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Ushuaia

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Ushuaia is a special city in Argentina.

Bahia Ushuaia
Bahia Ushuaia

It is the capital of the Tierra del Fuego province. The city sits in a wide bay on the southern coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. To the north, the Martial mountain range rises up. To the south, the city meets the Beagle Channel.

Ushuaia Harbor Photo by Sascha Grabow
Ushuaia Harbor Photo by Sascha Grabow

Many people call it the southernmost city in the world. It is also a famous gateway to the Antarctic Peninsula. This makes it an important place for travelers.

Ushuaia port
Ushuaia port

The land around the city is very dramatic.

Olivia and tres hermanos
Olivia and tres hermanos

To the northeast, you can see Monte Olivia and Cerro Cinco Hermanos. To the northwest, the Martial Glacier sits on a ridge. Across the Beagle Channel, you can see peaks on the Peninsula Dumas.

Dumans peaks
Dumans peaks

The city stays at a low height of about 6 meters above sea level. To reach the rest of Argentina, people must cross the Andes mountain range. This makes Ushuaia a unique trans-Andean city. The weather stays cool but not freezing throughout the year.

Long ago, the Selk'nam people arrived in this area 10,000 years ago. Later, the Yaghan people lived in the area where Ushuaia sits now.

Ushuaia a la tarde
Ushuaia a la tarde

British missionaries were among the first Europeans to stay there. One man named Thomas Bridges lived with the Yaghan people in 1869. He even learned their language and wrote a dictionary. He had to create a new alphabet for them to use.

Gobernación Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Antártida e Isla del Atlántico Sur
Gobernación Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Antártida e Isla del Atlántico Sur

This helped record their history and how they spoke.

In 1884, Augusto Lasserre officially founded the town.

Ushuaia avião
Ushuaia avião

Later, the Argentine government built a prison there to help settle the land. The prisoners helped build the town using wood from nearby forests. They even built a railway for the settlement.

Cruzada en La Macarena
Cruzada en La Macarena

Today, that railway is a famous tourist attraction called the End of the World Train. The prison closed in 1947 after reports of bad conditions. Now, the old prison building is a maritime museum.

Argintine Navy Boat
Argintine Navy Boat

Ushuaia is a busy place for many different reasons. It is a center for business and culture. It is also a light industrial port.

Ushuaia port
Ushuaia port

Many tourists visit to see the beautiful mountains and forests. They might see sea lions in the water.

Sea Lions Ushuaia
Sea Lions Ushuaia

The city is a very humid place with many cloudy days. Even though it is often foggy, the area is covered in thick green forests.

Trekking in the Andean Club
Trekking in the Andean Club

It remains a vital link to the icy world of Antarctica.

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🖼️ Images & Media (18)
File:Isla de los Lobos. Beagle.JPG
Isla de los Lobos. Beagle.JPG
File:Gobernación Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Antártida e Isla del Atlántico Sur.jpg
Gobernación Provincia de Tierra del Fuego...
File:Cruzada en La Macarena.jpg
Cruzada en La Macarena.jpg
File:Ushuaia avião.jpg
Ushuaia avião.jpg
File:Argintine Navy Boat.jpg
Argintine Navy Boat.jpg
File:Bahia Ushuaia.jpg
Bahia Ushuaia.jpg
File:Ushuaia a la tarde.jpg
Ushuaia a la tarde.jpg
File:Galeria Temática Ushuaia, ARG.JPG
Galeria Temática Ushuaia, ARG.JPG
File:Olivia and tres hermanos.jpg
Olivia and tres hermanos.jpg
File:Dumans peaks.jpg
Dumans peaks.jpg
File:Ushuaia port.JPG
Ushuaia port.JPG
File:Ushuaia Harbor Photo by Sascha Grabow.jpg
Ushuaia Harbor Photo by Sascha Grabow.jpg

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