Hoste is one of the southernmost
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
s in
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, lying south, across the
Beagle ChannelThe Beagle Channel is a strait separating islands of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, in extreme southern South America. It separates Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego from the islands Nueva, Picton, Navarino, Hoste, Londonderry, Stewart Islands and other smaller to the south...
, from
Isla Grande de Tierra del FuegoIsla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is an island near the southern tip of South America from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan. Its western part is in Chile , while the east is in Argentina...
and west of Navarino Island, from which it is separated by the
Murray ChannelThe Murray Channel is a channel of Chile located in the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, in the Antártica Chilena Province of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region. It separates Hoste Island from Navarino Island and is bounded by the Beagle Channel to the north...
. With an area of 4117 km², Hoste is the second largest island of the
Tierra del FuegoTierra del Fuego or TF is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The southern point of the archipelago forms Cape Horn.- History :...
archipelagoAn archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago is directly derived from the Greek arkhon and pelagos...
, after Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The island is located in the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, which belongs to the
Antártica Chilena ProvinceAntártica Chilena Province is one of four provinces in its southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. The capital is Puerto Williams. The province is nearly 1,250,000 km² in area, which makes it almost twice as large as all other provinces of Chile combined...
of the Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region. The western area of the island forms part of the
Alberto de Agostini National ParkAlberto de Agostini National Park is a park located in the Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego. It covers 14,600 km² and includes the Cordillera Darwin mountain range. The park is named after Alberto María de Agostini, who was an Italian missionary and explorer. Several tidewater glaciers and steep...
.
Hoste is one of the southernmost
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
s in
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, lying south, across the
Beagle ChannelThe Beagle Channel is a strait separating islands of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, in extreme southern South America. It separates Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego from the islands Nueva, Picton, Navarino, Hoste, Londonderry, Stewart Islands and other smaller to the south...
, from
Isla Grande de Tierra del FuegoIsla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is an island near the southern tip of South America from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan. Its western part is in Chile , while the east is in Argentina...
and west of Navarino Island, from which it is separated by the
Murray ChannelThe Murray Channel is a channel of Chile located in the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, in the Antártica Chilena Province of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region. It separates Hoste Island from Navarino Island and is bounded by the Beagle Channel to the north...
. With an area of 4117 km², Hoste is the second largest island of the
Tierra del FuegoTierra del Fuego or TF is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The southern point of the archipelago forms Cape Horn.- History :...
archipelagoAn archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago is directly derived from the Greek arkhon and pelagos...
, after Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The island is located in the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, which belongs to the
Antártica Chilena ProvinceAntártica Chilena Province is one of four provinces in its southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. The capital is Puerto Williams. The province is nearly 1,250,000 km² in area, which makes it almost twice as large as all other provinces of Chile combined...
of the Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region. The western area of the island forms part of the
Alberto de Agostini National ParkAlberto de Agostini National Park is a park located in the Chilean part of Tierra del Fuego. It covers 14,600 km² and includes the Cordillera Darwin mountain range. The park is named after Alberto María de Agostini, who was an Italian missionary and explorer. Several tidewater glaciers and steep...
. The most southern point of the island is the
False Cape HornFalse Cape Horn or Falso Cabo de Hornos is a headland at the south end of Hoste Island, 35 statute miles northwest of Cape Horn, located at . False Cape Horn is the southernmost point of the large islands of the Tierra del Fuego group, located close to the mainland of South America.At least 100...
, on the
Hardy PeninsulaPeninsula Hardy is a peninsula at one of the most southerly extremes of South America. It is the southern landform which extends into the Drake Passage to make the Bahia Nassau. It is part of a large island called Hoste, next to Isla Navarino and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego...
. The highest point of the island is at 1402 meters.
The island was explored by a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
scientific expedition towards the end of the 19th century. Already before, there have been unsuccessful
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
farming attempts of the Chilean government, after which the island had been abandoned. Well into the 20th century, a few
YamanaYamana may mean:* Yámana, an alternate name for the Yaghan language and people, in Chile* Yamana clan, a Japanese clan * Yamana Gold Inc., a Canadian-based gold mining company operating in South and Central America...
families lived on the island. Those indigenous people vanished after contact with adventurers and fishermen. Since then, the island has been virtually uninhabited. The 1992
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
reported a population of six, among three residential buildings in the Hoste census district (
http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/territorio/division_politico_administrativa/pdf/dpa2001.pdf, whereby some or all of this population could be located on one or more smaller islands close by, that also belong to the district). In 1978, the island served as a station for Chilean warships during
Operation Soberaniathumb|right|200px|[[Mine field]] in [[Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego]], photograph from 2006.In 1971 Chile and Argentina agreed to binding arbitration to settle a boundary dispute . On 22 May 1977 Queen Elizabeth II announced the judgment, which awarded the Picton, Nueva and Lennox islands to...
.
Hoste Island has the southernmost trees on earth (
Nothofagus antarcticaNothofagus antarctica , is a deciduous tree or shrub native to southern Chile and Argentina from about 36°S latitude south to Tierra del Fuego . The southernmost occurrence is on Hoste Island, making it the southernmost trees on earth...
).
In
Magellania,
Jules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who helped pioneer the science-fiction genre. He is best known for his novels A Journey to the Center of the Earth , From the Earth to the Moon , Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea , Around the World in Eighty Days and The Mysterious Island...
described an imaginary
republicA republic is a form of government in which the head of state is not a monarch and the people have an impact on its government. The word 'republic' is derived from the Latin phrase res publica which can be translated as "a public affair".Both modern and ancient republics vary widely in their...
on the island.