Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base, named after the former king of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

( es, Base Antártica Española Juan Carlos Primero), is a seasonal (November to March) scientific station operated by

, opened in January 1988. Situated on

Hurd Peninsula Hurd Peninsula lies between South Bay and False Bay on the south coast of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The Spanish Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base and the Bulgarian St. Kliment Ohridski Base are situated on its west ...

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

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 contine ...

. The base is controlled by the Marine Technology Unit of the

Spanish National Research Council The Spanish National Research Council ( es, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. Its main objective is to develop and promote res ...

and is 20 miles away from the Spanish Antarctic base

Gabriel de Castilla Gabriel de Castilla (1577 – c. 1620) was a Spanish explorer and navigator. A native of Palencia, it has been argued that he was an early explorer of Antarctica.Vázquez de Acuña, Isidoro. ''Don Gabriel de Castilla primer avistador de la Ant ...

. The base has undergone several renovations, the closest remodeling was completed in 2018 and it was inaugurated by the Science Minister,

Pedro Duque Pedro Francisco Duque Duque, OF, OMSE (Madrid, 14 March 1963) is a Spanish astronaut and aeronautics engineer who served as Minister of Science of the Government of Spain from 2018 to 2021. He was also Member of the Congress of Deputies fro ...

, on February 2, 2019. This latest renovation involved the construction of "new facilities

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

have allowed it to double its capacity, up to 51 people, and increase the space available for scientific and technical personnel in laboratories."

Location

The base is located at which is on the coast of Española Cove, South Bay, in the northern foothills of

Mount Reina Sofía Mount Reina Sofía ( es, Monte Reina Sofía) is the mostly ice-free peak rising to 275 m on Hurd Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica and surmounting Johnsons Glacier to the east and northeast, and the Spanish A ...

, and 2.7 km south-southwest of the

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n base St. Kliment Ohridski. The two bases are linked by a 5.5 km overland route via

Johnsons Glacier Johnsons Glacier is the 1.8 km long and 2.3 km wide glacier on Hurd Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica bounded by Charrúa Ridge and Charrúa Gap to the north, Napier Peak to the east, Mirador Hill t ...

Charrúa Gap Charrúa Gap (Sedlovina Charrúa \se-dlo-vi-'na cha-'ru-a\) is a flat ice-covered saddle extending in east-west direction between Castillo Nunatak and Charrúa Ridge on Hurd Peninsula, eastern Livingston Island at an elevation of . The gap se ...

Contell Glacier Contell Glacier is long and wide glacier on Hurd Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica bounded by Atlantic Club Ridge to the northwest, Krum Rock to the north, Balkan Snowfield to the northeast, and Charr ...

and

Krum Rock Krum Rock ( bg, Krumov Kamak \'kru-mov 'ka-m&k\) is a small nunatak rising to 208 metres on the southwest edge of Balkan Snowfield just north of Contell Glacier on Hurd Peninsula in eastern Livingston Island, one of the South Shetland Islands i ...

Gallery

Hurd-Peninsula-location-map.png, Location of Hurd Peninsula on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base, Hurd Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica.jpg, The old Juan Carlos I Base, with South Bay and

Ereby Point Ereby Point () is a point lying east-northeast of Hannah Point along the north side of South Bay, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The name "Erebys Bay" was applied to South Bay on an 1825 chart by James Weddell, "Er ...

in the background Livingston-Island-Map-2010-15.png, Topographic map of Livingston Island with the bases and base camps on the island image

Maps

Isla Livingston: Península Hurd.
Mapa topográfico de escala 1:25000. Madrid: Servicio Geográfico del Ejército, 1991. (Map reproduced on p. 16 of the linked work) * L .L. Ivanov et al. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands. Scale 1:100000 topographic map. Sofia: Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria, 2005. * L. L. Ivanov
Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands
Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation.
Antarctic Digital Database (ADD).
Scale 1:250000 topographic map of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since 1993, regularly upgraded and updated. * L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Smith Island. Scale 1:100000 topographic map. Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2017.

Bibliography

* Ivanov, L
General Geography and History of Livingston Island.
In: ''Bulgarian Antarctic Research: A Synthesis''. Eds. C. Pimpirev and N. Chipev. Sofia: St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, 2015. pp. 17–28.

References

External links

Marine Technology Unit: Juan Carlos I

COMNAP Antarctic Facilities
()
COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map
() Geography of Livingston Island Outposts of the South Shetland Islands Science and technology in Antarctica Science and technology in Spain 1989 establishments in Antarctica Spain and the Antarctic 1989 establishments in Spain Antarctic Base {{LivingstonIsland-geo-stub