Governorate of Terra Australis
The Governorate of Terra Australis or Governorate of Pedro Sancho de la Hoz was a Spanish Governorate of the Crown of Castile created in 1539 which was granted to Pedro Sánchez de la Hoz and consisted in all the territories to the south of the Strait of Magellan until the South Pole, and, to the east and west, the borders were the ones specified in the treaties of Tordesillas and Zaragoza, respectively.
Governorate of Terra Australis Gobernación de la Terra Australis | |||||||||||||||
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| 1539–1555 | |||||||||||||||
Flag | |||||||||||||||
Map of the Spanish Governorate of Terra Australis (1539-1555), later it was incorporated into the Governorate of Chile | |||||||||||||||
| Status | Governorate of the Crown of Castile | ||||||||||||||
| Official languages | Spanish | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | Catholicism | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||||||||
• 1539-1540 | Pedro Sancho de la Hoz | ||||||||||||||
• 1540-1553 | Pedro de Valdivia | ||||||||||||||
• 1554-1555 | Jerónimo de Alderete | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Spanish Empire | ||||||||||||||
• Created by Capitulación de Pedro Sancho de la Hoz | 1539 | ||||||||||||||
• Incorporated to the Governorate of Chile | 1555 | ||||||||||||||
| Currency | Escudo | ||||||||||||||
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The geographical knowledge of the time was such that Tierra del Fuego was considered part of the continent of Terra Australis. In 1603, Admiral Gabriel de Castilla, who left Valparaíso to reconnoiter the coasts of Chile, reached the southwest coast, reaching the 64th degree south, discovering the first Antarctic lands, and it was not until 1616 that Cape Horn was discovered.