Juan Fernández Islands
A Chilean volcanic archipelago in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, known for its high endemism and historical association with Alexander Selkirk.
Robinson Crusoe Island: The largest inhabited island in the Juan Fernández archipelago, formerly called Más a Tierra. Its settlement, endemic forests, and Selkirk history make it the archipelago’s best-known island.
Hotspot volcanism: Volcanic activity caused by magma rising from a relatively stationary mantle source beneath a moving tectonic plate. Hotspot volcanism built the islands as the Nazca Plate moved over a mantle source.
Alexander Selkirk: A Scottish sailor who lived alone on an island in the Juan Fernández group from 1704 to 1709. His isolation on Robinson Crusoe Island gave the archipelago a lasting place in literary history.
Juan Fernández Islands National Park: A Chilean national park protecting terrestrial ecosystems across the Juan Fernández Islands. It provides formal protection for the archipelago’s endemic habitats and species.
Alejandro Selkirk Island: An uninhabited island in the Juan Fernández archipelago, formerly called Más Afuera. It is the remote outer island, distinct from the inhabited island linked to Selkirk.
Nazca Plate: An oceanic tectonic plate beneath the eastern Pacific Ocean, moving eastward beneath South America. Its movement carried the volcanic islands away from their source and into isolation.
Daniel Defoe: An English writer whose 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe follows a shipwrecked castaway. Selkirk’s story is widely associated with the novel, though the fictional character is not a direct biography.
Juan Fernández Biosphere Reserve: A UNESCO biosphere reserve encompassing the Juan Fernández Islands and surrounding marine environments. Its scope connects island conservation with the surrounding ocean.
Santa Clara Island: A small, largely barren island southwest of Robinson Crusoe Island. It completes the archipelago’s three principal islands and contrasts with their forested terrain.
Island biogeography: The study of how island area, isolation, and habitat shape species richness and extinction. Its principles help explain why these remote islands have distinctive ecosystems.