Ushuaia, Argentina

Geography: Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. It is located on the shores of the Beagle Channel, at the southern tip of  Tierra del Fuego Island, and surrounded by the Martial Mounts. Its superlative location allows you to enjoy sea, mountains and forests at the same time.

Currency:  Argentine Peso (ARS)

National Symbol: Sun of May (a sun with a face symbol)

National Anthem: "Himno Nacional Argentino"

Language:  Spanish

Area Comparison: Argentina is slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Distance from Pittsburgh:  10,660km or  6.624miles

Terrain: The land is rich plains of the Pampas in the northern half with falt to rolling plateaus of Patagonia in the south and rugged Andes mountains along the western border.

Highest Point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960m

Weather You Should Expect: The main characteristics of the Patagonian climate are: short fall and spring, and long winters. The Andean Patagonia is humid, rainfall exceeds 2,000 mm a year and it gets drier as you approach the Atlantic zone, where the average rainfall is only 200 mm. Tierra del Fuego registers 800 mm a year.

Average Temperature in January: Low of  and High of

What You Must See: Home to the "train at the end of the world," "the museum at the end of the world," and a historically significant early 20th century penitentiary.  Excursions in Tierra del Fuego are plentiful, utilizing both land and water for regional travel and exploration. The multitude of channels and straights provide the optimal opportunity to cruise through the region beneath towering mountains and impressive forests. Most notably, the Beagle Channel, which delineates the Chilean and Argentinean sides of the Tierra del Fuego National Park, offers prime territory for both full and half day cruises throughout the Argentine summer months. From these cruises visitors experience the full range of wildlife that the region has to offer. Distinct creatures of the land, waters, and skies blanket the area, adding to the appeal of this unforgettable region. Time and time again visitors report spotting rheas, condors, pumas, sea elephants, penguins, and, periodically, even whales. Museo del Fin del Mundo, The Museum at the End of the World, is dedicated to the history and culture of the area. It has a number of rooms dedicated to the local indians along with shipwrecks that have happened on Tierra del Fuego.The Military Penitentiary of Ushuaia is a penitentiary for criminals and political prisoners in the beginning of the 20th century. At that time the city of Ushuaia was just a desolate outpost very far from civilization. The harsh prison held up to 600 prisoners at a time that spent their time gathering wood used to build the town of Ushuaia and doing other labor intensive tasks. The penitentiary finally closed in 1947, but visiting the old grounds is a somewhat popular activity for tourists. The Train at the End of the World, is a reproduction of the original prisoners train leaves from a station 4 miles west of Ushuaia and does a sedate loop through forests and secluded valleys. The train was originally used to transport firewood to the city by the inmates. The trip takes about 2 hours.

Historical Fact: Ushuaia is a young city. The city foundation was in October 12, 1884 when an argentine expedition arrived to establishing a sub-prefecture. However, some 300 Anglican missionaries of the South American Missionary Society already populated the area. They built the first houses and took care to evangelize the natives.

Science Trivia: The moisture-drenched soils of Patagonia nourish endangered coniferous trees including the Alerce, the second largest living tree in the world, and the cypress of the Guaitecas, which was highly sought after in the past by canoe builders for its water-resistant properties. Patagonia's deep fjords, islands and channels provide a sheltered habitat for blue whales, humpback whales, orcas, Chilean or black dolphins, Peale's dolphins, South American sea lions and South American fur seals.

Interesting Fact: For Argentinean people Ushuaia began to be known in the early twentieth century when it was decided to build there a prison. The prison of Ushuaia is part of the city’s history and the prisoners were the “first settlers”. 

Fun Fact: Ushuaia’s name comes from the language of the Yámanas or Yaghanes Indians, its original inhabitants, and means “Bay that Penetrates Westward.”