At the southernmost edge of the inhabited world lies a trio of straits, the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle Channel, and the Drake Passage, the only natural gateways between the world's two largest oceans. Together, we'll learn about the history of these three southern straits: their geologic origins, the people who've crossed them through the ages, their importance in the world's economy and culture, and even how they've reshaped the ocean itself. Let's Explore!

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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:29 Geographic overview
2:09 Geologic history
2:51 Human history
6:41 The Straits today
7:29 Bridge/tunnel?
7:56 Conclusion

NOTE: The flag of the Netherlands used at 4:31 is supposed to be the Statenvlag, used by the Netherlands from the mid 17th century, but the actual flag may have actually been a darker shade of blue (the colors were only standardized in the 20th century with the dark blue we see today). Either way, the Orangewhiteblue Prinzenvlag would have been more appropriate given the date of the Dutch transit of the passage in 1616. The flag of Luxembourg is similar, but wider.
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Seafloor spreading animation made with GPlates: https://www.earthbyte.org/gplates23...

All CC BYSA works and their derivatives may be used under their respective licenses. See all CC licenses at creativecommons.org

Cape horn: kasio69, CC BY 2.0
Holanda Glacier: RAYANDBEE, CC BY 2.0
Magallanes Locator, Santa Cruz Locator, Tierra Del Fuego Locator: By TUBS via Wikimedia Commons, CC BYSA 3.0
Magallanes Flag: By B1mbo and xfi, CC BYSA 3.0
Antarctic Claims: By A loose necktie, derived from Lokal_Profil, CC BYSA 4.0
GPlates 2.3 and Data: EarthByte Group, CC BY 3.0
Antarctic Convergence: Hogweard, CC BYSA 3.0
Cueva Fell, fishtail points: University of Iowa Press "Travels and Archaeology in South Chile", CC BYSA 3.0
Indigenous Peoples Map: Janitoalevic, derived from NordNordWest & Keysanger, CC BYSA 3.0
Battle of Mactan: Nmcast at English Wikipedia, CC BYSA 3.0
Beagle Voyage Map: Sémhur, CC BYSA 3.0
Puerto del Hambre: Pato Novoa, CC BY 2.0
Fuerte Bulnes: Juan25, CC BYSA 3.0
Punta Arenas Pano: John Seb Barber, CC BY 2.0
Clipper Route: Johantheghost, CC BYSA 3.0
Armel Le Cléac'h: Eric HOUDAS, CC BYSA 4.0
Beagle Conflict Map: Keysanger, CC BYSA 3.0
Punta Arenas with ships: Gonzalo Baeza H, CC BY 2.0
Cristina Calderón: Víctor Alejandro Correa Rueda, CC BY 2.0
Lidia González Calderón: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile, CC BY 3.0 Chile
Capesize Tanker: Danny Cornelissen
Ferry: Heretiq, CC BYSA 2.5
Cymbal: Thibault Aspe, CC BYSA 4.0