Tierra del Fuego (Spanish:[ˈtjeraðelˈfweɣo];Spanish for 'Land of Fire'), officially theProvince of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands (Spanish:Provincia de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur), is the southernmost and least populousArgentine province. The provincial capital city isUshuaia.
Period impression ofHMS Beagle navigating along Tierra del Fuego, 1833
Tierra del Fuego was first settled byindigenous peoples around 12,000 years ago.[contradictory] When the first Europeans arrived, they encountered a population of about 10,000 indigenous people belonging to four tribes:Yámana,Alakaluf (now known by their autonym of Kawésqar),Selkʼnam (Ona) andManekʼenk (Haush).[4]
A member of theSelkʼnam people, 1904. The Selkʼnam, or Ona, who traditionally placed great value on amiability, were the island's most numerous native people until their numbers were reduced by disease andgenocide in the 19th and 20th centuries
Local sheep ranch, 1942. Sheep, the most important part of the economy by the turn of the 20th century, have been eclipsed by the decline in the global wool market and the rise in petroleum extraction
The Amerindians suffered high fatalities fromdiseases (includingmeasles andsmallpox) and the outright warfare waged by ranchers and bounty hunters; by 1916 their population on the island had dropped to only 900.[6][7] In addition, in the late 19th century, ranchers and settlers committedgenocide against the Selkʼnam.[8]
Due to its latitude, the island has a coldoceanic climate.[9] The influences from the surrounding ocean and the predominant winds from the west result in the climate being uniform throughout the province.[10] Mean annual temperatures are low, with winter temperatures averaging close to 0 °C (32 °F) and summer temperatures averaging around 10 °C (50 °F).[9][10] Extreme temperatures range from 27 to 29 °C (81 to 84 °F) to −21 to 16 °C (−6 to 61 °F).[11] The strong westerly winds from thePacific Ocean decrease the perception of the temperature (wind chill).[9] In the extreme south in theBeagle Channel which is surrounded by hills rising above 100 m (330 ft), winds can exceed 100 km/h (62 mph).[9] The windiest months are from September to March.[11] The island averages around 700 mm (28 in) of precipitation per year which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year with a slight maximum in autumn.[10] The lowest are in the extreme north where annual precipitation is around 280 mm (11 in) which increases to 550 mm (22 in) in the central parts of the Beagle Channel.[11] Western parts of the province average around 2,000 mm (79 in) of precipitation a year.[11] Snowfall is abundant throughout the island.[10] Much of this island can be classified as within theMagellanic subpolar forests ecoregion.[12]
According to the 2022 Argentine national census, the Province of Tierra del Fuego has 190,641 inhabitants.[13] Per Argentine census data, the province's population has grown substantially in recent decades, with an average annual growth rate of 3.3% between 2010 and 2022.[14]
Tierra del Fuego has since the 1970s benefited from government subsidies to local industry and from its natural wealth. Its estimated 2006 output of US$2.6 billion gave the province aper capita income of US$25,719, the second highest in Argentina, behindBuenos Aires.[15]
Cerro Castor is the most important ski resort in the province"Train to the End of the World". Operated by the provincial government, is the world's southernmost active railway
There are numerous main newspapers:El Diario del Fin del Mundo,[16]El Sureño,Actualidad TDF, andEl Diario La Prensa,[17] as well as several other minor publications.
^Bridges, E. L. (1948)Uttermost Part of the Earth : Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1948; republished 2008, Overlook PressISBN978-1-58567-956-0
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