Antarctica and Isolate It Geographi- East Falkland
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd S o u t h e r n O c e a n Why Go? Ushuaia............................31 The southern parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans Falkland Islands .............39 form the fifth ocean of the world, the Southern Ocean. Its Stanley ...........................42 wild waters surround Antarctica and isolate it geographi- East Falkland ..................46 cally, biologically and climatically from the rest of the world. Scattered around these waters are the islands that early ex- West Falkland .................48 plorers and sealers encountered before they actually found South Georgia ................50 Terra Australis Incognita. South Orkney Islands .... 59 Visit the rocky but fecund shores of the Falkland Islands South Shetland and South Georgia, with abundant wildlife and history. Islands .............................61 Most cruises from South America call in at the South Shet- Heard & McDonald land Islands or the South Orkney Islands, where people set Islands ............................69 up their first Antarctic outposts. Travelers from Australia, Macquarie Island ........... 70 New Zealand and South Africa approach the continent from New Zealand’s Sub- the Ross Sea side, with seabird-rich Heard and Macquarie Antarctic Islands .............71 islands. Sailing these waters and sighting these windswept isles Best Places to recreates the journeys of early adventurers. Spot Wildlife Top Resources » North coast of South » South Georgia & South Sandwich official site (www. Georgia (p 50 ) sgisland.gs) Loads of info, including permit requirements. » Livingston Island (p 65 ) » South Georgia Heritage Trust (www.sght.org) History/ » West Falkland (p 48 ) wildlife conservation group. » Deception Island (p 65 ) » Falkland Islands (www.falklandislands.com) Central source on the island group. Best Historical » A Visitor’s Guide to the Falkland Islands By Debbie Sights Summers with photos, excellent maps and interesting facts by a native Falklander. Published in 2005 by Falklands » Grytviken (p 56 ) Conservation (www.falklandsconservation.com). » Falkland Islands » Antarctic Equipment (www.antarcticequipment.com.ar) Museum (p 43 ) Last-minute equipment in Ushuaia. » Museo Marítimo & Museo » Ushuaia Tourist Office www.turismoushuaia.com del Presidio (p 33) » Antarctic Tourist Information (www.tierradelfuego.org. » Orcadas Station (p 60 ) ar/antartida) Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego website includes Antarctic information. 31 USHUAIA across the 100km-wide Drake Passage from the Antarctic Peninsula. % 02901 / POP 57,000 A busy port and adventure hub, Ushuaia Nearly 90% of all Antarctic tourists depart is a sliver of steep streets and jumbled build- from Ushuaia in Argentina, thanks to the ings below the snowcapped Martial Range. city’s fortunate location almost directly SOUTHERN OCEAN 30ºW 50ºS Grytviken Prion St Andrews Island South South Bay Sandwich Georgia Islands A T L A N T I C Shag ºS O C E A N Rocks 60 USHUAIA 60º Antarctic W Convergence S O U T H E R N Stanley Falkland O C E A N Islands South Orkney Islands Sea Lion Island Elephant Circle SOUTH Island AMERICA King George Antarctic South Island ARGENTINA Shetland Gra Islands ºS e ha 70 Ushuaia g Baily Head Antarctic ssa (Deception m Punta Arenas a Peninsula P Island) Land Weddell CHILE Larsen Ice Shelf Sea Drake Palmer L Adelaide and Island Alexander 0 500 km Island 0 250 miles Macquarie Island (6000km) Southern Ocean Highlights 1 Brave surging swells to 5 Cross the Antarctic where members of reach Deception Island’s Convergence (p 49 ), the Shackleton’s Endurance giant chinstrap rookery at oceanographic boundary expedition survived more Baily Head (p 65 ) separating Antarctica from than four months 2 View nesting albatrosses the rest of the world 9 Chat with winterovers on Prion Island (p 54 ) 6 See all fi ve of the at one of eight countries’ 3 Ring the bells in Falklands’ penguin species Antarctic stations on King Grytviken’s evocative old at Sea Lion Island (p 48 ) George Island (p 62 ) Whaler’s Church (p 56 ) 7 Share a drink with locals a Visit four million 4 See hundreds of or visit the Falkland Islands penguins, including about thousands of king penguins Museum (p 43 ) in Stanley 850,000 breeding pairs of at St Andrews Bay (p 59 ) 8 Zodiac cruise off royals, at Macquarie Island Elephant Island (p 62 ), (p 69 )..