The Beagle Conflict

The Beagle conflict was a territorial dispute between Argentina and Chile over the determination of the layout of the eastern mouth of the Beagle Channel, which affected the sovereignty of the islands located south of the channel and east of the meridian Cape Horn and its adjacent maritime spaces.

The first antecedents of the conflict date from 1888, seven years after the signing of the Treaty of Limits and in 1901, the first Argentine map appeared in which some of the islands in question were drawn under Argentine sovereignty. Despite the small size of the islands, their strategic value between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans caused a long conflict between the two South American states during much of the 20th century.

The conflict focused on the dispute over the sovereignty of the islands and the oceanic rights generated by them to Chile, but it was not limited exclusively to these islands. In the first volume, it will be seen that the border conflicts between the two countries began from the years of the independence of Chile and Argentina from the Spanish Crown and were located in various geographical points in the north, center and south of both countries. The first volume covers all conflicts up to the beginning of 1978, with the detailed description of the land, naval and air military forces of both countries.