The Strait of Magellan, also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the strait is approximately 570 km long and 2 km wide at its narrowest point. The name of the strait dates to 1520, when the Spanish expedition of the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan brought the first Europeans to the area.