The Strait of Magellan is named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first person to sail across this 350-mile stretch of water in 1520. After crossing the strait, Magellan became the first sailor to complete a circumnavigation of the world. Initially, the strait was named “Strait of All Saints” because Magellan had entered it on All Saints’ Day, but later the Spanish king decided to rename the stretch as a tribute to Magellan. In 1843, the stretch became a part of Chile, and a few years later, the strait’s only port, Punta Arenas, was founded. Until the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, the Strait of Magellan was one of the only routes available for ships to cross from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
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