The passage between South America and Antarctica named after Francis Drake is the Drake Passage.
It separates Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America from the South Shetland Islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. The passage connects the Atlantic and Pacific sectors of the Southern Ocean. Its open-ocean position allows the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to flow around Antarctica without major land barriers.
The passage is named after the English privateer and explorer Francis Drake. His ship, the Golden Hind, entered the Pacific in 1578 after passing south of South America, although Drake’s route was probably farther south than the passage’s modern central area.
The Drake Passage is famous for powerful winds, large waves, and rapidly changing weather. Ships and expedition vessels commonly cross it on voyages to Antarctica. Unlike the Strait of Magellan, it is a broad open-water passage rather than a sheltered channel.