Ushuaia is an Argentinian city positioned on the banks of the Beagle Channel, a gateway to Antarctica, Cape Horn and the South Pole. Situated in a harsh and hostile land, it is known to be one of the most southern localities in the world, at the southern end of Patagonia and the Andes Mountains. The Capital of the Land of Fire province (Tierra del Fuego), Ushuaia coincides with the end of the Pan-American Highway in its southern part. This network of land routes connects all the continents of the Americas on a main road covering approximately 30,000 kilometres.

Meaning “At the bottom of the bay” in the language of the Yaghan native people, the first inhabitants of the region, Ushuaia is a unique destination at the end of the world. Due to its location on the Big Island of the Land of Fire, it is separated from the rest of South America by the maritime passage of the Strait of Magellan (the latter marks an important crossing point between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans). Further south, the bay gives way to a vast archipelago made up of approximately one hundred islands shared between Chile and Argentina. They are home to dense wildlife with its colonies of birds, penguins, seals and sea lions. Mountains, forests, plains, beaches, islands, rocky coasts and glaciers extend there as far as the eye can see. Off Ushuaia, icebreakers and cruise ships coexist in a magnificent natural landscape.  Places to visit in ushuaia

Despite its geographic isolation, this province has been inhabited for over 10,000 years by nomadic Amerindian peoples. The first explorers from Western Europe discovered it in 1520.

Among them is the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan. He called it “Land of Manure” because of the blaze lit along the coast by the Amerindian people (probably an alert signal to warn the various camps of an imminent threat). This appellation was later changed to Land of Fire (“Tierra de los Fuegos”) by the Spanish monarch Charles V, Holy Roman Empire. In the 19th century, Ushuaia attracted the first seal skin hunters, whale fishermen and gold diggers. Then, this place became a penitentiary centre and the place of a military prison in which many political prisoners are detained. It was not until the 1980s that Ushuaia aroused the interest of new adventurers and explorers, seduced by its preserved natural heritage. Like the Falkland Islands, the South Orkney Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the region of Places to visit in ushuaia is the subject of strong territorial claims. Based on historical and strategic elements, Argentina, Chile and the United Kingdom regularly compete for its possession.

For more information please visit our website: Ootravels.com/en