Which strait lies between the southern tip of South America and Tierra del Fuego?

The Strait of Magellan lies between mainland South America and Tierra del Fuego.

It connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through an island-rich route at the southern end of South America. Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition entered the passage in 1520, making it the first European-led voyage to navigate from the Atlantic to the Pacific through this route.

The strait is about 570 kilometres long and is mostly within Chilean territory. Its sheltered waters offered sailing ships an alternative to the stormier route around Cape Horn before the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914.

The Strait of Magellan is different from the Drake Passage, which lies farther south between Cape Horn and Antarctica. It is also distinct from the Beagle Channel, a narrower waterway within the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.