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Cape Horn
CAPE HORN��is at the southernmost tip of South America, on Isla Hornos (Hoorn Island), part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. It is governed by Chile and the Chilean Navy maintains a station on Hoorn Island, consisting of a residence, utility building, chapel, and lighthouse.��A short distance from the main station is a memorial, including a large sculpture made by Chilean sculptor��Jos�� Balcells��featuring the silhouette of an��albatross, in honour of the sailors who died while attempting to "round the Horn".�� The Dutch navigators Jakob Le Maire and Willem Schouten were the first to sail through CAPE HORN, in 1616. Schouten named the point "Cape Hoorn" after the town of Hoorn in Holland, where he was born. CAPE HORN��marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage and divides the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. For many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. The waters around CAPE HORN��are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and��icebergs; these dangers have made it notorious as a sailors��� graveyard. Several prominent��ocean��yacht races, notably the Volvo��Ocean��Race, the Around Alone (formerly the VELUX 5 Oceans)��and the Vend��e Globe, sail around the world via CAPE HORN, and speed records for round-the-world sailing are recognized for following this route. Despite the opening of the Suez and��Panama��Canals, CAPE HORN��remains part of the fastest sailing route around the world. In 1945 Isla Hornos and some neighbouring islands were officially made a national park. The park is mostly a reserve, uninhabited by people.
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