Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Before the Panama Canal opened, ships rounded South America through this 570 kilometre passage. The figure is taken from National Park Service, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a world geography fact?

Yes. It sits on the World Geography shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Magellan found a sea route past South America

Before the Panama Canal opened, ships rounded South America through this 570 kilometre passage Ferdinand Magellan's expedition found the strait in 1520 and took more than a month to work through it. The route is sheltered compared with Cape Horn but winding, with narrows and unpredictable tides. Steam and then the canal made it far less important for cargo. It sits in Mondo's world geography collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

National Park Service

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: straits, south-america, exploration

Magellan found a sea route past South America: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Before the Panama Canal opened, ships rounded South America through this 570 kilometre passage. The figure is taken from National Park Service, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a world geography fact?: Yes. It sits on the World Geography shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.