Strait of Magellan

geography · oceans · navigation

Gateway between oceans. The Strait of Magellan is the most important natural passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Ships use it to travel between these two massive bodies of water without having to sail all the way around Cape Horn.

Super narrow passage. The strait stretches about 570 kilometers long, but at its narrowest point it's only 2 kilometers wide. That's like trying to steer a big ship through a gap barely wider than a couple of football fields.

Named after an explorer. In 1520, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan led a Spanish expedition that became the first Europeans to discover this waterway. The strait was named after him because he showed the world this incredible shortcut existed.

Splits two landmasses. The strait separates mainland South America to the north from the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Tierra del Fuego means 'Land of Fire' in Spanish, named for the fires explorers saw there.