What strait at the southern tip of South America did Ferdinand Magellan discover?

The strait at the southern tip of South America associated with Ferdinand Magellan is the Strait of Magellan.

The passage runs through what is now southern Chile, separating mainland South America from the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. It connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through a winding network of channels, narrows, and sheltered waters. For centuries it was one of the few practical sea routes between the two oceans before the Panama Canal opened in 1914.

Magellan’s expedition, sailing in the service of Spain, entered the passage in 1520 during its attempt to reach the Spice Islands from the west. The fleet navigated the strait between October and November, becoming the first Europeans known to do so. Magellan originally called it the Strait of All Saints because the fleet entered it on November 1, All Saints’ Day. Spain later renamed it in his honor.

Calling Magellan its “discoverer” reflects the European exploration tradition, not the absence of earlier human knowledge: Indigenous peoples had long lived around and navigated the region. The route is also easily confused with the Drake Passage around Cape Horn, which is farther south and lies in open, rougher seas.