Brunswick Peninsula facts for kids
The Brunswick Peninsula (in Spanish: Península de Brunswick) is a large piece of land in southern Chile. It's located in the Magallanes Region, which is part of Patagonia. This peninsula sits at the very tip of South America.
Exploring the Land
The Brunswick Peninsula has a triangular shape. It connects to the main part of Chile in the north by a narrow strip of land about 16 kilometers (10 miles) wide. As you go south, it gets much wider, almost 80 kilometers (50 miles) across.
The famous Strait of Magellan forms its eastern and southern edges. This strait is a waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. To the west, you'll find the Otway Sound. The peninsula stretches for about 115 kilometers (71 miles) from its base all the way to Cape Froward. Cape Froward is the southernmost point of the entire American mainland! The total area of the peninsula is huge, more than 6,300 square kilometers (2,400 square miles).
Why is it Called Brunswick?
The name Brunswick comes from a city in Germany called Braunschweig. It was once a very important place. In 1815, a leader named Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, fought alongside the Duke of Wellington against Napoleon Bonaparte. He was killed in that battle. To honor him, English explorers gave the name Brunswick to this newly mapped land in South America.
People and Towns
The only city on the Brunswick Peninsula is Punta Arenas. This city is the capital of the Magallanes Region. It's located on the northeast coast, very close to the Straits of Magellan.
Not many people live on the peninsula, and most settlements are found along the east coast. The entire peninsula is managed as one administrative area, which is called the commune (or municipality) of Punta Arenas.
The commune of Punta Arenas also includes several islands to the west of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. These islands are mostly uninhabited. Some of them include Isla Capitán Aracena, Clarence Island, Desolación Island, and Dawson Island. To the northwest, the peninsula borders the commune of Laguna Blanca, and to the northeast, San Gregorio.
