Robinson Crusoe Island
In Latin America, in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, there is an island that bears the name of the famous sailor Robinson Crusoe, created by the English writer Daniel Defoe.
In 1704, a ship sailed off the coast of Valparaíso, near Santiago. One of the sailors on board, the Scottish mariner Alexander Selkirk, had a disagreement with his captain, and a dispute broke out between the two men. According to Selkirk, the ship was in poor condition and could not continue its voyage without repairs. The Scotsman declared that if the ship set sail, he would no longer be part of the journey. As a result, the captain abandoned him on Más a Tierra, a remote island located about 675 km off the Chilean coast.
A few weeks later, the Cinque Ports, the vessel Selkirk had left, sank with most of its crew.
The Scotsman spent four years on the island, surrounded by coral reefs and white sandy beaches. He survived by hunting, fishing, and growing turnips. When the English captain Woodes Rogers passed by in 1709, he rescued the abandoned sailor.
Thus, Daniel Defoe was inspired by this remarkable story to create the character of Robinson Crusoe (1719): a sailor stranded on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean, where he faces solitude and the forces of nature.
In 1966, Más a Tierra was officially renamed Robinson Crusoe Island.
