Juan Fernández Islands
The Juan Fernández Islands (Spanish: Archipiélago Juan Fernández) are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated 670 km (362 nmi; 416 mi) off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic islands: Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk and Santa Clara. The group is part of Insular Chile.
Juan Fernández Islands
Archipiélago Juan Fernández | |
|---|---|
Special Territory and Commune | |
The town of San Juan Bautista, Robinson Crusoe Island | |
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Flag Coat of arms Juan Fernández Islands | |
| Coordinates: 33°38′29″S 78°50′28″W | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Valparaíso |
| Province | Valparaíso |
| Discovered | 22 November 1574 |
| Colony status | 1895 |
| Commune created | 21 September 1979 |
| Special territory status | 30 July 2007 |
| Named for | Juan Fernández |
| Capital | San Juan Bautista |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Alcalde (Mayor) | Pablo Andrés Manríquez Angulo (Ind.) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 99.6 km2 (38.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,268 m (4,160 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census) | |
| • Total | 900 |
| • Density | 9.0/km2 (23/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 800 |
| • Rural | 100 |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 536 |
| • Women | 364 |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (CLT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (CLST) |
| Area code | 56 |
| Currency | Peso (CLP) |
| Website | Juan Fernández Islands |
The islands are primarily known for having been the home to the marooned sailor Alexander Selkirk for more than four years from 1704, which may have inspired English writer Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. Most of the archipelago's present-day inhabitants reside on Robinson Crusoe Island, and mainly in the capital, San Juan Bautista, located at Cumberland Bay on the island's north coast.
The group of islands is part of Chile's Valparaíso Region (which also includes Easter Island) and, along with the Desventuradas Islands, forms one of the nine communes of Valparaíso Province. The islands are named after Juan Fernández, the explorer who discovered them in the 1570s.