Martín García Island

▪ island, Argentina

Spanish  Isla Martín García 

      island, historically a strategic control point in the estuary of Río de la Plata, near the mouth of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers, between Argentina and Uruguay. The island (0.7 square mile [2 square km]) is a part of Buenos Aires provincia (province), Argentina. In March 1814 it was taken from the Spaniards by the forces of the Argentine admiral Guillermo Brown. Prisoners from the Indian Wars of 1879 were interned on the rocky island, which was also a place of exile for various presidents of Argentina, including Hipólito Irigoyen (1930), Juan Perón (1945), and Arturo Frondizi (1962). An agreement reached by Argentina and Uruguay in 1973 reaffirmed Argentine jurisdiction over Martín García (which is actually on the Uruguayan side of the boundary), ending a century-old dispute between the two countries over the island. According to the terms of the agreement, Martín García was to be devoted exclusively to a natural preserve. The island can be accessed by boat from Tigre.

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