 Map of Diego Ramirez Islands | |
  Diego Ramírez Islands Islas Diego Ramírez Location south of the South American Mainland | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 56°29′S68°44′W / 56.483°S 68.733°W /-56.483; -68.733 |
| Area | 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) |
| Length | 10.38 km (6.45 mi) |
| Width | 2.25 km (1.398 mi) |
| Highest point | 179 m (587 ft)[1] |
| Administration | |
| Region |  Magallanes y Antártica Chilena |
| Province | Antártica Chilena |
| Commune | Cabo de Hornos |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Chilean Navy station |
| Additional information | |
| NGA UFI=-879674 | |
TheDiego Ramírez Islands (Spanish:Islas Diego Ramírez) are a small group ofChileansubantarctic islands located at the southernmost extreme ofSouth America. They are surrounded by theDiego Ramirez Islands & Drake Passage National Park, but the land is owned by the State outside of the park, which is exclusively maritime.
The islands were sighted on 12 February 1619 by the SpanishGarcia de Nodal expedition, and named after thecosmographer of the expedition,Diego Ramírez de Arellano.[2] They were cited as the southernmost land mass plotted as of that time, and retained the distinction for 156 years, until the discovery of theSouth Sandwich Islands in 1775.
In 1892, the Chilean government rented the islands to Pedro Pablo Benavides for fishing and on condition that a lighthouse, a port, and a school would be built.[3] Later[when?] the rent was transferred to Koenigswerther and Pasinowich.[who?]
TheChilean Navy established ameteorological station above Caleta Condell, a small cove on the northeastern side of Isla Gonzalo (Gonzalo Island), in 1957, and resupplies it several times each year.[4] This is the southernmost inhabited outpost outsideAntarctica. The next most southerly inhabited outpost is the lighthouse ofCape Horn.Cruise ships occasionally pass by on their way to and from Antarctica.
The islands lie about 105 km (65 mi) west-southwest ofCape Horn and 93 km (58 mi) south-southeast ofIldefonso Islands, stretching 8 km (5 mi) north-south. They are divided into a smaller northern group with six islets, and a larger southern group, separated by a passage 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. The two largest islands,Isla Bartolomé andIsla Gonzalo, both lie in the southern group.Águila Islet (Islote Águila) is the southernmost land of the group, at latitude 56°32'15"S. The islands lie about 350 km north ofSars Bank, aseamount that once may have been an island.[5]
Area data are from theUSGS unless otherwise specified.[6]
| Island | Area (ha) | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Isla Bartolomé | 119.4 | southern |
| Isla Gonzalo | 39.6 | southern |
| Islote Santander | 2.9 | southern |
| Águila Islet | 2.4 | southern |
| Islotes Torres | 2.4 | southern |
| Islote Nahuel | 2.0 | southern |
| Isla Norte | 8.2 | northern |
| Islote Mendoza | 5.4 | northern |
| Rocas Norte | 3.4 | northern |
| Islote Martinez | 2.3 | northern |
| Islotes Panailillo | 0.9 | northern |
| Islote Cabezas | 0.7 | northern |
The islands have atundra climate (ET) with abundant precipitation. Temperatures remain chilly to cool throughout the entire year.
| Climate data for Diego Ramírez Islands (Isla Gonzalo) 42 m asl (1981–2010 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.4 (66.9) | 21.3 (70.3) | 19.3 (66.7) | 13.0 (55.4) | 15.5 (59.9) | 14.0 (57.2) | 13.0 (55.4) | 14.0 (57.2) | 14.0 (57.2) | 16.0 (60.8) | 19.6 (67.3) | 21.3 (70.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.5 (49.1) | 9.8 (49.6) | 9.2 (48.6) | 8.0 (46.4) | 6.6 (43.9) | 5.5 (41.9) | 5.3 (41.5) | 5.4 (41.7) | 6.1 (43.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 7.6 (45.7) | 8.7 (47.7) | 7.4 (45.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 7.2 (45.0) | 6.1 (43.0) | 4.8 (40.6) | 3.7 (38.7) | 3.5 (38.3) | 3.5 (38.3) | 4.1 (39.4) | 4.8 (40.6) | 5.7 (42.3) | 6.7 (44.1) | 5.5 (41.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.6 (42.1) | 5.9 (42.6) | 5.1 (41.2) | 4.2 (39.6) | 2.9 (37.2) | 1.9 (35.4) | 1.6 (34.9) | 1.5 (34.7) | 2.1 (35.8) | 2.9 (37.2) | 3.6 (38.5) | 4.7 (40.5) | 3.5 (38.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) | −2.0 (28.4) | −3.0 (26.6) | −4.2 (24.4) | −5.0 (23.0) | −8.0 (17.6) | −7.0 (19.4) | −9.0 (15.8) | −6.8 (19.8) | −4.0 (24.8) | −3.4 (25.9) | −3.8 (25.2) | −9.0 (15.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 136.8 (5.39) | 96.4 (3.80) | 111.0 (4.37) | 122.9 (4.84) | 114.1 (4.49) | 90.6 (3.57) | 89.4 (3.52) | 93.6 (3.69) | 76.6 (3.02) | 114.2 (4.50) | 114.5 (4.51) | 102.0 (4.02) | 1,262.1 (49.72) |
| Average precipitation days | 21.30 | 17.68 | 18.92 | 17.50 | 16.29 | 15.71 | 17.41 | 17.96 | 15.76 | 19.01 | 20.41 | 18.84 | 216.79 |
| Source 1: Météo climat stats[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Météo Climat[8] | |||||||||||||
The islands have been designated as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International for their significant seabird breeding populations. These include colonies ofmacaroni andsouthern rockhopper penguins,grey-headed andblack-browed albatrosses, andblue petrels.[9]
In 2022, Ricardo Rozzi et al. identified thesubantarctic rayadito (Aphrastura subantarctica) as a new bird species endemic to the Diego Ramírez Islands. Subantarctic rayadito individuals had been formerly identified as belonging to the speciesAphrastura spinicauda (thorn-tailed rayadito).[10]
