Tierra Del Fuego means the Land of Fire in Spanish. Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago, 28,476 sq mi (73,753 sq km), separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan at the southernmost tip of South America.

The archipelago consists of a main island (Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, often called Tierra del Fuego as well or Isla Grande) with an area of 48,100 km , and a group of smaller islands.

Half of this island, and the islands west and south of it, are part of the Magallanes Region of Chile, the capital and chief town of which is Punta Arenas, situated on the mainland across the strait. The biggest Chilean towns are Porvenir, on the main island, and Puerto Williams, on Navarino Island. Puerto Toro lies a few kilometers south of Puerto Williams and is the southernmost town in the world.

Photo by Hannah McKeand

The eastern part of the archipelago belongs to Argentina, being part of the Tierra del Fuego Province; its capital, Ushuaia, is the world's most southerly city, properly speaking, the other important city in the region being Rio Grande, near the Atlantic coast.

The southern point of the archipelago forms Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn).

In 1881 it was divided between Argentina and Chile.

Its name comes from Ferdinande Magellan, who was the first European to pass it in 1520, he believed he was seeing the many fires of the Amerindians, which were visible from the sea. He believed that the 'Indians' were waiting in the forests to ambush his armada. It is however, more likely that the fires he witnessed were from natural sources such as lightning.

Four native Fuegians, including 'Jemmy Button' (Orundellico), were brought from Tierra del Fuego by Robert Fitzroy on the first voyage of the Beagle in 1830. They were taken to meet the King and Queen in London and were to an extent, celebrities. The surviving three returned to Tierra del Fuego with the Beagle with Charles Darwin, who made extensive notes about his visit to the islands.

There are only three species of trees found in Tierra Del Fuego: Canelo or Winter's Bark (Drimys winteri), and two kinds of Southern Beech, Nothofagus antarctica and Nothofagus pumilio. In addition there is an extensive range of moss and brush vegitation that make up the lush fuegian forests.

The Beagle Channel is a strait separating islands of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, in extreme southern South America. It separates Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego from several smaller islands to the south. Its eastern portion is part of the border between Chile and Argentina, but the western part is completely within Chile. The Beagle Channel is about 150 miles long and is about three miles wide at its narrowest point. To the west the Darwin Sound connects it to the Pacific Ocean. Although it is navigable by large ships, there are safer waters to the south (Drake Passage) and to the north (Strait of Magellan). Several small islands near the eastern end were the subject of a long-running territorial dispute between Chile and Argentina; by the terms of a 1985 treaty they are now part of Chile.

The main settlements on the channel are Puerto Williams, Chile and Ushuaia, Argentina.

It is named after the ship HMS Beagle which was involved in two hydrographic surveys of the coasts of the southern part of South America in the early 19th century. During the first, under the overall command of the Australian Commander Philip Parker King, the Beagle's captain Pringle Stokes committed suicide and was replaced by captain Robert FitzRoy. The second is better known as the Voyage of the Beagle and is famous because captain FitzRoy took Charles Darwin along as a gentleman's companion, giving him opportunities as an amateur naturalist.