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Diego Ramírez Islands
*Islas Diego Ramírez*
	Map of Diego Ramirez Islands
	Diego Ramírez Islands; Islas Diego Ramírez Location south of the South American Mainland
Geography
Coordinates	56°29′S 68°44′W / 56.483°S 68.733°W
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)
Administration
	Chile
Region	Magallanes y Antártica Chilena
Province	Antártica Chilena
Commune	Cabo de Hornos
Demographics
Population	Chilean Navy station
Additional information
	NGA UFI=-879674

The Diego Ramírez Islands (Spanish: Islas Diego Ramírez) are a small group of Chile's subantarctic islands located in the southernmost extreme of South American and southernmost point in the world, without a human population.

History

The islands were sighted on 12 February 1619 by the Spanish Garcia de Nodal expedition, and named after the cosmographer 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 the South 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?]

The Chilean Navy established a meteorological 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 outside Antarctica. The next most southerly inhabited outpost is the lighthouse of Cape Horn. Cruise ships occasionally pass by on their way to and from Antarctica.

Geography

The islands lie about 105 km (65 mi) west-southwest of Cape Horn and 93 km (58 mi) south-southeast of Ildefonso 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 and Isla Gonzalo, both lie in the southern group. Águila Islet (Islote Águila), the southernmost land of the group, is at latitude and longitude coordinates 56°32'9"S. They lie about 350 km north of Sars Bank, a seamount that once may have been an island.^[5]

View of the Diego Ramirez Islands
The Chilean station on Isla Gonzalo, with the beacon visible at highest point of the island

Islands

Area data are from the USGS 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

Climate

The islands have a polar climate (EF) 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)
Average precipitation 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]

Environment

Important Bird Area

The islands have been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International for their significant seabird breeding populations. These include colonies of macaroni and southern rockhopper penguins, grey-headed and black-browed albatrosses, and blue petrels.^[9]

In 2022, Ricardo Rozzi et al. identified the subantarctic 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 species Aphrastura spinicauda (thorn-tailed rayadito).^[10]

References

^ United States Hydrographic Office, South America Pilot (1916), page 256
^ Dingwall, P.R., ed. (1995). Progress in Conservation of the Subantarctic Islands, p. 107. The World Conservation Union. ISBN 2-8317-0257-7.
^ Octavio Errázuriz Guilisasti and Germán Carrasco Domínguez, Historia de las Relaciones Exteriores de Chile, Arbritaje británico de 1899-1903, Editorial Andrés Bello, 1968, Santiago de Chile, page 93
^ Dingwall (1995), p. 109.
^ Martinic B., Mateo (2019). "Entre el mito y la realidad. La situación de la misteriosa Isla Elizabeth de Francis Drake" [Between myth and reality. The situation of the mysterious Elizabeth Island of Francis Drake]. Magallania (in Spanish). 47 (1): 5–14. doi:10.4067/S0718-22442019000100005. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
^ "Global Island Explorer". rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov. Retrieved 14 Nov 2024.
^ "Moyennes 1981-2010 Chili" (in French). Retrieved 11 November 2019.
^ "Météo Climat stats for Iles Diego Ramirez". Météo Climat. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
^ "Islas Diego Ramírez y Rocas Norte". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
^ Rozzi, Ricardo; Quilodrán, Claudio S.; Botero-Delgadillo, Esteban; Napolitano, Constanza; Torres-Mura, Juan C.; Barroso, Omar; Crego, Ramiro D.; Bravo, Camila; Ippi, Silvina; Quirici, Verónica; Mackenzie, Roy; Suazo, Cristián G.; Rivero-de-Aguilar, Juan; Goffinet, Bernard; Kempenaers, Bart; Poulin, Elie; Vásquez, Rodrigo A. (2022-08-26). "The Subantarctic Rayadito (Aphrastura subantarctica), a new bird species on the southernmost islands of the Americas". Scientific Reports. 12 (1). Springer: 13957. Bibcode:2022NatSR..1213957R. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-17985-4. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 9418250. PMID 36028531.