Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina
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Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur |
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| Province | |||
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| Nickname(s): Fin del Mundo (End of the World) | |||
 Location of Tierra del Fuego Province within Argentina |
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| Country |
 Argentina
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| Capital | Ushuaia | ||
| Departments | 4 | ||
| Local Governments | 5 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Rosana Bertone (PJ/FpV) | ||
| • Deputies | 5 | ||
| • Senators | 3 | ||
| Area Ranked 23rd |
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| • Total | 21,263 km2 (8,210 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 127,205 | ||
| • Rank | 24th | ||
| • Density | 6.0/km2 (15/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | fueguino | ||
| Time zone | ART (UTC−3) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | AR-V | ||
| Website | www |
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Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for "Land of Fire"; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtjera ðel ˈfweɣo]; officially Provincia de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur) is an Argentine province.
The province had been inhabited by indigenous people for more than 12,000 years, since they migrated south of the mainland. It was first discovered by a European in 1520 when spotted by Ferdinand Magellan. Even after Argentina achieved independence, this territory remained under indigenous control until the nation's campaign known as the Conquest of the Desert in the 1870s. After destroying most of the native population in the desert part of Patagonia, Argentina organized this section in 1885 as a territory. European immigration followed due to a gold rush and rapid expansion of sheep farming on large ranches in the area. Tierra del Fuego is the most recent Argentine territory to gain provincial status, which occurred in 1990.
The effective extent of the province is the eastern part of the island of Tierra del Fuego, Isla de los Estados and adjacent islands.
However, Argentina has made a territorial claim over the two British overseas territories of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and over a segment of Antarctica, which overlaps with the British and Chilean claims on that continent. Although Argentina exercises no authority in those territories, other than in Argentine Antarctic bases, nevertheless those territories (known in Argentine Spanish as las Islas del Atlántico Sur and Antártida Argentina respectively) have been nominally included in the province since 1990.
The youngest of the Argentine provinces was first inhabited around 12,000 years ago. When the first Europeans arrived, they encountered a population of about 10,000 indigenous people belonging to four tribes: Yámana, Alakaluf (now known by their autonym of Kawésqar), Selk'nam and Manek'enk (Haush). Within fifty years of discovery, only about 350 natives remained due to high fatalities from the endemic diseases carried by Europeans, such as smallpox and measles, as the natives had no immunity to these new diseases. In addition, in the late 19th century, ranchers and settlers committed genocide against the Selk'nam. The provincial capital city is Ushuaia, from a native word meaning "bay towards the end".
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