Chilean Archipelago

the general name of a longitudinal group of islands that includes several large islands, notably Chiloé, Wellington, and Santa Inés, dozens of smaller islands, and several thousand islets off the coast of southern Chile. The islands are continental in origin, chiefly segments of the Coastal Cordillera of the Andes, reach a maximum elevation of 1,300 m, and show strong traces of glacial action. With the exception of Chiloé, the islands are very sparsely settled. Dense evergreen and deciduous forests cover the islands, and the main economic activities are fishing and forestry.