Neptune's Needle

330 miles long and 2.5 - 15 miles wide, separating S. Amer. from Tierra del Fuego and other islands to S. Except for a few miles at its E end in Argentina, it passes through Chile. Discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, it was important in the days of sailing ships, esp. before the building of the Panama Canal, and is still used by ships rounding S. Amer. One of the most scenic waterways in the world, it affords an inland passage protected from almost continuous ocean storms. However, the strait is often foggy. The only city on the strait is Punta Arenas (Chile) on Tierra del Fuego.

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Peter Richards