Diego Ramirez (Spanish. Islas Diego Ram_rez) Is a group of small islands (total area over 1 km_) in Drake Passage about 100 km southwest of Cape Horn, stretching about 8 km from north to south. It is the southernmost point of Chile and America as part of the world. In the archipelago, two groups of islands can be distinguished – a small northern and a large southern.

Geography

Diego Ramirez islands map.

The largest island in the archipelago is Bartolome Island. To the south is the second largest island of the archipelago – Gonzalo, on which a weather station was founded in 1951. The southernmost place is the rocky islet of Agila.

The fauna is represented by large nests of polar birds – albatrosses, penguins, petrels. Although the Diego Ramirez archipelago is the southernmost point of South America and is located close to Antarctica, temperatures are positive for most of the year, and severe frosts are rare. Therefore, the islands are abundantly covered with grass.

Antarctic cruise ships sailing to Chile or Ushuaia often pass by the archipelago.

Climate

The climate on the islands is windy and rainy. Average monthly temperatures range from +3.2 ° C (July-August) to +7.5 ° C (January-February), with an average of + 5.2 ° C. Precipitation ranges from 94 mm (October) to 137 mm (March), 1368 mm in total per year. In the summer, precipitation falls in the form of rains, in the winter – in the form of snow, rain or snow and rain.

Story

The islands were discovered on February 12, 1619 by the Garcia del Nodal brothers and named after Diego Ramirez de Arellano. For 156 years, until the discovery of the South Sandwich Islands archipelago in 1775, it was considered the southernmost land on earth. To the south, only the Unknown South Land, a mythical territory, was „located".

Interesting Facts

The largest islands – Bartolome and Gonzalo – are named after the discoverers, the Garcia del Nodal brothers, and these islands are separated by the Nodal Strait.

Southernmost point

The southernmost point of America is the rocky islet of Aguila, but some geographers of the South Sandwich Islands refer to America as part of the world, although geographically, geologically, and climatically this archipelago is closer to Antarctica. In this case, the southernmost point of America is the island of Thule.