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CHOICE Review

The maritime colonial routes and the rise of England to a major world power were enhanced by English dominance of strategic straits. The control of Capetown and the British presence on the Falkland Islands secured the maritime traffic from the South Atlantic into the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean respectively. However, based on effective occupancy and sovereignty, the two routes of access to the Pacific Ocean--Cape Horn and the Strait of Magellan--were in the hands of Chile, a faithful ally of the British (much to the distress of Argentina). Morris presents a thorough account of the political history that led to Chilean control of the Strait of Magellan. He analyzes the implications of this ownership within the framework of contemporary geopolitical interests in the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean, and he reviews developing strategic postulates among Southern Cone nations. Well written and adequately documented, this book is a welcome addition to the rather scarce English-language bibliography on the Strait of Magellan. University libraries. -C. N. Caviedes, University of Florida