Remote and snow-covered, Ushuaia is the
capital of Tierra del Fuego – an island known
as the ‘land of fire’. It’s the southernmost
city in the world, just a boat ride away from
icy Antarctica. Despite Ushuaia’s faraway
feel, the city is expanding fast. Streets dot
the slopes as the Andes Mountains sweep
down to meet the southern shores.
ANCIENT NOMADS
Ushuaia was untouched by Europeans
for most of its history. For
thousands of years, the land was
the home of two peoples, the
Selk’nam and the Yaghan. Both
nomadic tribes were hunter-
gatherers who walked around
almost naked despite the
cold climate. To stay warm,
they rubbed their bodies
with seal grease and
stayed close to the fire
at night.
The end of the world
Ushuaia sits in a bay on Tierra del Fuego, in between the
Martial Mountain range and the Beagle Channel, a strait
that separates the large main island from lots of smaller
ones. The eastern part of the strait also forms the border
between Chile and Argentina. The channel was named
after the HMS Beagle
, the first English ship that navigated
the waters.
Penguin island
Penguins rule and the humans are outsiders on Isla Martillo, a tiny island in the Beagle
Channel. Around 3,000 pairs of Gentoo and Magellanic penguins live in the colony. In order
to protect this natural habitat and its roly-poly black and white residents, human access is
carefully restricted. Only a limited number of people are allowed to walk on the island each
day, under the watch of a licensed guide. Penguins swim, play and waddle across the paths,
while their fuzzy chicks huddle together in the breeze.
A COLOSSAL CRAB
The centolla
(king crab) might look too dangerous
to eat, but it is a speciality in Ushuaia! At some
restaurants, the staff allow guests to pick
out their own crab for dinner. After it’s
weighed and steamed, the waiter brings
the centolla
to the table with tools
to help break through the shell and
sample the juicy, delicious meat inside.
It can be a messy business, so everyone
wears a bib to protect their clothes.
WILD WEATHER
Ushuaia has a subpolar climate, which means that the weather is cold all year-
round. Even in the warmest summer months the average temperature is only
10°C (50°F). The weather is also famously unpredictable. It’s not uncommon
for a storm to sweep in on a sunny afternoon, warning all of the boat captains
to return to the port. It snows regularly in Ushuaia too, particularly in the
winter months of July and August, when crowds go skiing and snowboarding
in the mountains outside of town. Most locals work in industries like fishing,
sheep farming, natural gas and oil extraction, plus of course, tourism. Lots of
people want to come and visit the end of the world!
A lonely lighthouse
An iconic red and white landmark stands guard at the sea entrance
to Ushuaia – the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse. The lighthouse has been in service
for nearly a century, but these days it’s uninhabited and operated by a remote
control! The beacon flashes every ten seconds, and the light can be
seen 7.5 nautical miles (14km/8.6mi) away.
A wall of ice
You’ve seen pictures of glaciers on bottles of mineral water, but have
you ever had an ice-cold drink directly from a glacier? El Martial glacier
towers high above the bay in Ushuaia, providing the city’s main source of
fresh water. A chairlift travels up the wall of ice, offering amazing views of
the Beagle Channel below.