The southwest part of the island, between the Almirantazgo Fjord and the Beagle Channel and extending west to end at Brecknock Peninsula on the Pacific Ocean, is mountainous with a heavily indented coastline, dominated by the Cordillera Darwin.

The name Tierra del Fuego derives from Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first European to visit these lands in 1520, on his voyage to the Philippines from Spain.

He believed he was seeing the many fires (fuego in Spanish) of the Amerindians, which were visible from the sea and that the "Indians" were waiting in the forests to ambush his armada.

These were fires lit by the Yamana Indians who live in the northern part of the island, to ward off the low temperatures in the area.

[a] The British commander Robert Fitzroy, on his first voyage aboard HMS Beagle in 1830, captured four native Fuegians after they stole a boat from his ship.

The surviving three were returned to Tierra del Fuego on the second voyage of Beagle, which included the naturalist Charles Darwin, who made extensive notes about his visit to the islands.

In July 1881 the island was divided between Argentina and Chile, each having previously claimed it entirely during the East Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Strait of Magellan Dispute.

Its epicenter was located in the east of the Chilean Tierra del Fuego Province, close to the Argentine border, at a depth of 30 km (19 mi).

It was felt with grade VIII in the Mercalli intensity scale, and affected the settlements and some others like Punta Arenas and Río Gallegos.

This resulted in positive changes, as the heavy winds and cool summers in the Faroe Islands had not formerly allowed the growth of trees from other regions in the world.

In the Faroe Islands, the imported trees are used ornamentally, as curtains against wind, and for fighting erosion caused by storms and grazing.

Ushuaia is home to the small brewing company Cervecería Fueguina, which produces three beers under the Beagle brand name.