What strait at the southern tip of South America was named after a Portuguese explorer?

The strait at the southern tip of South America named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is the Strait of Magellan.

This navigable passage separates mainland South America from the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through southern Chile. Magellan’s Spanish-sponsored expedition entered it on November 1, 1520, during the first circumnavigation of the Earth.

Magellan originally called it the Strait of All Saints because the passage was entered on All Saints’ Day. Spain’s King Charles V later renamed it in Magellan’s honor. The explorer also gave Tierra del Fuego its name after seeing fires lit by Indigenous inhabitants along the shore.

A common mix-up is the Drake Passage, which lies farther south between Cape Horn and Antarctica. Unlike the exposed Drake Passage, the Strait of Magellan offered early sailing ships a comparatively sheltered route, although its narrow channels, winds, tides, and unpredictable weather still made navigation difficult.