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Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctic Peninsula

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Antarctic Peninsula

Includes  Why Go? Charlotte Bay...... 78 The most accessible part of the continent, the beautiful . . . . . 78 Peninsula extends a welcoming arm north toward . . . . . 79 South America’s Tierra del Fuego as if beckoning visitors. And intrepid travelers do come, for the Antarctic Peninsu- ...... 79 la, the warmest part of the continent (facetiously called the Lemaire Channel . . . . . 82 ‘Banana Belt’) is ’s major breeding ground for sea- Joinville & birds, seals and penguins. D’Urville Islands. . . . . 88 With its dramatic landscapes of steep snow-covered ...... 89 peaks, often plunging straight into the sea, and with nar- . . . . 90 row iceberg-studded channels weaving between countless islands and the mountainous mainland, the Peninsula also Halley Station...... 92 offers some of Antarctica’s most stunning scenery. In recent decades, tourist landings have concentrated on sites along the western coast of the central Peninsula; rel- atively few ships of any sort visit the Weddell Sea, on the Best Historical Peninsula’s eastern side. It has, indeed, earned its reputation Sights as an ice-choked ship-eater. Shackleton’s Endurance is only ¨¨Port Lockroy (p79) the most famous example of the half-dozen vessels crushed ¨¨ (p83) there. ¨¨ (p85) ¨¨Snow Hill Island (p90) Top Resources Two Men in the Antarctic (1939), by Thomas W Bagshawe. Gripping tale by one of two young men who wintered (alone Best Scenery on the continent) at . ¨ ¨Lemaire Channel (p82) Swimming to Antarctica (2004), by Lynne Cox. Fascinating ¨¨Paradise Harbor (p79) autobiography by the Neko Harbor swimmer. ¨¨Charlotte Bay (p78) The Ferocious Summer (2008), by Meredith Hooper. Global ¨¨Cuverville Island (p78) warming, penguins and the Peninsula. ¨¨ (p78) The Crystal Desert (1992), by David G Campbell. Ecologist’s three summers studying the life of the . UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT; www.ukaht.org) Maintains sights on the Peninsula, including Port Lockroy. Polar Times (www.americanpolar.org) Yalour Islands Island Anvers Channel Lemaire (US) Bay (Ukraine) 65ºW 65ºW Vernadskiy Academician Beascochea

Argentine Islands A n t a r c t i c P e n i n s u l a l u s n i n e P c i t c r a t n A 100 km

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