Land of Fire Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chile

The archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, found on the southern tip of the continent, is separated from the mainland of South America by the Strait of Magellan. It consists of a large island named Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and a number of smaller islands. The territory is divided between Argentina, the eastern half and Chile the western half.

Answer: Beagle

The Beagle Channel separates the Isla Grande from a number of smaller islands like Picton, Lennox and Nueva, Navarino, Hoste, Londonderry and Stewart. The channel was named after the ship HMS Beagle during its first survey of southern South America from 1826 to 1830. HMS Beagle was to complete three survey expeditions, two to South America and the third to Australia.

Answer: Petroleum

Petroleum and gas extraction make up 20% of the economic output of the Argentine side of the island. Cerro Sombrero is found on the Chilean side of the island, founded by the National Petroleum Company (ENAP) and is the main extraction centre on the island. In 1945, the Springhill No1 oil well on Isla Grande, was the first commercial oil producing deposit for Chile.

Answer: Cape Horn

Cape Horn was named for the Netherlands city Hoorn and is found on the Isla Hornos. It is the Drake Passage's northern boundary. Due to the opening of the Panama canal, few vessels need to navigate the horn and is often just used for recreational and competitive yachting.

Answer: Mount Darwin

Charles Darwin, famous naturalist, joined the second survey of southern South America aboard the ship HMS Beagle and Mount Darwin was named after him by the ship's captain, in commemoration of Darwin's 25th birthday. Mount Darwin forms part of the Cordillera Darwin, a mountain range which forms part of the Andes. It was long thought to be the highest peak in the Andes mountain range, rising up 7,999 ft.

(The photo is of a Galapagos tortoise, to bring Darwin to mind.)

Answer: Argentine Sea

The Rio Grande river extends a total length of 240km. It flows from west to east and empties into the Argentine Sea. The city of Rio Grande sits at the river mouth. The Argentine Sea extends from Uruguay down to Tierra del Fuego and has a surface of approximately a million square kilometres.

It is a highly temperate sea as it receives the cold Falkland Current from the south and the warmer Brazil Current from the north.

Answer: Lighthouse at the End of the World

The Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse is known to the Argentines as the "Lighthouse at the End of the World". It is automated and has electricity supplied to it via solar panels.

Another lighthouse, the San Juan de Salvamento lighthouse, is often incorrectly referred to by the same nickname, due to a Jules Verne novel "The Lighthouse at the End of the World". This lighthouse is found further east on the Isla de los Estados.

Answer: Avenue of Glaciers

The Alberto de Agostini National Park is situated on the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego. The six medium sized glaciers extend from the Cordillera Darwin. The glaciers are named Espaņa, Romanche, Alemania, Italia, Francia and Holanda.

Answer: Flag trees

Temperatures in Tierra del Fuego can average from a maximum of 14 degrees to a minimum of 5 degrees celsius in the Summer months and 4 degrees to -2 degrees in the Winter months. The archipelago has intense winds blowing at an average of 100km/h from a predominantly south/western direction. This has caused the trees to grow with their leaves and branches in a flag/pendant shape.

Answer: Beaver

Both the governments of Argentina and Chile are trying to eradicate the North American beaver from Tierra del Fuego due to the devastation they cause. These rodents were introduced in 1946 to try and establish a fur trading industry. The fact that there are no natural predators on the island has caused the beaver population to remain unchecked for decades.