South American Explorer Map

The South American Explorer Map is designed to appeal especially to passengers on round-South America cruises, from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso, via Cape Horn, and on Chilean Fjords cruises operated as an extension to Antarctic cruises, but will also interest those exploring the region in other ways.

South American History

The rich, colourful, and sometimes violent, history of the region is told by means of an historical time-line and mini-biographies of the explorers and other notable people whose deeds fashioned these lands. Among these were Ferdinand Magellan, a doughty Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain, who was the first to sail through the strait that bears his name, Robert Fitzroy, captain of the ship Beagle during its famous voyage with Charles Darwin, who first charted large parts of southern Chile and Argentin, the 'liberators' Artigas, O'Higgins, and San Martin, the colourful British Admiral Thomas Cochrane who served not only in his own country's navy, but also at various times commanded the navies of Chile, Brazil, and Greece. Cochranes remarkable career included spells as a member of parliament and a year in prison! More recently, leaders such as Juan and Eva Peron of Argentina, and Augusto Pinochet of Chile, have left their mark on these vibrant nations - all detailed in the South American Explorer.

Special features

Other special features include introductory information on native peoples, colour photos and text on the wildlife and a section on glaciers and glacial geology. Many national parks and other protected areas are described, while prominent landmarks and other interesting sites are highlighted, ranging from Peninsula Valdes to Staten Island and Cape Horn, as well as Cabo Froward, the southernmost point of the American continent, and Puerto Williams, the most southerly town in the world. Important cities such as Santiago, Valparaiso, Punta Arenas, Bariloche, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo are described.

Fact boxes feature such topics as German settlement in Chile, the wine-producing areas, railways, gauchos, the tango, and clipper ships.

Sailing Routes

Most ships sailing along the coast of Chile prefer to take the "inland route" among the myriad islands and archipelagos of the Chilean fjords, rather than sail in the unprotected waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. This map identifies and describes many of the points of interest in the fjords, such as the shipwreck at Paso Shoal, several dramatic 'narrows', and Puerto Eden. Primarily intended for visitors who explore the area in ships, the emphasis of this map is on popular landing places and geographical features that are on or near the shore.