118-663: Pringle Stokes (23 April 1793 – 12 August 1828) was a British naval officer who served in HMS Owen Glendower on a voyage around Cape Horn to the Pacific coast of South America, and on the West African coast fighting the African slave trade . He then commanded HMS Beagle on its first voyage of exploration in the south Atlantic. After two years in command of the Beagle , depressed by
236-468: A de jure sovereignty over the area. In 1669, the district around Puerto Deseado was explored by John Davis and was claimed in 1670 by Sir John Narborough for King Charles II of England , but the English made no attempt to establish settlements or explore the interior. The first European explorers of Patagonia observed that the indigenous people in the region were taller than the average Europeans of
354-813: A dissected topography . The Antarctic Plate started to subduct beneath South America 14 million years ago in the Miocene, forming the Chile Triple Junction . At first, the Antarctic Plate subducted only in the southernmost tip of Patagonia, meaning that the Chile Triple Junction was located near the Strait of Magellan . As the southern part of the Nazca Plate and the Chile Rise became consumed by subduction,
472-658: A prison hulk to be based at Gibraltar . She then sailed from Chatham for Gibraltar in October with 200 convicts for work on the development of the Dockyard and the construction of a new breakwater there. Among the convicts were some who had run afoul of the restrictive political laws of the time, such as the Tolpuddle Martyrs . Once in Gibraltar, Owen Glendower then served for decades as a convict hulk . In 1876 Gibraltar abolished
590-539: A French privateer cutter had taken his vessel. When the fog lifted, it turned out that the cutter was only a short distance away. The cutter did not surrender until a short cannonade wounded several of her crew. She turned out to be the 16 or 20-gun Indomptable , out of Roscoff , with a crew of 120 or 130 men. She had formerly been the Revenue Cutter Swan , out of Cowes . Selby also retook Roden . Selby died aboard Owen Glendower on 28 March 1811 whilst at
708-513: A Patagonian landscape; the presence of austral parakeets ( Enicognathus ferrugineus ) as far south as the shores of the strait attracted the attention of the earlier navigators, and green-backed firecrowns ( Sephanoides sephaniodes ), a species of hummingbird , may be seen flying amid the snowfall. One of the largest birds in the world, the Andean condor ( Vultur gryphus ) can be seen in Patagonia. Of
826-466: A cargo of fruit. HMS Diana later recaptured Fame . On 26 March Owen Glendower sailed with a convoy for Quebec. On 27 September she sailed with a convoy for the Cape of Good Hope. Then on 1 October Owen Glendower , with Persian in company, was escorting a convoy off The Lizard in thick fog. A master and crew from Roden , one of the vessels in the convoy, came aboard and advised Selby that
944-419: A derivation meaning "land of the big feet". However, this etymology is questionable. The term is most likely derived from an actual character name, "Patagón", a savage creature confronted by Primaleón of Greece, the hero in the homonymous Spanish chivalry novel (or knight-errantry tale ) by Francisco Vázquez. This book, published in 1512, was the sequel of the romance Palmerín de Oliva ;it was much in vogue at
1062-491: A difficult time in January 1828, a member of the expedition said: Neither was Capt. Stokes of a disposition to lay quietly under Cape Providence waiting for fair weather; he was none of your "fair weather Jacks;" but with a resolution and energy hardly to be surpassed, he boldly and fearlessly braved the difficulties which thickened around him; trusting to himself, and having confidence in the skill and seamanship of Lieut. Scholl and
1180-549: A difficult winter at what he named Puerto San Julián before resuming its voyage further south on 21 August 1520. During this time, it encountered the local inhabitants, likely to be Tehuelche people , described by his reporter, Antonio Pigafetta, as giants called Patagons . The territory became the Spanish colony of the Governorate of New Léon, granted in 1529 to Governor Simón de Alcazaba y Sotomayor [ es ] , part of
1298-602: A fact-finding mission to report on the conditions under which Napoleon was living while in captivity. Contemporary accounts stress that Spencer's political affiliations were such that he would have been ready to find fault; instead, his report affirmed that Napoleon was well treated, though Napoleon chose not to grant Spencer an audience. While Owen Glendower was away on this mission, Hardy transferred his flag to Creole . Owen Glendower rounded Cape Horn despite bad weather and arrived in Valparaiso on 22 January 1821. Spencer
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#17328555534471416-620: A fifth of his crew and lost about the same proportion to sickness and desertion. Owen Glendower sailed for South America on 16 November. She arrived in Rio de Janeiro on 19 December after a record 33-day voyage that included a 24-hour stop in Funchal , Madeira . She then sailed for Montevideo and Buenos Aires where Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy was waiting to make her his flagship. She stayed in Buenos Aires for some time, but then sailed to St Helena on
1534-758: A horseriding lifestyle. While the interest of the Spanish Empire had been chiefly to keep other European powers away from Patagonia, independent Chile and Argentina began to colonize the territory slowly over the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This process brought a decline of the indigenous populations, whose lives and habitats were disrupted, while at the same time thousands of Europeans, Argentines, Chilotes and mainland Chileans settled in Patagonia. The contemporary economy of eastern Patagonia revolves around sheep farming and oil and gas extraction, while in western Patagonia fishing , salmon aquaculture , and tourism dominate. The name Patagonia comes from
1652-629: A hunter-gathered lifestyle. The indigenous peoples of the region included the Tehuelches , whose numbers and society were reduced to near extinction not long after the first contacts with Europeans. Tehuelches included the Gununa'kena to the north, Mecharnuekenk in south-central Patagonia, and the Aonikenk or Southern Tehuelche in the far south, north of the Magellan strait. On Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego ,
1770-586: A part of the Los Lagos Region , is also located within Patagonia. By some definitions, Chiloé Archipelago, the rest of the Los Lagos Region, and part of the Los Ríos Region are also part of Patagonia. Patagonia's climate is mostly cool and dry year round. The east coast is warmer than the west, especially in summer, as a branch of the southern equatorial current reaches its shores, whereas the west coast
1888-630: A refit that included rebuilding the stern that Sir Robert Sepping had given her. Spencer then sailed her, with his father, Earl Spencer, to Copenhagen to invest the Danish King with the Order of the Garter . Two or three weeks later she was at Falmouth to determine its longitude. She then sailed to Madeira to determine Funchal's longitude. Owen Glendower then was paid off at Chatham. Another midshipman on Owen Glendower at about this time who later came to be of note
2006-422: A region of steppe -like plains, rising in a succession of 13 abrupt terraces about 100 m (330 ft) at a time, and covered with an enormous bed of shingle almost bare of vegetation. In the hollows of the plains are ponds or lakes of fresh and brackish water. Towards Chilean territory, the shingle gives way to porphyry , granite , and basalt lavas, and animal life becomes more abundant. Vegetation
2124-754: A site for the conservation of marine mammals . The Patagonian freshwater fish fauna is relatively restricted compared to other similar Southern Hemisphere regions. The Argentine part is home to a total of 29 freshwater fish species, 18 of which are native. The introduced are several species of trout , common carp , and various species that originated in more northerly parts of South America. The natives are osmeriforms ( Aplochiton and Galaxias ), temperate perches ( Percichthys ), catfish ( Diplomystes , Hatcheria and Trichomycterus ), Neotropical silversides ( Odontesthes ) and characiforms ( Astyanax , Cheirodon , Gymnocharacinus , and Oligosarcus ). Other Patagonian freshwater fauna include
2242-539: A strict neutrality. Hardy, in Creole , joined Spencer at Valparaiso. Spencer found Andromache off Peru and Shirreff agreed, without a fuss, to return to Britain. Owen Glendower then spent three months off Spanish Peru, during which she visited the Galapagos Islands . One of her midshipmen was Robert FitzRoy , who, as captain of HMS Beagle , would take Charles Darwin there in 1834 . While Owen Glendower
2360-467: A temperature of −25 °C has been recorded in Bariloche, and most places can often have temperatures between −12 and −15 °C and highs staying around 0 °C for a few days. Directly east of these areas, the weather becomes much harsher; precipitation drops to between 150 and 300 mm, the mountains no longer protect the cities from the wind, and temperatures become more extreme. Maquinchao
2478-636: Is a unitary state , its first-level administrative divisions—the regions—enjoy far less autonomy than analogous Argentine provinces. Argentine provinces have elected governors and legislatures, while Chilean regions had government-appointed intendants prior to the adoption of elected governors from 2021. The Patagonian Provinces of Argentina are Neuquén , Río Negro , Chubut , Santa Cruz , and Tierra del Fuego . The southernmost part of Buenos Aires Province can also be considered part of Patagonia. The two Chilean regions undisputedly located entirely within Patagonia are Aysén and Magallanes . Palena Province ,
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#17328555534472596-478: Is a few hundred kilometers east of Bariloche, at the same altitude on a plateau, and summer daytime temperatures are usually about 5 °C warmer, rising up to 35 °C sometimes, but winter temperatures are much more extreme: the record is −35 °C, and some nights not uncommonly reach 10 °C colder than Bariloche. The plateaus in Santa Cruz province and parts of Chubut usually have snow cover through
2714-623: Is a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America , governed by Argentina and Chile . The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords , temperate rainforests , and glaciers in the west and deserts , tablelands , and steppes to the east. Patagonia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and many bodies of water that connect them, such as
2832-497: Is called "Camwy" in Patagonian Welsh. Chupat, Chubut and Camwy have the same meaning and are used to talk about the river and the province. Welsh settlers and placenames are associated with one of the projects of the country of Wales, Project Hiraeth. Due to the language, culture and location, many Patagonians do not consider themselves Latinos and proudly call themselves Patagonians instead. People from Y Wladfa, Laurie Island,
2950-492: Is caused principally by the sudden melting and retreat of ice aided by tectonic changes, has scooped out a deep longitudinal depression, best in evidence where in contact with folded Cretaceous rocks, which are lifted up by the Cenozoic granite. It generally separates the plateau from the first lofty hills, whose ridges are generally called the pre-Cordillera. To the west of these, a similar longitudinal depression extends all along
3068-481: Is more luxuriant, consisting principally of southern beech and conifers . The high rainfall against the western Andes ( Wet Andes ) and the low sea-surface temperatures offshore give rise to cold and humid air masses, contributing to the ice fields and glaciers , the largest ice fields in the Southern Hemisphere outside of Antarctica. Among the depressions by which the plateau is intersected transversely,
3186-637: Is very scarce. The weather only gets a bit colder further south in Chubut, and the city of Comodoro Rivadavia has summer temperatures of 24 to 28 °C, nights of 12 to 16 °C, and winters with days around 10 °C and nights around 3 °C, and less than 250 mm of rain. However, a drastic drop occurs as one moves south to Santa Cruz; Rio Gallegos, in the south of the province, has summer temps of 17 to 21 °C, (nights between 6 and 10 °C) and winter temperatures of 2 to 6 °C, with nights between −5 and 0 °C, despite being right on
3304-454: Is washed by a cold current. However, winters are colder on the inland plateaus east of the slopes and further down the coast on the southeast end of the Patagonian region. For example, at Puerto Montt , on the inlet behind Chiloé Island, the mean annual temperature is 11 °C (52 °F) and the average extremes are 25.5 and −1.5 °C (77.9 and 29.3 °F), whereas at Bahía Blanca near
3422-498: The Beagle on its voyage to Montevideo for repairs. When it arrived there Robert FitzRoy , flag lieutenant of HMS Ganges , was given command. FitzRoy commanded the Beagle on its celebrated second voyage from 1831 to 1836, with the young naturalist Charles Darwin on board. The observations Darwin made contributed to his subsequent development of his theory of natural selection . Many years later, FitzRoy also suffered from depression, and committed suicide in 1865. Pringle Stokes
3540-808: The Cape of Good Hope . Edward Henry A'Court, newly promoted to post-captain on 29 March, took temporary command of Owen Glendower . He then sailed her back to Britain. Captain Bryan Hodgson transferred in July from HMS Barbadoes to replace A'Court as captain. Owen Glendower ' s next cruise was to the East Indies . She was due to leave Portsmouth on 25 September 1811, but adverse winds detained her. She sailed five days later, only to be driven back to Falmouth. Finally, she sailed for India on 20 October. In 1812 she served as flagship for Vice Admiral Sir Samuel Hood in
3658-560: The Cuncos (also known as Veliches) settled in Chiloé Island in Pre-Hispanic times as a consequence of a push from more northern Huilliches who in turn were being displaced by Mapuches . While being outside traditional Huilliche territory the western Patagonian volcanoes Michimahuida , Hornopirén and Chaitén have Huilliche etymologies. In Chubut Province modern toponymy comes from
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3776-769: The Early Holocene (c. 9000 years BP ) much in the same way that Riesco Island was back then. A Selk'nam tradition recorded by the Salesian missionary Giuseppe María Beauvoir relate that the Selk'nam arrived in Tierra del Fuego by land, and that the Selk'nam were later unable to return north as the sea had flooded their crossing. Agriculture was practised in Pre-Hispanic Argentina as far south as southern Mendoza Province . Agriculture
3894-642: The Governorates of the Spanish Empire of the Americas. The territory was redefined in 1534 and consisted of the southernmost part of the South American continent and the islands towards Antarctica. Rodrigo de Isla , sent inland in 1535 from San Matías by Simón de Alcazaba y Sotomayor (on whom western Patagonia had been conferred by Charles I of Spain , is presumed to have been the first European to have traversed
4012-556: The Owen Glendower as senior officer on the west coast of Africa, charged with suppressing the West African slave trade. In one incident Stokes was wounded in a clash between the boat crews of the Owen Glendower and the local people of Fernando Po . On 3 July 1823 he led a party of boats up the New Calabar River , where they found an abandoned schooner that had been loaded with slaves but now only held seven in irons. The schooner
4130-511: The Patagonian mara ( Dolichotis patagonum ) are also characteristic of the steppe and the pampas to the north. The fauna of Patagonia was heavily decimated by the end-Pleistocene extinction event around 12-10,000 years ago that resulted in the extinction of most large ( megafaunal ) animal species native to the region (as well as across the Americas). Species formerly present in the region include
4248-497: The Selk'nam (Ona) and Haush (Manek'enk) lived in the north and southeast, respectively. In the archipelagos to the south of Tierra del Fuego were Yámana, with the Kawéskar (Alakaluf) in the coastal areas and islands in western Tierra del Fuego and the southwest of the mainland. In the Patagonian archipelagoes north of Taitao Peninsula lived the Chonos . These groups were encountered in
4366-719: The Strait of Magellan , the Beagle Channel , and the Drake Passage to the south. The Colorado and Barrancas rivers, which run from the Andes to the Atlantic, are commonly considered the northern limit of Argentine Patagonia. The archipelago of Tierra del Fuego is sometimes included as part of Patagonia. Most geographers and historians locate the northern limit of Chilean Patagonia at Huincul Fault , in Araucanía Region . At
4484-571: The Yagagtoo , Musters , and Colhue Huapi , and others situated to the south of Puerto Deseado in the center of the country. Across much of Patagonia east of the Andes, volcanic eruptions have created formation of basaltic lava plateaus during the Cenozoic . The plateaus are of different ages with the older –of Neogene and Paleogene age– being located at higher elevations than Pleistocene and Holocene lava plateaus and outcrops. Erosion, which
4602-555: The patagon personage in the chivalric romances Primaleon printed in 1512, ten years before Magellan arrived in these southern lands. This hypothesis was published in a 2011 New Review of Spanish Philology report. There are various placenames in the Chiloé Archipelago with Chono etymologies despite the main indigenous language of the archipelago at the arrival of the Spanish being Mapudungun . A theory postulated by chronicler José Pérez García explains this holding that
4720-606: The 40th parallel, they found a "land" or a "point extending into the sea", and further south, a gulf. The expedition is said to have rounded the gulf for nearly 300 km (186 mi) and sighted the continent on the southern side of the gulf. The Atlantic coast of Patagonia was first fully explored in 1520 by the Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan , who on his passage along the coast named many of its more striking features – San Matías Gulf, Cape of 11,000 Virgins (now simply Cape Virgenes ), and others. Magellan's fleet spent
4838-511: The African Station, appointed himself to command the station and transferred to the Owen Glendower . Stokes returned to England. In 1824 Stokes was involved in a dispute over the Spanish slaving schooner Fabiana , which had been captured by the ship's boats under Lieutenant Gray on the Bonny River ten days after Sir Robert Mends died. The opposing view, which apparently prevailed, was that
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4956-652: The Atlantic Islands, Antarctica (including the Chilean town in Antarctica, "The Stars Village", and the Argentine civilian settlement, "Hope Base"), other non-latin speaking areas use this term as a patriotic and inclusive demonym. A Patagonian is a person that is part of the Patagonia region, language and culture. That person could be a citizen from Chilean Patagonia, Argentine Patagonia, or of native communities that existed before
5074-431: The Atlantic coast and just outside the northern confines of Patagonia, the annual temperature is 15 °C (59 °F) and the range much greater, as temperatures above 35 °C and below −5 °C are recorded every year. At Punta Arenas, in the extreme south, the mean temperature is 6 °C (43 °F) and the average extremes are 24.5 and −2 °C (76.1 and 28.4 °F). The prevailing winds are westerly, and
5192-473: The Atlantic coast of Patagonia. The geological limit of Patagonia has been proposed to be Huincul Fault , which forms a major discontinuity. The fault truncates various structures including the Pampean orogen found further north. The ages of base rocks change abruptly across the fault. Discrepancies have been mentioned among geologists on the origin of the Patagonian landmass. Víctor Ramos has proposed that
5310-400: The Atlantic coast, through the Strait of Magellan and northward along the Pacific coast, was memorable, yet the descriptions of the geography of Patagonia owe much more to the Spanish explorer Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1579–1580), who, devoting himself especially to the south-west region, made careful and accurate surveys. The settlements that he founded at Nombre de Jesús and San Felipe
5428-646: The British commander-in-chief in the Baltic, sent a squadron, consisting of the 64-gun third rate Standard , Owen Glendower , three sloops ( Avenger , Ranger , and Rose ), and the gun-brig Snipe . The commander of the squadron was Captain Aiskew Paffard Hollis , captain of Standard . Their objective was to capture the Danish island of Anholt . Anholt was small and essentially barren; its significance rested in
5546-673: The Convict Establishment and Owen Glendower , which had been operating as the convicts' hospital, became a receiving ship. In 1884 she was sold to F. Danino at Gibraltar, for £1036. This article includes data released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported UK: England & Wales Licence, by the National Maritime Museum , as part of the Warship Histories project. Patagonia Patagonia ( Spanish pronunciation: [pataˈɣonja] )
5664-609: The East Indies. In May 1814 off the Nicobar Islands , Owen Glendower captured a U.S. privateer, the 12 or 16-gun vessel Hyder Ally , which had a crew of 30. Hyder Ally was out of Portland, Maine , and under the command of Captain Israel Thorndike . She carried sixteen cannons: twelve 18-pounder carronades, two 18-pounder guns, and two 9-pounder guns. Hyder Ally had already taken three prizes, which she had sent back to
5782-502: The Naval Squadron, landed seamen and marines to occupy the forts on the coast while the army moved against the Ashanti. One of the officers on Owen Glendower during her time with the West Africa Squadron was Cheesman Henry Binstead . He served as an Admiralty Midshipman and later as an acting lieutenant. He is most noted for the diaries that he kept, which detail life on the squadron. They record frustrations, slave ships chased and captured, fears of attack and imprisonment, impressions of
5900-438: The Patagonian landmass originated as an allochthonous terrane that separated from Antarctica and docked in South America 250 to 270 Mya in the Permian period. A 2014 study by R.J. Pankhurst and coworkers rejects any idea of a far-traveled Patagonia, claiming it is likely of parautochtonous (nearby) origin. The Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits have revealed a most interesting vertebrate fauna. This, together with
6018-422: The Patagonian plains. The Patagonian steppe is one of the last strongholds of the guanaco and Darwin's rheas ( Rhea pennata ), which had been hunted for their skins by the Tehuelches , on foot using boleadoras , before the diffusion of firearms and horses ; they were formerly the chief means of subsistence for the natives, who hunted them on horseback with dogs and bolas . Vizcachas ( Lagidum spp.) and
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#17328555534476136-439: The Spanish slave schooner Concheta . Returning to Africa following an outbreak of yellow fever , Mends defended the Cape Coast against the threatened attack by the Ashanti . It was during this operation that he fell ill with cholera. He died three days later on 4 September. On 5 September the boats of the Owen Glendower seized the Spanish slave schooner Fabiana . Lieutenant Pringle Stokes temporarily took command of
6254-416: The Standard's Royal Marines . The Danes put up a short, ineffective resistance that killed one British marine and wounded two. Still, on 18 May the Danish garrison of 170 men surrendered, giving the British immediate possession of the island. From late 1809 Owen Glendower operated in the Channel. On 10 March 1810, she came upon a French privateer lugger while her crew was boarding a schooner. Selby chased
6372-486: The US. (The British later retook all three. Earlier, Hyder Ally had escaped after being chased for three days by Salsette . Owen Glendower cruised the East Indies, stopping at such places as the Malacca Roads (21 August), Madras (29 August 1815), Penang and China, Trincomalee , and the like. She returned to England in the spring of 1816 and was laid up in May at Chatham. Between March 1817 and May 1819, Owen Glendower underwent major repairs at Chatham. She then
6490-480: The border with Chile, receives up to 434 mm of rain and snow in May, 297 mm in June, and 273 in July, compared to 80 in February and 72 in March. The total for the city is 2074 mm, making it one of the rainiest in Argentina. Further west, some areas receive up to 4,000 mm and more, especially on the Chilean side. In the northeast, the seasons for rain are reversed; most rain falls from occasional summer thunderstorms but totals barely reach 500 mm in
6608-592: The coast in the north but happens more often in the south, and frost is usually not very intense. Immediately east from the coast are the Andes, cut by deep fjords in the south and by deep lakes in the north, and with varying temperatures according to the altitude. The tree line ranges from close to 2,000 m on the northern side (except for the Andes in northern Neuquén in Argentina, where sunnier and dryer conditions allow trees to grow up to close to 3,000 m), and diminishes southward to only 600–800 m in Tierra del Fuego. Precipitation changes dramatically from one spot to
6726-420: The coast. Snowfall is common despite the dryness, and temperatures are known to fall to under −18 °C and to remain below freezing for several days in a row. Rio Gallegos is also among the windiest places on Earth, with winds reaching 100 km/h occasionally. Tierra del Fuego is extremely wet in the west, relatively damp in the south, and dry in the north and east. Summers are cool (13 to 18 °C in
6844-491: The coastline of Patagonia is possibly mentioned in a Portuguese voyage in 1511–1512, traditionally attributed to captain Diogo Ribeiro, who after his death was replaced by Estevão de Frois, and was guided by the pilot and cosmographer João de Lisboa ). The explorers, after reaching Rio de la Plata (which they would explore on the return voyage, contacting the Charrúa and other peoples) eventually reached San Matias Gulf , at 42°S. The expedition reported that after going south of
6962-416: The complex of channels and islands around Tierra del Fuego . The two ships left Montevideo on 19 November 1826, and surveyed the coasts of southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego around the Strait of Magellan until April 1827, returning to Rio Janeiro in June 1827. Stokes entered the Santa Cruz River and recorded the Isla Pavón , about 54 kilometres (34 mi) from the river's mouth. Pringle Stokes
7080-537: The details of which are as yet poorly understood. Several sites have been excavated, notably caves such as Cueva del Milodon in Última Esperanza in southern Patagonia, and Tres Arroyos on Tierra del Fuego, that support this date. Hearths, stone scrapers, and animal remains dated to 9400–9200 BC have been found east of the Andes. At the close of the Pleistocene around 12-11,000 years ago (10,000-9,000 BC) Fishtail projectile points (a type of knapped stone spear point) were widespread across Patagonia (along with much of
7198-405: The discovery of the perfect cranium of a turtle ( chelonian ) of the genus Niolamia , which is almost identical to Ninjemys oweni of the Pleistocene age in Queensland , forms an evident proof of the connection between the Australian and South American continents. The Patagonian Niolamia belongs to the Sarmienti Formation. Fossils of the mid-Cretaceous Argentinosaurus , which may be
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#17328555534477316-552: The dreariness and utter desolation of the scene, even the birds seemed to shun its neighbourhood. The weather was that in which... "the soul of man dies in him." When the ship returned to Port Famine on 27 July 1828, Stokes had not left his cabin for four weeks. Lieutenant William Skyring, the assistant surveyor, had in effect taken command. On 1 August 1828 Stokes shot himself. The bullet remained within his skull, but Stokes remained conscious and coherent. Gangrene set in, and Stokes finally died on 12 August 1828. William Skyring commanded
7434-399: The first periods of European contact with different lifestyles, body decoration, and language, although it is unclear when this configuration emerged. Towards the end of the 16th century, Mapuche -speaking agriculturalists penetrated the western Andes and from there across into the eastern plains and down to the far south. Through confrontation and technological ability, they came to dominate
7552-408: The foot of the snowy Andean Cordillera. This latter depression contains the richest, most fertile land of Patagonia. Lake basins along the Cordillera were also gradually excavated by ice streams, including Lake Argentino and Lake Fagnano , as well as coastal bays such as Bahía Inútil . The establishment of dams near the Andes in Argentina in the 20th century has led to a sediment shortage along
7670-449: The great Patagonian plain. If the men under his charge had not mutinied, he might have crossed the Andes to reach the Pacific coast. Pedro de Mendoza , on whom the country was next bestowed, founded Buenos Aires , but did not venture south. Alonso de Camargo [ es ] (1539), Juan Ladrilleros (1557), and Hurtado de Mendoza (1558) helped to make known the Pacific coasts, and while Sir Francis Drake 's voyage in 1577 down
7788-457: The harsh winter conditions of the Strait of Magellan , he committed suicide . Pringle Stokes was born on 23 April 1793, son of Charles and Elizabeth Stokes. He was baptized at Chertsey on 2 May 1793. At the age of twelve, on 5 June 1805 he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman in HMS Ariadne . Stokes served as a lieutenant on board the frigate HMS Owen Glendower , which left England for South America in November 1819. Robert FitzRoy , who
7906-678: The highly unusual aeglid crustaceans. Human habitation of the region dates back thousands of years, with some early archaeological findings in the area dated to at least the 13th millennium BC , although later dates around the 10th millennium BC are more securely recognized. Evidence exists of human activity at Monte Verde in Llanquihue Province , Chile, dated to around 14,500 years Before Present (~12,500 BC). The glacial-period ice fields and subsequent large meltwater streams would have made settlement difficult at that time. The region seems to have been inhabited continuously since 10,000 BC by various cultures and alternating waves of migration,
8024-467: The indigenous African people, and effects of ill-health and fever on the ship's men. When Owen Glendower finally returned to England, Binstead was one of the few of her original crew to have survived. From October 1824 to February 1825, Owen Glendower was back at Chatham, undergoing refitting. There Captain Hood Hanway Christian commissioned her for the Africa station, where he would serve as commodore. From early 1825 to early 1827, Owen Glendower
8142-404: The land was divided by The Boundary Treaty of 1881 . Patagonia is divided between Western Patagonia (Chile) and Eastern Patagonia (Argentina) and several territories are still under dispute and claiming their rights. Mapuche people came from the Chilean Andes and voted to remain in different sides of Patagonia. Welsh settlers came from Wales and North America and voted to remain in Patagonia; when
8260-430: The large cow-sized ground sloth Mylodon , the large camel-like ungulate Macrauchenia , indigenous equines belonging to the genus Hippidion , the giant short-faced bear Arctotherium , and the large sabertooth cat Smilodon . The extinct fox Dusicyon avus (a close relative of the Falkland Islands wolf ) also formerly inhabited the region, until apparently becoming extinct around 500-400 years ago. Patagonia
8378-416: The largest of all dinosaurs, have been found in Patagonia, and a model of the mid- Jurassic Piatnitzkysaurus graces the concourse of the Trelew airport (the skeleton is in the Trelew paleontological museum; the museum's staff has also announced the discovery of a species of dinosaur even bigger than Argentinosaurus ). Of more than paleontological interest, the middle Jurassic Los Molles Formation and
8496-515: The lighthouse that stood on its easternmost point. The Danes had extinguished it at the outbreak of hostilities between Britain and Denmark; the point of capturing the island was to restore the lighthouse to its function to assist British men-of-war and merchantmen in the Kattegat . The task force landed a party of seamen and marines, under the command of Selby, assisted by Captain Edward Nicolls of
8614-467: The lugger for one and half hours. The lugger resisted until she was half full of water and had had two men killed and three wounded out of her crew of 58. She turned out to be Camille , armed with only six of the fourteen guns she carried, having stored eight in her hold. She had sailed from Cherbourg only six hours earlier and had already captured the English schooner Fame , of London, William Proper, master, which had been sailing from Lisbon to London with
8732-542: The many kinds of waterfowl the Chilean flamingo ( Phoenicopterus chilensis ), the upland goose ( Chloephaga picta ), and in the strait, the remarkable steamer ducks are found. Signature marine fauna include the southern right whale , the Magellanic penguin ( Spheniscus magellanicus ), the killer whale , and elephant seals . The Valdés Peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage Site , designated for its global significance as
8850-927: The more northerly regions of the Antarctic Plate began to subduct beneath Patagonia so that the Chile Triple Junction advanced to the north over time. The asthenospheric window associated to the triple junction disturbed previous patterns of mantle convection beneath Patagonia inducing an uplift of c. 1 km that reversed the Miocene transgression. At a state level, Patagonia visually occupies an area within two countries: approximately 10% in Chile and approximately 90% in Argentina . Both countries have organized their Patagonian territories into nonequivalent administrative subdivisions: provinces and departments in Argentina, as well as regions , provinces , and communes in Chile. As Chile
8968-515: The negotiations resulted in the formation of the Republic of Peru . Owen Glendower sailed for home with freight worth about £400,000. Off the Azores they encountered an American ship from Smyrna that had exhausted its food and water. Spencer provided some and told them that they were only a few hours away from Flores . Owen Glendower arrived at Spithead on 19 January 1822. Owen Glendower underwent
9086-448: The north, 12 to 16 °C in the south, with nights generally between 3 and 8 °C), cloudy in the south, and very windy. Winters are dark and cold, but without the extreme temperatures in the south and west ( Ushuaia rarely reaches −10 °C, but hovers around 0 °C for several months, and snow can be heavy). In the east and north, winters are much more severe, with cold snaps bringing temperatures down to −20 °C all
9204-411: The northeast corner, and rapidly decrease to less than 300 mm. The Patagonian west coast, which belongs exclusively to Chile, has a cool oceanic climate, with summer maximum temperatures ranging from 14 °C in the south to 19 °C in the north (and nights between 5 and 11 °C) and very high precipitation, from 2,000 to more than 7,000 mm in local microclimates. Snow is uncommon at
9322-476: The other and diminishes very quickly eastward. An example of this is Laguna Frías, in Argentina, which receives 4,400 mm yearly. The city of Bariloche, about 40 km further east, receives about 1,000 mm, and the airport, another 15 km east, receives less than 600 mm. The easterly slopes of the Andes are home to several Argentine cities: San Martín de los Andes , Bariloche, El Bolsón , Esquel , and El Calafate . Temperatures there are milder in
9440-428: The other officers, he vainly endeavored to reach the western entrance, and was constantly driven back, exposed as we were to the heavy swell of the great Pacific, which rolled in upon us with unabated violence ... on the morning of the 31st January the wind howling around us, and the atmosphere dense and cheerless, we put to sea. During the day we tacked nearly thirty times, and when within ten miles of Westminster Island,
9558-532: The other peoples of the region in a short period of time, and are the principal indigenous community today. Navigators such as Gonçalo Coelho and Amerigo Vespucci possibly had reached the area (his own account of 1502 has it that they reached the latitude 52°S), but Vespucci's failure to accurately describe the main geographical features of the region such as the Río de la Plata casts doubts on whether they really did so. The first or more detailed description of part of
9676-801: The principal ones are the Gualichu , south of the Río Negro , the Maquinchao and Valcheta (through which previously flowed the waters of Nahuel Huapi Lake , which now feed the Limay River), the Senguerr (spelled Senguer on most Argentine maps and within the corresponding region), and the Deseado River . Besides these transverse depressions (some of them marking lines of ancient interoceanic communication), others were occupied by either more or less extensive lakes, such as
9794-458: The region, apparently hunting of guanaco, and to a lesser extent rhea ( ñandú ), were the primary food sources of tribes living on the eastern plains. It is also not clear if domestic dogs were part of early human activity. Bolas are commonly found and were used to catch guanaco and rhea . A maritime tradition existed along the Pacific coast, whose latest exponents were the Yaghan (Yámana) to
9912-451: The rest of South America). At several sites these points have been found associated with extinct megafauna, including the large ground sloth Mylodon and the native equine Hippidion . The Cueva de las Manos is a famous site in Santa Cruz, Argentina. This cave at the foot of a cliff is covered in wall paintings, particularly the negative images of hundreds of hands, believed to date from around 8000 BC. Based on artifacts found in
10030-406: The scene around us. The lofty, bleak, and barren heights that surround the inhospitable shores of this inlet, were covered, even low down their sides, with dense clouds, upon which the fierce squalls that assailed us beat, without causing any change... Around us, and some of them distant no more than two-thirds of a cable's length, were rocky inlets, lashed by a tremendous surf; and, as if to complete
10148-672: The ship wounded. Thereafter the vessel visited ports along the coast where the Ashanti might have been taking refuge. A letter dated 16 March 1824 from Major J. Chisholm, administrator of the colonial government and commander of the British troops on the Gold Coast, praised Owen Glendower and Captain Woolcombe for her role in suppressing unrest and possible insurrection at Elmina . On 19 May 1824 Owen Glendower , under Captain Prickett, who also commanded
10266-467: The ship's boats had been dispatched under the orders of Sir Robert Mends, whose estate would be entitled to the prize money. In May 1824 Stokes was promoted to commander. The Beagle was built in 1819 in Woolwich . She was a relatively small ship of 235 tons, barque -rigged. Pringle Stokes commissioned her around the end of 1825. It was said of Stokes when he was appointed to command the Beagle "though he
10384-420: The ship. Hearing of the death of Sir Robert Mends, Commander John Filmore , who had recently arrived on the African Station, appointed himself to command the station and transferred to the Owen Glendower . On 8 February 1824 marines from Owen Glendower defended Cape Coast Castle following the Ashanti defeat of government forces: two marines and a Krooman were killed and two marines and five seamen from
10502-679: The singular mammal Pyrotherium , also of very large dimensions. In the Cenozoic marine formation, considerable numbers of cetaceans have been discovered. During the Oligocene and early Miocene , large swathes of Patagonia were subject to a marine transgression , which might have temporarily linked the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as inferred from the findings of marine invertebrate fossils of both Atlantic and Pacific affinity in La Cascada Formation . Connection would have occurred through narrow epicontinental seaways that formed channels in
10620-560: The south of Tierra del Fuego, the Kaweshqar between Taitao Peninsula and Tierra del Fuego, and the Chono people in the Chonos Archipelago . The Selk'nam , Haush , and Tehuelche are generally thought to be culturally and linguistically related peoples physically distinct from the sea-faring peoples. It is possible that Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego was connected to the mainland in
10738-674: The still richer late Jurassic ( Tithonian ) and early Cretaceous ( Berriasian ) Vaca Muerta formation above it in the Neuquén basin are reported to contain huge hydrocarbon reserves (mostly gas in Los Molles, both gas and oil in Vaca Muerta) partly accessible through hydraulic fracturing . Other specimens of the interesting fauna of Patagonia, belonging to the Middle Cenozoic, are the gigantic wingless birds, exceeding in size any hitherto known, and
10856-494: The summer (in the north, between 20 and 24 °C, with cold nights between 4 and 9 °C; in the south, summers are between 16 and 20 °C, at night temperatures are similar to the north) and much colder in the winter, with frequent snowfall (although snow cover rarely lasts very long). Daytime highs range from 3 to 9 °C in the north, and from 0 to 7 °C in the south, whereas nights range from −5 to 2 °C everywhere. Cold waves can bring much colder values;
10974-419: The time of the Spanish arrival , Patagonia was inhabited by multiple indigenous tribes. In a small portion of northwestern Patagonia, indigenous peoples practiced agriculture, while in the remaining territory, peoples lived as hunter-gatherers, traveling by foot in eastern Patagonia or by dugout canoe and dalca in the fjords and channels . In colonial times indigenous peoples of northeastern Patagonia adopted
11092-569: The time, and a favorite reading of Magellan. Magellan's perception of the natives, dressed in skins, and eating raw meat, clearly recalled the uncivilized Patagón in Vázquez's book. Novelist and travel writer Bruce Chatwin suggests etymological roots of both Patagon and Patagonia in his book, In Patagonia , noting the similarity between "Patagon" and the Greek word παταγος, which means "a roaring" or "gnashing of teeth" (in his chronicle, Pigafetta describes
11210-446: The time, prompting some of them to believe that Patagonians were giants. According to Antonio Pigafetta, one of the Magellan expedition's few survivors and its published chronicler, Magellan bestowed the name Patagão (or Patagón ) on the inhabitants they encountered there, and the name "Patagonia" for the region. Although Pigafetta's account does not describe how this name came about, subsequent popular interpretations gave credence to
11328-469: The treaty was signed, they voted for culture and administration to be apart from the country keeping the settlement, language, schools, traditions, regional dates, flag, anthems, and celebrations. Patagonians also live abroad in settlements like Saltcoats, Saskatchewan , Canada; New South Wales , Australia; South Africa; the Falkland Islands; and North America. Argentine Patagonia is for the most part
11446-463: The way to the Rio Grande on the Atlantic coast. Snow can fall even in the summer in most areas, as well. The guanaco ( Lama guanicoe ), South American cougar ( Puma concolor concolor ), the Patagonian fox ( Lycalopex griseus ), Patagonian hog-nosed skunk ( Conepatus humboldtii ), and Magellanic tuco-tuco ( Ctenomys magellanicus ; a subterranean rodent ) are the most characteristic mammals of
11564-462: The western coasts, between the Strait of Magalhaens and latitude 47° south, or as much of those dangerous and exposed shores as he could examine". He was to return to Port Famine by the end of July. Conditions were extremely difficult. The narrow rocky channels were uncharted. There were racing tides, storms and blizzards, and overcast skies or fog that made astronomical observations impossible. Describing
11682-440: The westward slope has a much heavier precipitation than the eastern in a rainshadow effect; the western islands close to Torres del Paine receive an annual precipitation of 4,000 to 7,000 mm, whilst the eastern hills are less than 800 mm and the plains may be as low as 200 mm annual precipitation. Precipitation is highly seasonal in northwestern Patagonia. For example, Villa La Angostura in Argentina, close to
11800-408: The wind blew with redoubled violence. The evening began to close in: still we dashed on and still were driven back; the sea broke over the vessel many times, and she laboured very much, and oftentimes was buried in the deep trough of the sea... After two years of stressful and dangerous work, Stokes became increasingly depressed. In June 1828 he wrote in his journal: Nothing could be more dreary than
11918-615: The winter, and often experience very cold temperatures. In Chile, the city of Balmaceda is known for being situated in this region (which is otherwise almost exclusively in Argentina), and for being the coldest place in Chile. In 2017, temperatures even dropped down to −20 °C in the region. The northern Atlantic coast has warm summers (28 to 32 °C, but with relatively cool nights at 15 °C) and mild winters, with highs around 12 °C and lows about 2–3 °C. Occasionally, temperatures reach −10 or 40 °C, and rainfall
12036-550: The word patagón . Magellan used this term in 1520 to describe the native tribes of the region, whom his expedition thought to be giants. The people he called the Patagons are now believed to have been the Tehuelche , who tended to be taller than Europeans of the time. Argentine researcher Miguel Doura observed that the name Patagonia possibly derives from the ancient Greek region of modern Turkey called Paphlagonia , possible home of
12154-466: The word "chupat" belonging to a transitional language between the southern and northern Tehuelche ethnic groups that were located in that region called Tewsün or Teushen. The word means transparency and is related to the clarity and purity of the river that bears that name and runs through the province. It is also related to the origin of the Welsh pronunciation of the word "chupat" which later became "Chubut". It
12272-670: Was Richard Brydges Beechey . He would go on to reach the rank of rear admiral. He was also a painter, and son and brother of painters. In October 1821, the Admiralty appointed Captain Sir Robert Mends to the West Africa Squadron as commodore and senior officer on the west coast of Africa, to be employed in the suppression of the slave trade. He commissioned Owen Glendower in November 1822. On 16 June 1823, Owen Glendower seized
12390-830: Was a Royal Navy 36-gun fifth-rate Apollo -class frigate launched in 1808 and disposed of in 1884. In between she was instrumental in the seizure of the Danish island of Anholt , captured prizes in the Channel during the Napoleonic Wars , sailed to the East Indies and South America, participated in the suppression of the slave trade , and served as a prison hulk in Gibraltar before she was sold in 1884. Captain William Selby, late of Cerberus , took command of Owen Glendower in January 1809. Early in May 1809, Vice-admiral Sir James Saumarez ,
12508-487: Was at Callao , the Chilean fleet attacked the port. However, Cochrane's forces were not strong enough and he was forced to retire. During the attack, Spencer moved Owen Glendower to expose a Chilean vessel that had tried to take cover behind her. Blockade succeeded where force had not, and Spain entered into negotiations with the rebels. The negotiations took place on Owen Glendower . These negotiations continued after Spencer's recall and were completed on board Conway ;
12626-411: Was at times practised beyond this limit in nearby areas of Patagonia but populations reverted at times to non-agricultural lifestyles. By the time of the Spanish arrival to the area (1550s) there is no record of agriculture being practised in northern Patagonia. The extensive Patagonian grasslands and an associated abundance of guanaco game may have contributed for the indigenous populations to favour
12744-460: Was based at the Cape of Good Hope. On 10 March 1826, 19 sailors from Owen Glendower drowned in a boating accident at Simon's Bay when her pinnace swamped. After another trip to England via St Helena, she was paid off at Chatham in July. Between December 1828 and December 1829, Owen Glendower was at Chatham, again undergoing repairs. In March 1842 Owen Glendower was in Chatham, being fitted as
12862-454: Was being held. Spencer commanded the ship on its journey round Cape Horn to Valparaíso in Chile, arriving in January 1821. The ship remained in Pacific waters off Chile and Peru until October 1821, when it sailed from Valparaiso, rounded the Horn again in rough weather, and returned to England via Rio de Janeiro, arriving in January 1822. In November 1822 Captain Sir Robert Mends took command of
12980-798: Was buried at the "English Cemetery", two miles from Port Famine. His gravestone is now displayed in the Museo Salesiano in Punta Arenas , about 40 miles (64 km) distant. Captain Phillip Parker King used Stokes' journal in preparing his official report of the voyage, but glossed over the suicide. In 2009 the State Library of New South Wales bought the remainder of Stokes' handwritten journal (parts had been eaten by rats) for AU$ 200,000. Notes Citations Sources HMS Owen Glendower (1808) HMS Owen Glendower (or Owen Glendour )
13098-567: Was fitted for sea between June and October. Captain the Honorable Robert Cavendish Spencer took command of Owen Glendower in August 1819. He brought with him nearly all the officers and 18 young gentlemen from his previous command, Ganymede . Owen Glendower was nominally ready for sea, but Spencer found the reality less compelling. He therefore spent two and a half months re-rigging and re-fitting. He also discharged about
13216-462: Was formerly inhabited by the jaguar subspecies Panthera onca mesembrina (which is considerably larger than living jaguars) during the Pleistocene, with jaguars continuing to inhabit Patagonia into historic times (until the late 19th century), but are now extirpated from the region. Bird life is often abundant. The crested caracara ( Caracara plancus ) is one of the characteristic aspects of
13334-541: Was neglected by the Spanish government, the latter being abandoned before Thomas Cavendish visited it in 1587 during his circumnavigation , and so desolate that he called it Port Famine . After the discovery of the route around Cape Horn, the Spanish Crown lost interest in southern Patagonia until the 18th century, when the coastal settlements Carmen de Patagones, San José, Puerto Deseado, and Nueva Colonia Floridablanca were established, although it maintained its claim of
13452-575: Was not practised in professional science, he had been studying in Edinburgh to attain mathematics, and he was moreover an indomitable seaman." On 22 May 1826 the Beagle left Plymouth along with the larger HMS Adventure under the overall command of Captain Phillip Parker King on a voyage of exploration of the southern coast of South America. The two ships were to chart the coasts between Montevideo and Chiloé Island , with particular attention to
13570-481: Was objective in the way in which he described the Fuegians whom he first met in 1827, unusually for a European of his time. He blamed their primitive condition on the rigors of the climate. In December that year the two ships sailed south again, this time accompanied by a schooner named Adelaide , and in January 1828 made their base at Port Famine ( Puerto del Hambre ). From there, Stokes was directed to "proceed to survey
13688-418: Was to take command of the Beagle after Stokes died, also served on the Owen Glendower on this voyage. He had joined the ship as a college volunteer in 1819, aged fourteen. The young FitzRoy and Stokes, who was in his late twenties, would have become acquainted on the two-year voyage. The Owen Glendower visited Saint Helena in October 1820 to report on the conditions in which the former Emperor Napoleon
13806-517: Was under orders to find Captain William Henry Shirreff of Andromache , who was a close friend of Lord Cochrane . (Cochrane was commander of the insurgent Chilean Navy in the fight for Chile's independence form Spain). Shirreff had ignored three previous recall messages and Spencer's orders were to arrest Shirreff if he continue to prove recalcitrant. The reason behind the recall was that Spain had complained that Shirreff had not maintained
13924-420: Was wrecked when the pilot ran it aground two days later. The Chief of New Calabar River sent the schooner's cargo of 184 slaves out to the Owen Glendower , which took them as far as Cape Coast before landing them. Sir Robert Mends died at Cape Coast on 4 September 1823. Stokes temporarily took command of the ship. Hearing of the death of Sir Robert Mends, Commander John Filmore , who had recently arrived on
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