ChileJuan Fernández IslandsIsland
Alejandro Selkirk Island
54.4 km² rising to 1,329 m out of the Pacific Ocean.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
54.4km²
Area
34km
Coastline
1,329m
Highest point
Cerro de Los Inocentes
65
People
20°C
Warmest sea
February
763km
To the mainland
When to go to Alejandro Selkirk Island
Best for the beach from January to March.
The sea is warmest in February (20 °C) and coolest in September (14 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of Chile
Alejandro Selkirk Island is an island in Chile. It belongs to Juan Fernández Islands. It covers 54.4 km², with 34 km of coastline. Its highest point, Cerro de Los Inocentes, rises to 1,329 m. About 65 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 763 km away.
Getting there
- Ferries1 ferry terminals on the island
- 763 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to Marchbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Alejandro Selkirk Island.
- 8beachesPlaya Larga, Playa Ancha, El Huevo Frito and 5 more
- 1viewpointsQuebrada Los Inocentes
- 1ferry terminalsRada Colonia
- 1named peaksCerro de los Inocentes
- 2ruins and archaeological sitesLos Corrales
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Alejandro Selkirk Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Alejandro Selkirk Island, each with its own numbers.
3beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
20.1°C
Playa del Buque Varado
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
3 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Playa Larga20.1°C
- Playa del Buque Varado20.1°C
- Ensenada Tolténcove20.1°C
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 498 m above the sea. 29 % of it is below 200 m.
- 10 %0–50 m
- 19 %50–200 m
- 25 %200–500 m
- 36 %500–1,000 m
- 10 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| Night low (°C) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
| Sea (°C) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 |
| Rain (mm) | 5 | 9 | 22 | 26 | 54 | 43 | 47 | 42 | 28 | 21 | 15 | 12 |
| Wet days | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Sun h/day | 9.6 | 8.4 | 7.8 | 6.1 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 9.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.4 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| 2021 | −0.6 | −0.2 | +0.6 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.3 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −1.1 |
| 2022 | −0.7 | −0.3 | −0.6 | −0.6 | −0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.4 | +1.9 |
| 2023 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +1.1 | ±0.0 | −0.7 | −1.9 |
| 2024 | −0.9 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.9 | −0.6 | −0.3 | −0.2 | −0.2 | +0.2 | −0.2 | +0.2 | −0.4 |
| 2025 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.4 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1471979) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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