Native name: Islas Wollaston Nickname: Yachkusin (Yahgan language) | |
|---|---|
 Freycinet Island | |
 Islands south of theBeagle Channel, exceptDiego Ramírez Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 55°40′S67°30′W / 55.667°S 67.500°W /-55.667; -67.500 |
| Archipelago | Tierra del Fuego |
| Adjacent to | Pacific Ocean |
| Major islands | Grevy,Bayly,Wollaston andFreycinet |
| Administration | |
| Region | Magallanes |
| Province | Antártica |
| Commune | Cabo de Hornos |
| Additional information | |
| NGA UFI=36923 (Deceit Island), -904864 (Wollaston Island), -904865 (Wollaston Islands), -882858 (Freycinet Island), -873377 (Bayly Island) | |
TheWollaston Islands (Spanish:Islas Wollaston) are a group of islands inChile south ofNavarino Island and north ofCape Horn and east of theHoste Island. The islands areGrevy,Bayly,Wollaston andFreycinet, as well as the isletsDédalo,Surgidero,Diana,Otarie,Middle andAdriana. The islands are part ofCabo de Hornos National Park.[1]
The islands are located north of theHermite Islands and separated from them by theFranklin Channel. The isletsTerhalten,Sesambre,Evout andBarnevelt are located easterly and are not considered part of the Wollaston islands. North of the islands isNassau Bay.
The islands were named between 1829 and 1831 by the British naval officerHenry Foster, after the English scientistWilliam Hyde Wollaston. Theindigenous name in theYahgan language wasYachkusin, "place of islands".[2] The Yahgan lived throughout central Tierra del Fuego to Cape Horn. Numerous place names reflect British interests in the 19th century.
In the later 19th century, Wollaston was the site of an EnglishSouth American Mission Society to the Yahgan. (SeeMartin Gusinde Anthropological Museum#Stirling Pavilion).
After Chile and Argentina achieved independence, they asserted their claims in this area. TheBoundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina ceded the islands south of the Beagle Channel to Chile, but in 1904 Argentina claimed the islands. In 1978 Argentina started theOperation Soberanía to occupy the islands around Cape Horn and then, in a second phase, either to stop or continue hostilities according to the Chilean reaction. The invasion was halted after a few hours. In 1982, after the invasion of the Falklands, the Argentine government planned also the invasion of the islands south of the Beagle Channel.
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