Chilean Antarctic Territory Territorio Chileno Antártico | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Location in Antarctica | |
| Country |  Chile |
| Region | Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica |
| Province | Antártica Chilena |
| Commune | Antártica |
| Claimed | 6 November 1940 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Jorge Flies |
| • Regional delegate | José Ruiz Pivcevic |
| • Mayor | Patricio Fernández |
| • INACH Director | Gino Casassa |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,250,257.6 km2 (482,727.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2011 Census)[1] | |
• Total | 115−120 |
| • Density | 9×10−06/km2 (2.3×10−5/sq mi) |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 100 |
| • Women | 15 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 |
| Area code | 56 + 61 |
| Capital | Villa Las Estrellas |
| Currency | Chilean Peso |
| Website | http://www.inach.cl/(in Spanish) |
TheChilean Antarctic Territory, orChilean Antarctica (Spanish:Territorio Chileno Antártico,Antártica Chilena), is a part ofWest Antarctica and nearby islands claimed byChile. It comprises the region south of60°S latitude and between longitudes53°W and90°W,[2] partially overlapping the Antarctic claims ofArgentine Republic (Argentine Antarctica) and theUnited Kingdom (British Antarctic Territory). It constitutes theAntárticacommune of Chile.
The territory covers theSouth Shetland Islands, theAntarctic Peninsula (called O'Higgins Land—Tierra de O'Higgins—in Chile), and the adjacent islands ofAlexander Island,Charcot Island andEllsworth Land, among others. Its boundaries are defined by Decree 1747, issued on 6 November 1940 and published on 21 June 1955[3] by theMinistry of Foreign Affairs:
The Chilean Antarctica or Chilean Antarctic Territory is: all lands, islands, islets, reefs, glaciers (pack-ice), and others, known and unknown, and respective territorial waters, existing within the limits of the cap constituted by the meridians 53° longitude west of Greenwich and 90° longitude west of Greenwich.
The commune of Antártica has an area of 1,250,257.6 km2 (482,727.2 sq mi).[4] If reckoned as Chilean national territory, it comprises 62.28% of the total area of the country. It is managed by the municipality ofCabo de Hornos with a seat inPuerto Williams in theTierra del Fuegoarchipelago (thus Antártica is the only commune in Chile not administered by a municipality of its own). It belongs to the province ofAntártica Chilena, which itself is a part of the region ofMagallanes y la Antártica Chilena. The commune was created on July 11, 1961, and was part of theMagallanes Province until 1974, when the Antártica Chilena Province was created.
Chileansovereignty over the Chilean Antarctic Territory is exercised in conformity with theAntarctic Treaty of 1961. This treaty established that Antarctic activities are to be devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes by the signatories and acceding countries, thereby freezing territorial disputes and preventing the construction of new claims or the expansion of existing ones.[5]
The Chilean Antarctic Territory corresponds geographically to time zonesUTC-4,UTC-5, andUTC-6, but as withMagallanes it usesUTC-3 year-round. Chile currently has 13 active Antarctic bases: 4 permanent, 5 seasonal, and 4 shelters.
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For many years,cartographers and European explorers speculated about the existence of theTerra Australis Incognita, a landmass potentially of vast size located south of theStrait of Magellan andTierra del Fuego.[6]
On 7 June 1494, theTreaty of Tordesillas was signed between Spain and Portugal. This treaty gave rights to newly discovered territories to the two countries according to a line running from pole to pole; at 46° 37'W in the Spanish classical interpretation and farther west according to the Portuguese interpretation. The areas of Antarctica claimed by Chile today fall within the region granted to Spain by this original treaty.[7][8][9][10] Though backed by the papal bullEa quae pro bono pacis in 1506, the Treaty of Tordesillas was not recognized by several other European powers, includingFrance and other Catholic states. ForEngland, theNetherlands,Russia and other countries, the Antarctic areas were consideredres nullius, a no man's land, subject to the occupation of any nation that had the courage and ambition to send people to claim them.[10]
After the discovery of theStrait of Magellan in 1520, cartographers were convinced of the ancient theory of Claudio Tolomeo about the existence of a continent around the South Pole. Maps and charts were published on the basis that Tierra del Fuego was the discovered part of that continent.[11]
In 1534, the Holy Roman EmperorCharles V divided the South American territory of Spain into three governorates:New Castile orPeru (toFrancisco Pizarro),New Toledo orChile (toDiego de Almagro) andNew León (toSimón de Alcazaba y Sotomayor) also known as the Magellanic Lands and subsequently extended to the Strait of Magellan.[10]
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In 1539, a new governorate was formed south of New León calledtheTerra Australis underPedro Sánchez de la Hoz.[10] This consisted of the land south of the Strait of Magellan, i.e.Tierra del Fuego, and onward unexplored land to the South Pole.[14] At the time, the existence of theDrake Passage was not known and Tierra del Fuego thought to be part of the Antarctic mainland.[15][9]
In 1554, the conquistadorPedro de Valdivia, who led theGovernorate of Chile, talked to theCouncil of the Indies about giving the rights of New León and Terra Australis toJeronimo de Alderete. After the death of Valdivia in the following year, Alderete became the governor of Chile and thereby claimed New León and Terra Australis for Chile.[9][16][17] A Royal Decree of 1554 states:
Because it was personally consulted, we will grant to the Captain Jeronimo de Alderete the land across the Magellan Strait.[10]
Later, in 1558, the Royal Decree ofBrussels prompted the Chilean colonial government to "take ownership in our name from the lands and provinces that fall in the demarcation of the Spanish crown", referring to the land "across the Strait", i.e. Terra Australis.[10][13]
One of the most important works of Spanish literature, theepic poemLa Araucana byAlonso de Ercilla, is considered by Chileans to give encouragement to their territorial claims in Antarctica. In the seventh stanza of his Canto I:
Northern Chile is of great length; it is called the coast of the new Sea of the South. From east to west it is narrow, 100 miles at its broadest, and at 27 degrees from the South Pole, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans mix their waters in a narrow channel. And those two seas which clamour to join, passing along it, beat the rocks and spread out their waves, preventing numerous islands from joining together. At this point the land is split; here the waters can communicate. Magellan, Sir, was the first to open this path, which was then given his name.[18]
A circle located '27 degrees from the South Pole' corresponds to a latitude of 63 degrees south, on the southern side of theDrake Passage and just north of theAntarctic Peninsula. However, ambiguity suggests that a misplacedStrait of Magellan may be referred to.
There are other stories and maps, both Chilean and European, indicating that Terra Australis and Antarctica were claimed by theCaptaincy General of Chile for theSpanish Empire.[citation needed]
In March 1603, the Spanish navigatorGabriel de Castilla sailed fromValparaiso entrusted with three ships belonging to theviceroy of Peru,Luis de Velasco y Castilla. The goal of this expedition was to repress the incursions of Dutch privateers in the Southern Seas as far as 64 degrees south latitude.[19][20] No documents confirming the latitude reached or land sighted have been found in the Spanish archives. However, a story told by the Dutch sailor Laurenz Claesz (date unknown, but probably after 1607), gives interesting details. Claesz said:
[They] sailed under the Admiral don Gabriel of Castile with three ships along the coasts of Chile towards Valparaiso, and from there to the strait. In March of 1603, he reached 64 degrees and they had a lot of snow there. In the following April, they returned back to the coast of Chile.[citation needed]
In 1622, a Dutch document was published inAmsterdam stating that at 64 degrees south there was land which was "very high and mountainous, snow cover, like the country of Norway, all white, land. It seemed to extend to the Solomon Islands."[21][22][23] This could be the first recorded sighting by a European of theAntarctic Peninsula. Other historians attribute the first sighting of Antarctic land to the Dutch marinerDirk Gerritsz. According to his account, his ship was diverted from its course by a storm after passing through theStrait of Magellan as part of a Dutch expedition to theEast Indies in 1599. Gerritsz may have sighted theSouth Shetland Islands, though there are doubts about his trustworthiness. Other authorities place the first sighting of mainland Antarctica as late as 27 January 1820 by an expedition of theImperial Russian Navy led byFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen.
Open ocean south of South America was reported by the Spanish navigatorFrancisco de Hoces in 1525[24] and by SirFrancis Drake in 1578.[25] The existence of Drake Passage was confirmed when the Dutch navigatorWillem Schouten became the first to sail aroundCape Horn en route to the East Indies in 1616.[26] In 1772, theBritish explorer CaptainJames Cook circumnavigated theSouthern Ocean.
After the colonies in the Americas had gained their independence, the new Spanish republics agreed amongst themselves to recognize the principle ofuti possidetis, meaning new states would have the same borders as their predecessor Spanish colonies. Thus theRepublic of Chile included all lands formerly belonging to theCaptaincy General of Chile, including claims over portions of Antarctica.
In 1815, the Argentine-IrishAdmiralWilliam Brown launched a campaign to harass the Spanish fleet in thePacific Ocean and, when passingCape Horn with the Argentine vesselsHércules andTrinidad, his ships were driven down into the Antarctic Sea beyond 65° south latitude. Brown's report indicated the presence of nearby land, though he did not see any portion of the continent and no landings were made.
On August 25, 1818, the government of Argentina, then called theUnited Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, granted the first concessions for huntingearless seals andpenguins in Antarctica to Juan Pedro de Aguirre, who operated the shipEspíritu Santo based onDeception Island.Espíritu Santo was joined by the AmericanbrigHercilia. The fact that the Argentine sealers were able to sail directly to the island can be regarded as evidence that its location was already known.
Between 1819 and 1821, the Russian shipsVostok andMirny, under the command of the GermanFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen inRussian service, explored Antarctic waters, as already noted. In 1821, at 69°W 53'S, he sighted an island which he calledAlexander I Land, after theRussian Tsar. Although von Bellingshausen circumnavigated the continent twice, no member of his crew ever set foot on Antarctica.
In 1819, the British marinerWilliam Smith rediscovered the South Shetland Islands, includingKing George Island. The AmericanNathaniel Palmer spotted the Antarctic Peninsula that same year. Neither of them went ashore on the actual continental landmass. However, in 1821, Connecticut seal hunterJohn Davis reported setting foot on a southern land that he believed was a continent.
In 1823,James Weddell claimed to have discovered the sea that now bears his name, lying inside the Antarctic Circle to the east of the Antarctic peninsula. The hunting of baleen whales andSouth American sea lions began to increase in the following years. In 1831, Chile's liberatorBernardo O'Higgins wrote to theRoyal Navy, saying:
Old and new Chile extends, on the Pacific from theMejillones Bay toNew South Shetland, in latitude 65° South and on the Atlantic from San Jose Peninsula at latitude 42° to New South Shetland, that means, 23° with a glut of excellent ports on both oceans and all of them wholesome in all seasons. A simple glance at the map of South America is sufficient to prove that Chile, as is described, holds the keys of that vast portion of the South Atlantic
In 1856, a treaty of friendship between Chile and Argentina recognized boundaries and was enacteduti possidetis juris. The growth of Chilean settlements in theMagallanes Region and especially the city ofPunta Arenas allowed the founding of companies for the hunting and exploitation of whales in the Antarctic seas, which required authorization from the Chilean government. In 1894, control over the exploitation of marine resources south of latitude 54 degrees south was given to the Punta Arenas Municipality.
In the early years of the 20th century, interest in the Antarctic territories increased. Some expeditions to Antarctica asked permission from the government of Chile, among these being those ofOtto Nordenskjöld in 1902 and ofRobert F. Scott in 1900. Chile also granted mining permits, such as that conferred on 31 December 1902 by Decree No. 3310 allowing Pedro Pablo Benavides to lease theDiego Ramírez Islands andSan Ildefonso.
In 1906, several decrees werepromulgated, including some from theNational Congress of Chile, offering mining permits in the Antarctic area. In that same year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile mentioned on September 18 that the delimitation of Chilean Antarctic territory would be the subject of a preliminary investigation. On 10 June 1907, Argentina formally protested and asked for mutual recognition of Antarctic territories. There was work on a treaty to more concretely define territories in the region, but it was never signed.
On 8 May 1906, the Whaling Society of Magallanes was created with a base in Punta Arenas. On 1 December, the society was authorized to expand its territory to theSouth Shetland Islands, as allowed by Decree No. 1314 of the governor of Magallanes.[27] The group expanded to Whalers Bay onDeception Island, where they hoisted the Chilean flag[28] and established a coaling station. This area was visited byJean-Baptiste Charcot in December 1908 to replenish coal. The site was manned during the summer seasons until 1914.
On 21 July 1908, however, theUnited Kingdom had officially claimed sovereignty over all lands between 20°W and 80°W and south of 50°S, including the Falkland Islands and South Georgia (although not, of course, the South American mainland). In 1917, the northern boundary of the claim was moved to 58°S, and in 1962 to the parallel 60°S.[29]
In 1914, Anglo-Irish explorerErnest Shackleton began an expedition to cross the South Pole from theWeddell Sea to theRoss Sea, known as theImperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. With the shipEndurance he sailed into the Weddell Sea, but the weather worsened dramatically and theEndurance was trapped for weeks and ultimately crushed by the ice. There followed an episode of bravery involving both Britain and Chile. Shackleton and his crew dragged three lifeboats over the frozen sea until they came to open water again, then sailed to the desolateElephant Island at the very northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula. Shackleton and a picked crew then sailed one boat toSouth Georgia Island where help was obtained. However, three attempts to reach the rest of the expedition on Elephant Island were turned back by pack ice. Finally, inPunta Arenas, Shackleton obtained the help of the Chilean navy tugboatYelcho, captained byLuis Pardo Villalón, which managed to rescue the remaining survivors. On 4 September 1916, they were received at the port of Punta Arenas as heroes. Captain Pardo's feat, sailing with temperatures close to −30 °C (−22 °F) and a stormy sea oficebergs, won him national and international recognition.
On 14 January 1939,Norway declared its territorial claims onQueen Maud Land between 0° and 20°W. This prompted PresidentPedro Aguirre Cerda of Chile to encourage the definition of Chilean territory in the Antarctic. Following Decree No. 1541 on 7 September, he organized a commission which set the bounds of Chilean territory according to the theory of polar areas, taking into account geographical, historical, legal, and diplomatic precedents. The bounds were formalized by Decree No. 1747, enacted on 6 November 1940, and published on 21 June 1955.[3] The Chilean claim extended no farther east than the 53°W meridian; thus the claim excluded theSouth Orkney Islands in favor of Argentina.[a] Nevertheless, Argentina formally protested in a note on 12 November 1940, rejecting Chile's claim and expressing a potential claim to the same area.
In January 1942, Argentina declared Antarctic rights between the meridians 25° W and 68° 24' W, the westernmost meridian passing throughPunta Dúngeness, the southernmost point of mainland Argentina. On 2 September 1946, Decree No. 8944 expanded the bundary for theArgentine Antarctic Sector, widening this sector out to 74° W. Chile began to exercise sovereignty in the Antarctic area in 1947, beginning with the establishment of Sovereignty Base, currently known asArturo Prat, in theSouth Shetland Islands. The following year, as a way of establishing the Chilean claims, Chilean PresidentGabriel Gonzalez Videla personally openedBase General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme on theAntarctic Peninsula. This was the firstofficial visit of ahead of state to Antarctica.
On March 4, 1948, Chile and Argentina signed an agreement on mutual protection and legal defense of their Antarctic territorial rights, agreeing to act in concert to defend the rights of both countries in Antarctica, while leaving the delimitation of their territories for a later date. The governments agreed that "between the meridians 25° and 90° west longitude from Greenwich, indisputable sovereign rights are recognized by Chile and Argentina",[30] stating that "Chile and Argentina have unquestionable rights of sovereignty in the polar area called American Antarctica" (Antártida Americana in Spanish).[31][32]
In 1953, the representative ofIndia at theUnited Nations presented a project for the internationalization of Antarctica. The Chilean ambassador inNew Delhi,Miguel Serrano, however, persuaded the Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru to withdraw the proposal.[citation needed] On 4 May 1955, the United Kingdom filed two lawsuits against Argentina and Chile before theInternational Court of Justice, to declare invalid the claims of sovereignty of the two countries in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic areas. Chilean Law No. 11486 of June 17, 1955, added the Chilean Antarctic Territory to theProvince of Magallanes, which on 12 July 1974 became theRegion of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica. On 15 July 1955, the Chilean government formally rejected the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in this case, and on 1 August the Argentine government followed suit. The United Kingdom submitted its written argument on 16 March 1956.[33]
On 28 February 1957, Argentine Decree Law No. 2129 established the limits of their claim as the meridians 25° and 74° W and the parallel 60° S. This continuied to overlap the territory claimed by Chile. In 1958, the U.S. president,Dwight Eisenhower, invited Chile to theInternational Geophysical Year Conference in an attempt to resolve the claiming issues. On 1 December 1959,Chile signed theAntarctic Treaty.
In July 2003, Chile and Argentina began maintaining a joint emergency shelter calledAbrazo de Maipú in theAntarctic Peninsula, halfway betweenBase General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, operated by Chile, andEsperanza Base, maintained by Argentina. It was closed in 2010.[34]
In February 2022, Chile submitted its second partial report regarding theWestern Extended Continental Shelf of the Chilean Antarctic Territory.[35][36] In August of the same year, it delivered oral presentations for both partial reports during the 55th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in New York.[37][38]
In 2023, theHydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy made available an illustrative graphic showing all the maritime areas claimed by the country, including those of thecontinental shelf andextended continental shelf of the Chilean Antarctic Territory.[39][40][41][42]
In January 2025, PresidentGabriel Boric became the firsthead of state[43] to visit the South Pole and the thirdhead of government, being the first fromLatin America.[44] Prime MinisterHelen Clark fromNew Zealand went in 2007[45] and Prime MinisterJens Stoltenberg fromNorway went in 2011.[46][47][48][49][50]
The treaty states:
The Chilean Antarctic Territory covers an area of 1,250,257 km2 (482,727 sq mi). The thickness of ice covering the land can exceed 1,200 meters (3,900 ft) in some areas in the interior of the continent, and the extent of sea ice varies dramatically with the seasons.
Chilean Antarctic Territory is located predominantly inLesser Antarctica orWest Antarctica, which includes the Antarctic Peninsula, known in Chile asO'Higgins Land. Forming the spine of this peninsula are the mountains of theAntartandes,[51] which are a continuation of theAndes mountains.Mount Hope is the highest mountain in the Antartandes, reaching 3,239 meters (10,627 ft) in altitude. The Antartandes clearly differentiate three geographic areas in O'Higgins Land: the western slope, the central plateau and the eastern slope.
To the southwest of the Antarctic Peninsula, within the land claimed by Chile, are the highest summits of the Antarctic continent, a part of theSentinel Range including theVinson Massif at 4,897 m (16,066 ft),Mount Tyree at 4,852 m (15,919 ft) andMount Shinn at 4,800 m (15,700 ft) in height.
The claimed territory has asubglacial lake, theLake CECs,[52] which was discovered in January 2014 by scientists ofCentro de Estudios Científicos headquartered inValdivia, Chile, and was validated in May 2015 with the publication of its existence in the journalGeophysical Research Letters.[53] The lake has an estimated area of 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi), lies 2.6 km (1.6 mi) deep under the ice and is located in a buffer zone of three major glaciers, in an area designated low-disturbance with ice motion almost nonexistent. There is ahypothesis that it could have life; this would have developed in conditions of extreme isolation and the lake is encapsulated.
Coastal areas north of theAntarctic Peninsula and in theSouth Shetland Islands, have asubarctic climate ortundra, that is, the average temperature in the warmest month exceeds 0 °C (32 °F) and much ispermafrost. The rest of the territory is under the regime of apolar climate.Precipitation in the territory is relatively rare and decreases towards the South Pole, creatingpolar desert conditions.
TheAntártica Commune had a population of 150 inhabitants on the Chilean bases according to a census conducted nationwide in 2012, corresponding to 54 civilians and 96 military. These people were mostly members of theChilean Air Force and their families, who lived predominantly inVilla Las Estrellas. This town, located next to thePresidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Antarctic base onKing George Island, was opened on 9 April 1984 and has an airport, a bank, a school and child care, a hospital, a supermarket, mobile telephony and television.
In 1984 the first Antarctic Chilean,Juan Pablo Camacho Martino, was born in Villa Las Estrellas. As of 2024, a total of three Chileans have been born in the Chilean Antarctic Territory; Gisella Cortés Rojas was born on 2 December 1984, and Ignacio Miranda Lagunas on 23 January 1985. They do not know each other and have not returned to Antarctica. As of 2024, Ignacio is the most recent Antarctic baby,[54][55][56][57][58] although the development of tourism has increased explosively through airplanes and cruise ships that depart fromPunta Arenas orUshuaia, with most of the flights arriving atKing George Island handled byDap Group.
Due to the geographical characteristics of the Antarctic Peninsula, which the Chilean Antarctic Territory completely encompasses, the territory has some of the best conditions for human settlement in Antarctica.
There are four Chilean permanent bases operating throughout the year, while an additional five remain open only during thesummer (December – March) with four seasonal shelters.
The largest population center is located onKing George Island atBase Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, which has an airstrip, a meteorological center (the Meteorological Center President Frei) and theVilla Las Estrellas. Belonging to Chile, this enclave forms the nucleus for important logistical support to other countries with scientific bases on King George Island.
TheChilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), under theMinistry of Foreign Affairs, operates theProfesor Julio Escudero Base on King George Island, which is the chief Chilean scientific research center in Antarctica.
TheChilean Navy provides logistic and other support for scientific and other activities within Chile's Antarctic territory. As of 2023, the navy is in the process of acquiring a new Polar 5-class icebreaker,Almirante Viel, to support its Antarctic operations, offering year-round operation in medium first-year ice (which may include old ice inclusions).[59] Elements of the Maritime Authority operate throughout the region, promoting the security and interests of Chile, notably with the Maritime Government of Chilean Antarctica inFildes Bay and at theCaptain Arturo Prat Base onGreenwich Island, formerly a naval base, now a research station.[60] During the 2022–23 Antarctic season, the navy transferred 730 scientists and 3,091 tons of cargo for the logistical support of the Antarctic bases. The operation involved the transport vesselAquiles, the patrol vesselMarinero Fuentealba, as well as two supportingtugboats.[61]
Since 14 January 1995, the navy has assisted theMendel Polar Station belonging to theCzech Republic. Up to four Chilean researchers carry out scientific work at the base, each with sponsorship from a leading Czech researcher who collaborates in the work.
Following is a list of Chilean Antarctic Bases:
(P): Permanent; these bases are open all the year.(S): Seasonal; therse bases are open in the Austral Summer.
The largest population center is located onKing George Island and consists ofBase Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva which is connected to the communal capital, the village ofVilla Las Estrellas, which has a town hall, hotel, day-care center, school, scientific equipment, hospital, post office and bank. There is an airport,Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Aerodrome,ICAO Code SCRM[62]) This enclave is a center of logistical support for the other eight countries with scientific bases on King George Island.
Nearby,Professor Julio Escudero Base is controlled by theChilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), under the Ministry of Foreign Relations, and is the main Chilean scientific facility in Antarctica.
Captain Arturo Prat Base is a ChileanAntarctic research base located onGreenwich Island. Opened 6 February 1947, it is the oldest Chilean Antarctic base. Until 1 March 2006 it was a base of the Chilean Navy, but was then handed over to the regional government ofMagallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region. Until February 2004 it was a permanent base. Afterwards, it served as a summer base for ionospheric and meteorological research, but then reopened in March 2008 for year-round occupancy again.
The only permanent Chilean base on the Antarctic mainland (theAntarctic Peninsula) isBase General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme. This has been in operation since 18 February 1948. It is located onPuerto Covadonga and it is the official communal capital.[63][64]
Terra Australis existía y que buena parte de ella se situaba al occidente de la línea de Tordesillas, que dividía las colonias de España y Portugal. En 1539, Carlos V concedió esa Terra Australis a Pedro Sancho de Hoz
En 1539 se otorgó una quinta gobernación, la de Terra Australis, a Pedro Sancho de Hoz. Las capitulaciones sólo señalaban la extensión de norte a sur; de este a oeste deberían abarcar ambas costas o tocar la línea del Tratado de Tordesillas. Ello probablemente indicaba un deseo de la corona: que el concesionario explorase y conquistase también hacia el interior. Los lindes de las gobernaciones fueron determinados sin previos conocimientos del territorio, hecho que originaría graves problemas.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)After the discovery of the Strait of Magellan (1520), geographers and cartographers were more convinced than ever of the ancient theory of Claudio Tolomeo, who maintained that a continent did exist around the South Pole. They published maps and charts based on the hypothesis that Tierra del Fuego was the beginning of that Terra Australis. The first person ever to have rights over these lands was Pedro Sancho de la Hoy, who received them through a special decree signed by Emperor Charles V on 24 January 1539. This decree gave to de la Hoy all territories to the south of the Strait of Magellan, including Antarctica. During the next two centuries, several other de-crees by the Spanish sovereign confirmed that all lands to the south of the Drake Passage were part of the Kingdom of Chile.
quinta gobernación llamada Terra Australis. Esta gobernación abarcaba desde la ribera sur del Estrecho de Magallanes hasta el polo; es decir, la parte más austral del continente. Sin embargo, se renunció a esta capitulación y fue cedida a favor de la Gobernación de Chile (véase Mapa 3)
Terra Australis (the southern land), south of the Magellan Strait to the South Pole, in 1539 and Chilean governors during the colonial period had territorial jurisdiction over the Antarctic (Paravic Valdivia, 1988).
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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