Diego Ramírez Islands
The Diego Ramírez Islands are a small group of Chilean subantarctic islands located at the southernmost extreme of South America. They are surrounded by the Diego Ramirez Islands & [Drake Passage National Park], but the land is owned by the State outside of the park, which is exclusively maritime.
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. 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. Later the rent was transferred to Koenigswerther and Pasinowich.
The Chilean Navy established a meteorological station above Caleta Condell, a small cove on the northeastern side of Isla Gonzalo, in 1957, and resupplies it several times each year. 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 west-southwest of Cape Horn and south-southeast of Ildefonso Islands, stretching north-south. They are divided into a smaller northern group with six islets, and a larger southern group, separated by a passage wide. The two largest islands, Isla Bartolomé and Isla Gonzalo, both lie in the southern group. Águila Islet is the southernmost land of the group, at latitude 56°32'15"S. The islands lie about 350 km north of Sars Bank, a seamount that once may have been an island.Islands
Area data are from the USGS unless otherwise specified.| Island | Area | 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 tundra climate '' with abundant precipitation. Temperatures remain chilly to cool throughout the entire year.Environment
Important Bird Area
The islands have been designated as an Important Bird Area 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.In 2022, Ricardo Rozzi et al. identified the subantarctic rayadito 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.