and location

Desventuradas Islands ('Unfortunate Islands'), from east to west:

Island/Rock Area
(km²)		 Peak
Elevation (m)		 Geographical
Coordinates
San Ambrosio 2.2 479 26°20′37″S 79°53′28″W / 26.34361°S 79.89111°W / -26.34361; -79.89111
San Felix group
Islote González 0.25 173 26°18′36″S 80°05′06″W / 26.31°S 80.085°W / -26.31; -80.085
San Félix 1.4 Cerro Amarillo, 193 26°17′30″S 80°05′42″W / 26.29167°S 80.095°W / -26.29167; -80.095
Roca Catedral 0.01 53 26°16′25″S 80°07′15″W / 26.27361°S 80.12083°W / -26.27361; -80.12083
Desventuradas 3.9 479  

References

  1. ^ An Archaeological Exploration of Robinson Crusoe Island
  2. ^ Desventuradas Islands
  3. ^ B. Glanvill Corney, "The Isles of San Felix and San Nabor," The Geographical Journal, Vol. 56, No. 3 (September 1920), pp. 196–200
  4. ^ http://www.spyflight.co.uk/chile.htm

External links

Coordinates: 26°19′S 80°00′W / 26.32°S 80°W / -26.32; -80


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Juan Fernández Islands — Infobox Country native name = Islas de Juan Fernández conventional long name = Juan Fernández Islands common name = Juan Fernández Islands symbol type = national motto = national anthem = other symbol type = other symbol = map caption = Map of… …   Wikipedia

  • Pacific Islands — The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined). Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer but excluding Australia are traditionally grouped into three divisions:… …   Wikipedia

  • List of islands of South America — This is a list of islands of South America.Argentina*Isla del Cerrito *Isla Grande (and Isla Chica) de Choele Choel *Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) *Isla Huemul (Huemul Island) *Isla Martín García *Paraná River delta islands *Isla de San… …   Wikipedia

  • List of ecoregions (WWF) — This is a list of ecoregions as compiled by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF identifies terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecoregions.The terrestrial scheme divides the Earth s land surface into 8 terrestrial ecozones, containing 867… …   Wikipedia

  • Neotropic ecozone — For the musical artist, see Neotropic (band). The Neotropic Ecozone In biogeography, the Neotropic or Neotropical zone is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones. This ecozone includes South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, the Caribbean… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Chile-related topics — This is a list of topics related to Chile. Those interested in the subject can monitor changes to the pages by clicking on Related changes in the sidebar.Chile* ChileArchaeological sites of Chile* Easter Island * Monte VerdeEaster Island* Aku Aku …   Wikipedia

  • Nabor and Felix — Saints Nabor and Felix Saints Nabor and Felix (foreground), with the Virgin Mary, Saint Francis, Saint Claire, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Mary Magdalene, and Saint Catherine. Orazio Samacchini, ca. 1570 …   Wikipedia

  • Сан-Амбросио — исп. Isla de San Ambrosio …   Википедия

  • Сан Амбросио — Isla de San Ambrosio Координаты: Координаты …   Википедия

  • Mainland — This article is about the geomorphological/geopolitical term. For the cheese brand owned by Fonterra, see Mainland (cheese). For the episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, see The Mainland (Father Ted). For the town in Western Australia, see …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”