Juan Fernandez

Juan Fernández , group of small islands, S Pacific, c.400 mi (640 km) W of Valparaiso, Chile. They belong to Chile and are administered as a part of Valparaiso prov. The two principal islands are Isla Robinson Crusoe (formerly Más a Tierra) and Isla Alejandro Selkirk (formerly Más Afuera). Volcanic in origin, they have a pleasant climate and are rugged and wooded. The chief occupation is lobster fishing. Discovered by a Spanish navigator in 1563, the islands achieved fame with the publication of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719), generally acknowledged to have been inspired by the confinement on Más a Tierra (1704-9) of Alexander Selkirk , a Scottish sailor. Occupied by the Spanish in 1750, the islands passed to Chile upon its independence. In the 19th cent., Isla Robinson Crusoe was a penal colony.

Juan Fernandez floral region Part of R. Good's (The Geography of the Flowering Plants, 1974) neotropical kingdom, which corresponds geographically to the islands of Juan Fernandez and the Desventuradas Islands, 650–1000 km off the coast of Chile. There is a remarkable degree of endemism, including 1 family, 18 genera, and nearly 160 species. See also FLORAL REGION and FLORISTIC PROVINCE.

Juan Fernandez floral region Part of R. Good's (1974, The Geography of the Flowering Plants) Neotropical floral kingdom, which corresponds geographically to the islands of Juan Fernandez and the Desventuradas Islands, 650–1000 km west of the coast of Chile. There is a remarkable degree of endemism, including one family, 18 genera, and nearly 160 species. See also floral region and floristic province.