Madre de Dios Island (Spanish: Isla Madre de Dios) is an island in the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. It is located West of the Trinidad Channel and Concepción Channel. Its area is 1,043 km². Madre de Dios Island is composed partly by limestone and has several natural caves discovered by cavers and scientists of "Terre" team. This is an exceptionnel karst area, with wht the called "Marble Glaciers".
In one of those caves called the "Cave of the whales" skelletons of ancient whales (2600 to 3500 BP) were discovered 10 to 30 meters above the sea level.
In another cave, named Cueva del Pacifico, unknown rock art was discovered in 2006. Many others caves near the coast were used by former See Nomads (Indians Kawesqar) for sepulture (a skull date back to 4500 BP). Some caves were used as temporary camp, even far inside island.
The island is protected since 2008 as a nature reserve by Chilean government.
Famous quotes containing the word island:
“We crossed a deep and wide bay which makes eastward north of Kineo, leaving an island on our left, and keeping to the eastern side of the lake. This way or that led to some Tomhegan or Socatarian stream, up which the Indian had hunted, and whither I longed to go. The last name, however, had a bogus sound, too much like sectarian for me, as if a missionary had tampered with it; but I knew that the Indians were very liberal. I think I should have inclined to the Tomhegan first.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)