Juan Fernández, a Spanish explorer, discovered an archipelago that now bears his name off the coast of Chile.

Juan Fernández was a Spanish explorer and navigator in the Pacific regions of the Viceroyalty of Peru and Captaincy General of Chile west of colonial South America. He is best known for the discovery of a fast maritime route from Callao (Peru) to Valparaíso (Chile) as well as for the discovery of the Juan Fernández Islands off the coast of Chile.

The Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated 670 km off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic islands: Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk, and Santa Clara. The group is part of Insular Chile.