The southernmost continental city in the world situated on the Strait of Magellan is best known as a departure point for trips to Antarctica and other bioceanic travelling, but the city’s charms, history, tax-free shopping, good travellers’ services and hospitality are making it a popular destination in its own right. It also has much to offer by way of history – visit the Mayorino Borgatello Salesian Museum, the Shepherds Monument, the Patagonia Institute (a research centre for the history and the resources), and the Nao Victoria Museum where visitors can view a full-size replica of the first ship to circumnavigate the world, Ferdinand Magellan’s Nao Victoria.
King George Island forms part of the South Shetland archipelago, which is situated north of the Antarctic Peninsula. Several international bases, among which the Chilean Station Eduardo Frei with its landing strip Teniente Rodolfo Marsh, are located here.
King George Island is also known for being one of the most populated areas in Antarctica with research stations covering areas as diverse as biology, ecology, geology and palaeontology.
Antarctica is a land of extremes: it is the coldest and driest continent on Earth and has the highest average elevation. As the fifth largest continent in the world, Antarctica is also the most Southern, overlying the "South Pole". Scarcely touched by humans, the frozen land boasts breathtaking scenery, broken by only a handful of scientific bases and a "permanent" population of scientists numbering only a few thousand. Visitors to Antarctica generally must brave rough sea crossings aboard ice-strengthened vessels, but those who do are rewarded with amazing scenery and tremendous wildlife.
Antarctica is the only continent with no significant landplant life and no native land mammals, reptiles, or amphibians (polar bears inhabit the North Pole). However its shoreline serves as nesting ground for many species of migratory birds and penguins, and the Southern Ocean surrounding it is home to many fish and marine mammals, including whales.
Although several countries have laid claim to various portions of Antarctica, it is governed by the 1958 Antarctic Treaty, which establishes the continent as a peaceful and cooperative international research zone. There are no cities per se, just some two dozen research stations.
As previously described
