The islands belong to Chile, and are named after Diego Ramírez. They were first sighted on 12 February 1619 by Marco Ramirez of the Garcia de Nodal expedition, and named after the cosmographer of the expedition. They were the southernmost landmass known at the time. They kept this status for 156 years. In 1775, James Cook discovered the South Sandwich Islands, which are much farther south.