Friday 12 March 2010
Tomas Ibarra, Chile : Earth Summit Talk

Navarino Islands, Chile

Isla Navarino is a Chilean island located strategically between Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, to the north, and Cape Horn, to the south. The island forms part of the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, the southernmost commune in Chile and in the world, belonging to Antártica Chilena Province in the XII Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica. It constitutes the nearest land to the Antarctic continent. Its population is concentrated primarily in the communal capital, Puerto Williams, and in small settlements like Puerto Navarino and Puerto Toro. The highest point of the island is Pico Navarino at 1195 meters.

There is a significant archaeological site related to the Yaghan indigenous people at Wulaia Bay, which C. Michael Hogan terms the Bahia Wulaia Dome Middens.  Interest in the Yamana or Yahgan culture attracts tourists, and there is a regional museum, the Martin Gusinde Anthropological Museum, where illustration of the Yaghan culture and the remains of the English missions can be seen. Aquatic birds, and the geology and botany of the island, also attract tourists.

The area of Isla Navarino and the surrounding islands have been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in June 2005, called Cabo de Hornos Biosphere Reserve.

Tomás Ibarra

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