The Chonos Archipelago is a series of low, mountainous, elongated islands with deep bays, traces of a submerged

Chilean Coast Range The Chilean Coastal Range ( es, Cordillera de la Costa) is a mountain range that runs from north to south along the Pacific coast of South America parallel to the Andean Mountains, extending from Morro de Arica in the north to Taitao Peninsula, ...

. Most of the islands are forested with little or no human settlement. The deep

Moraleda Channel Moraleda Channel () is a body of water separating the Chonos Archipelago from the mainland of Chile. It is located at , leading to Gulf of Corcovado. Southward from the mouth of the Aisén Fjord, Moraleda Channel divides into two arms. The east a ...

separates the islands of the Chonos Archipelago from the mainland of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and from Magdalena Island. The largest islands are

Melchor Island Melchor Island (Spanish ''Isla Melchor'' also known as ''Meleguen'' in the NGA) is an island in the Chonos Archipelago of Chile. See also * List of islands of Chile External links Islands of Chile @ United Nations Environment ProgrammeWorld isla ...

, Benjamin Island, Traiguen Island, Riveros Island, Cuptana Island, James Island,

Victoria Island Victoria Island ( ikt, Kitlineq, italic=yes) is a large island in the Arctic Archipelago that straddles the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the List of islands by area, eighth-largest island in the world, ...

Simpson Island Simpson Island is an island in Lake Superior, situated off the north shore at the entrance to Nipigon Bay, in Northern Ontario, Canada. It is located about 5 km from the mainland and approximately 13 km southwest of the locality of R ...

, Level Island,

Luz Island Luz ( ''Lūz'') is the name of two places in the Bible. Mentioned in Genesis Luz is the ancient name of a royal Canaanite city, connected with Bethel (Genesis 28:19; 35:6). It is debated among scholarsRashi on 28:17 whether Luz and Bethel repre ...

. Far out in the Pacific is

Guamblin Island __FORCETOC__ Guamblin Island, also known as Socorro Island, Nuestra Señora del Socorro, or Huamblin, is a Chilean island located in the Pacific Ocean. The island is designated as a National Park and is recognized as an Important Bird Area due t ...

with the

Isla Guamblin National Park __FORCETOC__ Guamblin Island, also known as Socorro Island, Nuestra Señora del Socorro, or Huamblin, is a Chilean island located in the Pacific Ocean. The island is designated as a National Park and is recognized as an Important Bird Area due to ...

. The National park comprises about 106 km².

Blue whales The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can b ...

can often be seen here. Some groups of islands are grouped into minor archipelagoes such as the

Guaitecas Archipelago Guaitecas Archipelago is a sparsely populated archipelago in the Aisén region of Chile. The archipelago is made up of eight main islands and numerous smaller ones. The eight largest islands are from northwest to southeast: Gran Guaiteca, Ascenci ...

. The Guaitecas Archipelago has its own municipality and possesses the only settlement in the archipelago,

Melinka Melinka is a Chilean town in Aysén Province, Aysén Region. It is located on Ascención Island and is the administrative center of the commune of Guaitecas since 1979. The town is on a small peninsula off the main island, and shelters a small ...

. All islands are part of the

Aisén Region Aisén or Aysén may refer to: *Aisén (name), an African name for a boy or a girl Places *Aysén, Chile, a commune in Aysén Province *Aysén Region The Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region ( es, Región de Aysén, , '), often ...

. Chonos Archipelago was mapped in the 18th and 19th centuries by

José de Moraleda y Montero José Manuel de Moraleda y Montero (1750 - 1810) was a Spanish naval officer and cartographer known for his explorations of Chiloé and the archipelagos of Patagonia in the late 18th century. During his lifetime he gained a reputation of sorcere ...

(1793),

Robert FitzRoy Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra de ...

(1834) and

Enrique Simpson Enrique Simpson Baeza (Valparaíso, 1835–Valparaíso, May 17, 1901) was a Chilean Navy officer and explorer. Simpson mapped the archipelagoes and coast of Aysén Region onboard of the corvette ''Chacabuco'' in the 1870s. Among his feats is the r ...

(1870–71).Simpson, E. (1874). ''Esploraciones hechas por la Corbeta Chacabuco al mando del capitán de fragata don Enrique M. Simpson en los Archipiélagos de Guaitecas, Chonos i Taitao''.

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. Imprenta Nacional. Most of the archipelago is covered by a more-less open ''

Pilgerodendron ''Pilgerodendron'' is a genus of conifer belonging to the cypress family Cupressaceae. It has only one species, ''Pilgerodendron uviferum'', which is endemic to the Valdivian temperate rain forests and Magellanic subpolar forests of southern Chil ...

'' forest with

cushion plant A cushion plant is a compact, low-growing, mat-forming plant that is found in alpine, subalpine, arctic, or subarctic environments around the world. The term "cushion" is usually applied to woody plants that grow as spreading mats, are limited in ...

s such as '' Astelia pumila'', ''

Donatia fascicularis ''Donatia fascicularis'' is a species of cushion plant in the family Donatiaceae and is closely related to species in the family Stylidiaceae. It is found in the alpine and subalpine regions of western Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. It is the ...

'' and ''

Oreobolus obtusangulus ''Oreobolus obtusangulus'' is a thick cushion grass native to South America. It grows in the highlands of Colombia and Venezuela, alpine wetlands of Central Chile and Neuquén Province of Argentina. Further south it grows at lower elevations incl ...

''.Luebert & Pliscoff, pp. 192–195. In the western fringes of the archipelago a

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

of ''c''. 2 meter high ''Pilgerondendron'' and ''

Nothofagus nitida ''Nothofagus nitida'' (Chiloé's coigue) is an evergreen tree, native to southern Chile and Argentina. It is found from latitude 40° S to Última Esperanza ( 53° S). Description Up to 35 m (115 ft) height and 2 m (6.5 ft ...

'' grows. Amidst this shrubland ocacional peatlands and forest exists.Luebert & Pliscoff, pp. 208–209.

External links

Islands of Chile @ United Nations Environment Programme

World island information @ WorldIslandInfo.com

South America Island High Points above 1000 meters
*

United States Hydrographic Office The United States Hydrographic Office prepared and published maps, charts, and nautical books required in navigation. The office was established by an act of 21 June 1866 as part of the Bureau of Navigation, Department of the Navy. It was transf ...

South America Pilot
(1916)

References

;Bibliography * Ecoregions of Chile Archipelagoes of Chile Islands of Aysén Region Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean {{Aisén-geo-stub