Picton

island, Chile

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

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Picton is an island located at the eastern end of the Beagle Channel in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, at the southern tip of South America. This island, along with Nueva and Lennox islands, was the subject of a territorial dispute between Chile and Argentina that was resolved in 1985, with the islands ultimately awarded to Chile. The Beagle Channel itself forms part of the border between Chile and Argentina in its eastern section. The channel was named after the ship Beagle, on which Charles Darwin explored the region.1

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Beagle Channel
…at the channel’s eastern end, Picton, Nueva, and Lennox islands, were the subject of a territorial dispute between Chile and Argentina that began in the 1840s and which almost led to war between the two countries in 1978. The dispute officially ended on May 2, 1985, when a treaty awarding…
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…at the channel’s eastern end, Picton, Nueva, and Lennox islands, were the subject of a territorial dispute between Chile and Argentina that began in the 1840s and which almost led to war between the two countries in 1978. The dispute officially ended on May 2, 1985, when a treaty awarding…
Read More