The Republic of Chile founded Fuerte Bulnes in 1843, and later moved that settlement to the site of  Punta Arenas in 1847, giving a strong impulse to steam navigation through the Strait of Magellan and probably averted the occupation of the strategically crucial strait by the European powers or the United States.
As stated in a book about the Strait of Magellan:
An 1837 French expedition of Dumont D'Urville surveyed navigational conditions in the Strait of Magellan and recommended that a French colony be established at the strait to support future traffic along the route.
The Republic of Chile founded Fuerte Bulnes in 1843, and later moved that settlement to the site of  Punta Arenas in 1847, giving a strong impulse to steam navigation through the Strait of Magellan and probably averted the occupation of the strategically crucial strait by the European powers or the United States. As stated in a book about the Strait of Magellan:
An 1837 French expedition of Dumont D'Urville surveyed navigational conditions in the Strait of Magellan and recommended that a French colony be established at the strait to support future traffic along the route.
Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina