Captain Arturo Prat Base is a Chilean

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and oth ...

research station Research stations are facilities where scientific investigation, collection, analysis and experimentation occurs. A research station is a facility that is built for the purpose of conducting scientific research. There are also many types of rese ...

located at Iquique Cove,

Greenwich Island Greenwich Island (variant historical names ''Sartorius Island'', ''Berezina Island'') is an island long and from (average ) wide, lying between Robert Island and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Surface area . The name Greenwi ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

. Opened February 6, 1947 by the First Chilean Antarctic Expedition, it is the oldest Chilean Antarctic station. Until March 1, 2006, it was a base of the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the Wa ...

, on which date it was handed over to the regional government of

Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region ( es, Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena), is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and second lea ...

. Until February 2004, it had been a permanent base. Afterwards, it had served as a summer base for ionospheric and meteorologic research. There have been plans to reopen the station for permanent occupation starting March 2008. The base is named for Captain

Arturo Prat Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón (; April 3, 1848 – May 21, 1879) was a Chilean lawyer and navy officer. He was killed in the Battle of Iquique, during the War of the Pacific. During his career, Prat had taken part in several naval engagements, i ...

, a Chilean naval officer.

Historic sites

* A concrete

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ...

was erected in 1947 near the base as a point of reference for Chilean Antarctic hydrographic surveys. It represents an important pre- IGY activity in Antarctica, and is preserved and maintained by personnel from the base. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 32), following a proposal by Chile to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. * A shelter and cross with plaque was erected near the base and named after Lieutenant Commander González Pacheco, who died in 1960 while in charge of the station. It commemorates events related to a person whose role and the circumstances of his death have both symbolic and educational value relating to human activities in Antarctica. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 33), following a proposal by Chile to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. * A bust of Chilean naval hero Arturo Prat was erected at the base in 1947. It represents pre- IGY activities and has symbolic value relating to Chilean presence in Antarctica. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 34), following a proposal by Chile to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. * A wooden cross and statue of the Virgin of Carmel was erected in 1947 near the base. It represents pre- IGY activities and has both symbolic and architectural value. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 35), following a proposal by Chile to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.

Climate

The climate is maritime polar (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author a ...

: ''ET''), being on the coast of the peninsula with less severe averages than expected in

. Extreme temperatures can reach in July, which is still quite bearable to humans protected due to considerable moderation of the sea, and a rare heat wave caused the temperature to reach , a relatively high value. The climate is quite humid for its location and precipitation is fairly well distributed, so that even in the driest months it receives more precipitation than almost all of the Mediterranean zone.

Maps

* L.L. Ivanov et al. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands. Scale 1:100,000 topographic map. Sofia: Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria, 2005. * L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120,000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2010. (First edition 2009. )
Antarctic Digital Database (ADD).
Scale 1:250000 topographic map of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since 1993, regularly upgraded and updated.

Gallery

File:Greenwich-Island-location-map.png, Location of Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands File:Base Arturo Prat .JPG, View of base in 1957 File:Rousseau-Greenwich.jpg, Arturo Prat Base from English Strait, with Rousseau Peak and Fuerza Aérea Glacier in the background

Notes

References

External links

Official website Chilean antarctic Institute

COMNAP Antarctic Facilities

COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map

Map of Greenwich and Livingston Islands
{{Antarctica Buildings and structures completed in 1947 Chilean Antarctic Territory Geography of Greenwich Island Historic Sites and Monuments of Antarctica Outposts of the South Shetland Islands 1947 establishments in Antarctica