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 separates the islands of the Chonos Archipelago from the mainland of Chile and from

Magdalena Island Magdalena may refer to: * Magdalena (given name), a given name derived from Mary Magdalene (including a list of people with the name) Entertainment * Magdalena (comics), an American comic book superheroine * ''Magdalena'' (film), a 1920 Czecho ...

. 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 Benjamin Island (Spanish ''Isla Benjamin'') 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 island information @ WorldIslandInfo.com ...

Traiguen Island Traiguen Island is an island in the Chonos Archipelago of Chile. The geological formation of Traiguén is named after the island. See also * List of islands of Chile This is a list of islands of Chile, as listed by the National Geospatial-Inte ...

Riveros Island Rivero Island (Spanish ''Isla Rivero'') is an island in the Chonos Archipelago 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 closes ...

Cuptana Island Cuptana Island is an island in the Chonos Archipelago of Chile. Other names in NGA are Calcai, Guabtana, and Nevada. See also * List of islands of Chile External links Islands of Chile @ United Nations Environment ProgrammeWorld island informati ...

, 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 Ro ...

Level Island Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...

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. The National park comprises about 106 km². Blue whales can often be seen here. Some groups of islands are grouped into minor archipelagoes such as the Guaitecas Archipelago. 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. 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 (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 re ...

(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. Imprenta Nacional. Most of the archipelago is covered by a more-less open '' Pilgerodendron'' forest with cushion plants such as ''

Astelia pumila ''Astelia pumila'' is a species of flowering plant in the recently named family Asteliaceae. It is an evergreen silver-green perennial from western Patagonia in southern Chile and nearby areas of Argentina. It grows in forests as well as wetland ...

'', '' Donatia fascicularis'' and '' Oreobolus obtusangulus''.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'' 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 transfe ...

South America Pilot
(1916)

References

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