- Links: the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean;
- Country: Chile;
- Separates: continental South America and the archipelago Tierra del Fuego;
- Width: minimum 3,5 km;
- Length: 575 km.
Surely there is no such person who at least once would not dream of going on a sea voyage on a ship. A long walk can be accomplished by navigating the Strait of Magellan, which is one of the longest. Tourists who decided to visit Chile are incredibly lucky, as both banks of the strait go to the territory of this country, in Argentina there is only its eastern extremity.
Magellan Strait - description
Those who decided to get better acquainted with the geography and learn the characteristics of this water body, there are many questions. One of them is: where is the Strait of Magellan? Its location is the territory between the archipelago Tierra del Fuego and the tip of the South American continent. Its peculiarity is that, following its length, it is possible to see two oceans. When asked which oceans connect the Strait of Magellan, an answer is given that it is Atlantic and Pacific.
The water body has the following characteristics:
- The length of the Straits of Magellan is 575 km;
- width - 20 km in the widest place;
- The maximum depth of the Strait of Magellan is 20 m. Moreover, it is much deeper in the northwestern part than in the northeast.
The strait is characterized by the fact that navigation on it is very complicated, since it is very narrow in some places, characterized by shallows and underwater rocks and unpredictable in terms of currents.
Story Story
The strait was discovered by the famous seafarer from Portugal Fernand Magellan. September 20, 1519 from Spain sailed his expedition, which was in a narrow strait, thanks to a storm. This event happened on November 1, 1520 on the Day of All Saints, when the Straits of Magellan were opened. Magellan became the discoverer, who made the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, and in his honor the strait was named. Until the Panama Canal was built in 1914, the Strait of Magellan was considered the only one that connects and represents a safe path from one ocean to another.
The tourist value of the Strait
Having studied the Strait of Magellan on the map, many want to repeat the path of Portuguese explorers and make a journey. It is included in many tourist routes. On the way you can visit the port cities of Chile . After seeing the photo of the Straits of Magellan, you can see humpback whales, penguins that live in large colonies, sea lions.