Juan Fernández Islands
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Juan Fernández Islands Archipiélago Juan Fernández |
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| Special Territory and Commune | ||||||
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The town of San Juan Bautista, Robinson Crusoe Island
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| Coordinates: 33°38′42.5″S 78°49′23.48″W / 33.645139°S 78.8231889°WCoordinates: 33°38′42.5″S 78°49′23.48″W / 33.645139°S 78.8231889°W | ||||||
| Country |
 Chile
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| Region |
 Valparaíso
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| 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) | Felipe Paredes Vergara (PH) | |||||
| Area | ||||||
| • Total | 99.6 km2 (38.5 sq mi) | |||||
| Population (2012 Census) | ||||||
| • Total | 900 | |||||
| • Density | 9.0/km2 (23/sq mi) | |||||
| • Urban | 800 | |||||
| • Rural | 100 | |||||
| Sex | ||||||
| • Men | 536 | |||||
| • Women | 364 | |||||
| Time zone | CLT (UTC-4) | |||||
| • Summer (DST) | CLST (UTC-3) | |||||
| Area code(s) | 56 | |||||
| Currency | Peso (CLP) | |||||
| Website | Juan Fernández Islands | |||||
The Juan Fernández Islands (Spanish: Archipiélago Juan Fernández) are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean. 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. They are considered part of Insular Chile.
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 Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. Most of the archipelago's present-day inhabitants reside on Robinson Crusoe Island, mainly in the capital, San Juan Bautista, at Cumberland Bay on the island's north coast.
The group of islands are part of Chile's Valparaíso Region (which also includes Easter Island), and along with the Desventuradas Islands, form one of the nine communes of Valparaíso Province named Juan Fernández.
Alejandro Selkirk is the largest of the Juan Fernández Islands at 49.5 km2 (19.1 sq mi), and its highest peak, Los Innocentes, is 1,329 m (4,360 ft). The island's population was 57 in 2012. Robinson Crusoe is the second largest island in the archipelago at 47.9 km2 (18 sq mi); its highest peak, El Yunque, is 915 m (3,002 ft). The population of Robinson Crusoe was 843 in 2012. Santa Clara is 2.2 km2 (0.8 sq mi) in area, and reaches a height of 375 m (1,230 ft). Santa Clara is uninhabited. The maximum elevations of Juan Fernandez, 915 m (3,002 ft) for Robinson Crusoe and 1,329 m (4,360 ft) for Alejandro Selkirk, respectively, are high enough to cause the Kármán vortex street, which can be seen from space.
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Wikipedia