Argentine Antarctica ( or ) is an area on

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

claimed by

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

as part of its national

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

. It consists of the

Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica. ...

and a triangular section extending to the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish ...

, delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South parallel. This region overlaps with

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and Chilean claims in Antarctica. None of these claims have widespread international recognition. Argentina's Antarctic claim is based on its presence on a base on

Laurie Island Laurie Island is the second largest of the South Orkney Islands. The island is claimed by both Argentina as part of Argentine Antarctica, and by the United Kingdom as part of the British Antarctic Territory. Under the Antarctic Treaty System a ...

in the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Treaty The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of A ...

. However the presence on the Antarctic mainland was established in 1951, and the official claim on the mainland was started to be formulated on 1941, with several changes and was officially declared on 1957. Administratively, Argentine Antarctica is a department of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands. The provincial authorities are based in

Ushuaia Ushuaia ( , ) is the capital city, capital of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of 82,615 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, U ...

. Argentine activities in Antarctica are coordinated by the

Instituto Antártico Argentino The Instituto Antártico Argentino (, abbrevriated IAA) is the Argentine federal agency in charge of orientating, controlling, addressing and performing scientific and technical research and studies in the Antarctic. It is under the supervision of ...

(IAA) and

Argentine Antarctic Program Argentina was one of the twelve original signatories of the Antarctic Treaty which was signed on December 1, 1959, and came in force on 21 June 1961. Argentina's scientific activities started at the beginning of the twentieth century when an Argent ...

. The Argentine exploration of the continent started early in the 20th century.

José María Sobral ''Alférez de Navío'' José María Sobral (April 14, 1880 – April 14, 1961) was an Argentine explorer, geologist, naval officer and author who rose to prominence by participating in the Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901–1904) becoming ...

was the first Argentine to set foot on Antarctica in 1902, where he spent two seasons with the

Swedish Antarctic Expedition The Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901–1903 was a scientific expedition led by Otto Nordenskjöld and Carl Anton Larsen. It was the first Swedish endeavour to Antarctica in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Background Otto Nordensk ...

Otto Nordenskiöld Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded ...

. Shortly afterward, in 1904, the Orcadas Permanent Base was established. Years later, other permanent and seasonal bases were constructed. The first Argentine expedition to reach the

was the 1965

Operación 90 Operación 90 (''Operation Ninety'') was the first Argentine ground expedition to the South Pole, carried out in 1965 by ten soldiers of the Argentine Army under then-Colonel Jorge Edgard Leal. It was also the first Latin-American expedition to t ...

. The estimated area of Argentine Antarctica is , of which is land. The ice of the glaciers over the territory's surface has an average thickness of 2 kilometres. Temperatures fall in a typical range from 0°C in summer to -60°C in winter, although in certain points the temperature may drop to as low as -82°C and may rise to 18°C. Time zone UTC-3 is used in the area, as in Argentina. Argentina has six permanent Antarctic stations and seven summer stations. According to the Argentine national census, in October 2010, Argentine Antarctica had 230 inhabitants (including 9 families and 16 children) at six permanent bases: 75 at

Marambio Marambio Station () is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctica station named after Vice-Commodore , an Antarctic aviation pioneer. It is located in Marambio Island, Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula, some from the coastal civilian vil ...

, 66 at Esperanza, 33 at Carlini, 20 at San Martín, 19 at Belgrano II, and 17 at Orcadas. Provisional results of the 2022 Argentine national census indicate 130 inhabitants for Argentine Antarctica. Residents take part in general elections within Tierra del Fuego Province.

History

First expeditions

In 1815, Guillermo Brown, an Irish-born Argentine Marine Commodore serving in the naval forces of the

United Provinces of the Río de la Plata The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (), earlier known as the United Provinces of South America (), was a name adopted in 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán for the region of South America that declared independence in 1816, with the Sove ...

, began a campaign to intercept the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

fleet in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. When they were crossing

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

aboard the ''Hercules'' and ''Trinidad'', strong winds pushed them to parallel 65 ° South. Brown claimed to have sighted Antarctic land on the expedition, saying that it is the reason why Argentine cartography often calls the northernmost part of the

''Tierra de la Trinidad''. On 10 June 1829, the government of the

province of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

issued a decree creating the ''Political-Military Command of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands'' (see Louis Vernet) including the islands adjacent to Cape Horn, which is situated in the territorial waters of Argentina and the Antarctic islands. The Argentine government joined the

on 10 October 1900. This expedition received support, and in exchange, offered the services of the

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...

to deliver scientific data and zoological collections. On the way through

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Lieutenant Jose Maria Sobral boarded the ship ''

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

'' on 21 December 1901. As no news of the expedition reached the Argentine government, it fulfilled its commitment to support the expedition by renovating the Corvette

ARA Uruguay The ''corbeta'' (corvette) ARA ''Uruguay'', built in England, is the largest ship afloat of its age in the ''Armada de la República Argentina'' (Argentine Navy), with more than 140 years passed since its commissioning in September 1874. The las ...

. It set out on 8 October 1903 under the command of Lieutenant

Julián Irizar Julián is the Spanish equivalent of the name Julian (given name), Julian. Notable people with the name include: * Julián, Julián Cuesta, Spanish footballer * Julián Orbón (1925–1991) Cuban composer * Julián Carrón (1950) Spanish Catholic t ...

to find and rescue members of the expedition who had been sheltering following the collapse of the ''Antarctic ship''. A hut was built on

Snow Hill Island Snow Hill Island is an almost completely snowcapped island, long and wide, lying off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island to the north-east by Admiralty Sound and from Seymour Island to the north by ...

in 1902. The Argentine Navy took possession of the hut in 1954 and named it Refugio Suecia. It is now an Argentine historical monument and historical site as mentioned by the

Antarctic Treaty The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of A ...

. The 1902 expedition built another hut in Hope Bay, which is also an Antarctic monument under the control of Esperanza Station.

Permanent occupation of South Orkney Islands since 1904

On 2 January 1904, Argentina acquired a weather station installed by Scotsman

William Speirs Bruce William Speirs Bruce (1 August 1867 – 28 October 1921) was a British Natural history, naturalist, polar region, polar scientist and Oceanography, oceanographer who organised and led the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE, 1902–0 ...

, in

in the South Orkneys, where there had been a crew of six men making scientific observations. In it was a meteorological observatory, where he also worked. A post office was installed. On 22 February 1904, civilian (employee of the Argentine company official post and telegraph) Hugo Alberto Acuna noted the first time the

flag of Argentina The national flag of the Argentine Republic, often referred to as the Argentine flag (), is a triband (flag), triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue and white. There are multiple interpretations on the reas ...

was officially raised on the Argentine Antarctic Sector. The observatory became the Orcadas Base, which is the oldest existing permanent human settlement in the Antarctic territory, an event commemorated in Argentina as the Day of the Argentine Antarctic. The Argentine corvette ''ARA Uruguay'' returned to Antarctica in 1905 to take staff from the South Orkney and travel to Deception Island and

Wiencke Island Wiencke Island is an island long and from wide, about in area, the southernmost of the major islands of the Palmer Archipelago, lying between Anvers Island to its north across the Neumayer Channel and the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsu ...

in search of

Jean-Baptiste Charcot Jean-Baptiste Étienne Auguste Charcot, better known in France as Commandant Charcot, (15 July 1867 in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris – 16 September 1936 at sea (30 miles north-west of Reykjavik, Iceland), was a French scientist, medical doctor ...

, whose

French Antarctic Expedition The French Antarctic Expedition is any of several French expeditions in Antarctica. 1837–1840 In 1837, during an 1837–1840 expedition across the deep southern hemisphere, Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville sailed his ship ''Astrolabe'' alo ...

(1903–1905) was believed to be lost. Because of the Argentine collaboration with his expedition, Charcot named an insular group as

Argentine Islands The Argentine Islands are a group of islands in the Wilhelm Archipelago of Antarctica, situated southwest of Petermann Island, and northwest of Cape Tuxen on Kyiv Peninsula in Graham Land. They were discovered by the French Antarctic Exped ...

. One of these islands was named Galindez Island in honor of the captain of the Corvette, Ismael Galíndez, and another was named

Uruguay Island Uruguay Island is an island long with a cove indenting its west side, lying between Irizar Island and Corner Island in the Argentine Islands of the Wilhelm Archipelago of Antarctica. It was discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition of ...

, in homage to the Argentine Corvette. The Argentine Government established two meteorological observatories on

South Georgia Island South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. ...

and Wandel Island. Two attempted expeditions to Wandel Island failed. In June 1905, the transport ARA ''Guardia Nacional'', under the command of the Lieutenant Alfredo P. Lamas, established an observatory in

Grytviken Grytviken ( ) is a Hamlet (place), hamlet on South Georgia in the South Atlantic. Formerly a whaling station, it was the largest settlement on the island. Grytviken is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, ...

Cumberland Bay Cumberland Bay is a bay, wide at its entrance between Larsen Point and Barff Point, which separates into two extensive arms, Cumberland West Bay and Cumberland East Bay, which recede inland along the northern coast of South Georgia. It w ...

, renamed in Spanish ''Bahía Guardia Nacional''. On 30 March 1927, the first radiotelegraph station in Antarctica was inaugurated on the South Orkney Islands. On 15 December 1927, the General Directorate of Post and Telegraph from Argentina informed the International Bureau of the

Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Be ...

about their claims in Antarctica and other islands of the South Atlantic. In 1939, Argentina temporarily created the National Commission of the Antarctic by Decree No. 35821. On 30 April 1940, it became a permanent body by Decree No. 61852 in order to increase research in the area.

Formulation of the Argentine claim to the Antarctic mainland since 1941

In October 1941, the Instituto Geográfico Militar published maps showing the extent of the future Argentine claim between the 25° W and 75° W. In January 1942 the Argentine Government, according to the sector theory, said their Antarctic rights were between the Meridian 25° and 68°24' West (near Punta Dúngeness). On 8 November 1942, Argentina laid claim to Antarctic land when an expedition under the command of the captain Alberto J. Oddera placed a cylinder containing a report and a flag on

Deception Island Deception Island is in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula with a large and usually "safe" natural harbour, which is occasionally affected by the underlying active volcano. This island is the caldera of an active volc ...

. In January 1943, the crew of the

ship HMS ''Carnarvon Castle'' removed the evidence of the Argentine inauguration and planted the

British flag The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag. The design of the Union Jack dates back to the Act of Union 1801, which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland (previously in p ...

. On 5 March of the same year, the Argentine vessel ARA ''1° de Mayo'' removed the British flag. In 1946, the National Antarctic Commission set new limits for Argentine Antarctica between the Meridian 25° and 74° West (near the far east of the

South Sandwich Islands The South Sandwich Islands () are a chain of uninhabited volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. They are administered as part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The chain lies in the sub-A ...

). As a result of these meetings, on September 2, 1946, Decree No. 8944 was issued, which established new boundaries. On February 28, 1957, the Decree-Law No. 2129 established the definitive limits between meridians 25° and 74° West and parallel 60° South latitude. On 4 March 1948,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

and Argentina signed a mutual agreement protecting and defending legal rights of the territorial Antarctic, mutually recognizing their claims. On 7 April 1948, Decree No. 9905 placed the administration of the Argentine Antarctic Sector with the maritime Governor of the National Territory of Tierra del Fuego. On 9 June 1948, by her Decree No. 17040, the ''"Antarctic and Malvinas Division"'' was created under authority of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Presence in the Antarctic Peninsula since 1951

The first continental Argentine base in Antarctica, the Almirante Brown Naval detachment, was opened in 1951. The following year, the Esperanza Naval detachment (now

Esperanza Base Esperanza Base (, 'Hope Base') is a permanent, all-year-round Argentine research station in Hope Bay, Trinity Peninsula (in Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula). It is the only civilian settlement on the Antarctic mainland (the Chilean Vil ...

) opened. On 1 February 1952, while building the Esperanza Base at Hope Bay, the first shooting war in Antarctica occurred when an Argentine team fired a machine gun over the heads of a civil team of British

Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey The Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition (FIDASE) was an aerial survey of the Falkland Islands Dependencies The Falkland Islands Dependencies was the constitutional arrangement from 1843 until 1985 for administering the v ...

workers and forced them to withdraw to their ship, the ''John Biscoe''. On 17 January 1953, at

, the Refugio Teniente Lasala (a hut and a tent) was opened by the staff of the Argentine ship ARA ''Chiriguano''. On 15 February, 32

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

of the British frigate HMS ''Snipe'', armed with Sten submachine guns, rifles, and tear gas, captured two Argentine sailors. The Argentine refuge and a nearby uninhabited Chilean hut were destroyed. The Argentine sailors were delivered on a British vessel to South Georgia on 18 February. A British detachment stayed three months on the island while the frigate patrolled the waters until April. On 4 May 1955, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

filed two lawsuits against Argentina and Chile respectively, in the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

to declare Argentine and Chilean claims on the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic areas invalid. On 15 July 1955, the Chilean Government rejected the jurisdiction of the Court in that case, and on 1 August, the Argentine Government did the same.

Signing of the Antarctic Treaty

On 1 December 1959, the

was signed by Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, entering into force on 23 June 1961. In the 1960s, Argentina, with its fleet, began conducting ecological tourist cruises to Antarctica. At the same time, the Argentine state-owned

Aerolíneas Argentinas Aerolíneas Argentinas, formally ''Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A.'', is the state-owned flag carrier of Argentina and the country's largest airline. The airline was created in 1949, from the merger of Aeroposta Argentina (AA), Aviación del Lito ...

began passenger flights between Ushuaia and

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, landing at

Marambio Base Marambio Station () is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctica station named after Vice-Commodore , an Antarctic aviation pioneer. It is located in Marambio Island, Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula, some from the coastal civilian vil ...

. Between the mid-1960s and the first half of the 1970s, Argentina launched rockets from its Antarctic bases. These rockets were designed and built in Argentina and possessed meteorological instrumentation and radiation sensors.

was the first Argentine ground expedition to the

. It was conducted in 1965 by ten soldiers of the

Argentine Army The Argentine Army () is the Army, land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander-in-chief of the Armed For ...

under then-Colonel Jorge Edgard Leal. The operation was named for the target 90 degree South

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

point (the

geographic South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish from the south ...

On 8 April 1970, the Governor of Tierra del Fuego issued Decree No. 149 creating four new departments, among them the Argentine Antarctic Sector Department. In 1977, the Esperanza Base was chosen to house Argentine families that spent their winters in Antarctica. The first director of the Argentine Antarctic Institute, general

Hernán Pujato Hernán Pujato (19042003) was an Argentine military general, diplomat, and explorer. He founded the first Antarctica bases for his country, and founded the Instituto Antártico Argentino. Through this institute, Pujato attempted to colonize Antarc ...

, was the forerunner of the installation of the Fortín Sargento Cabral. On 13 August 1954, he proposed that the Argentine government create homes near

to populate with families with a goal of strengthening Argentine rights in that part of Antarctica. After finishing the construction of the houses, the Fortín Sargento Cabral was established on 17 February 1978 with five houses. The first documented person born in Antarctica was the Argentine

Emilio Palma Emilio Marcos de Palma Morella (born 7 January 1978) is an Argentine man who was the first person born on the continent of Antarctica. Biography Palma was born in Fortín Sargento Cabral at the Esperanza Base, near the tip of the Antarctic P ...

at Esperanza Base in 1978. His baptism in the Catholic chapel on 7 January 1978 was the first documented baptism on the continent. On 18 December 2012, the

Foreign & Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

of the United Kingdom announced that the southern part of the British Antarctic Territory (which included a portion of Argentine Antarctica) would be named ''

Queen Elizabeth Land Queen Elizabeth Land is a portion of mainland Antarctica named by the government of the United Kingdom and claimed as part of the British Antarctic Territory. Situated south of Weddell Sea and between longitudes 20°W and 80°W, stretching fr ...

'' in honor of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Argentina opposed Britain's decision to rename the area. In 2013, the Argentine Defense Ministry announced that Petrel Base would become a permanent base by 2015. The base will have an airport and facilities to transfer passengers and cargo. On October 27, 2017, by law of the Legislature of the Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands, the territorial decree 149/70 that created the department with the name of department Argentine Antarctic Sector was repealed, renaming it as department Argentine Antarctica and including within it the South Orkney Islands, which until then were part of the department South Atlantic Islands.

Geography

The geographic structure of Argentine Antarctica shares some features with

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

, located to the north. The highest peaks are located at the south of the

, which has islands and

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

s nearby. The land is under an

ice sheet In glaciology, an ice sheet, also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of glacier, glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than . The only current ice sheets are the Antarctic ice sheet and the Greenland ice sheet. Ice s ...

Climate

The climate of the region ranges from a

subpolar climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

in the north to a

polar climate The polar climate regions are characterized by a lack of warm summers but with varying winters. Every month a polar climate has an average temperature of less than . Regions with a polar climate cover more than 20% of the Earth's area. Most of ...

in the south. The region has an extremely cold climate, with mean temperatures below with frost and snowfall occurring throughout the year. In general, there are two different climatic zones found within the region: a glacial climate in the interior and an oceanic one in the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands. The glacial climate found in the interior is dominated by continental ice sheets and

glaciers A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

, while in the Antarctic Peninsula and its adjacent islands, the climate is characterized by very strong winds, particularly in winter. In particular, the Antarctic Peninsula experiences strong cold winds and blizzards. In the interior of the continent, the climate is colder and drier due to the higher latitude, altitude, and strong continental influences. Mean annual temperatures range from in the Antarctic Peninsula to in the interior. Temperatures are always low in the region; during the

polar night Polar night is a phenomenon that occurs in the polar regions of Earth, northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth when the Sun remains below the horizon for more than 24 hours. This only occurs inside the polar circles. The opposite phen ...

in winter, temperatures drop to . In the warmest month, mean temperatures are usually below . Coastal areas have mean temperatures in the warmest month at around freezing. Precipitation mainly falls as snow. Due to the ice sheets and glaciers covering most of the region and the severity of the climate, the flora is sparse and limited only to coastal areas.

Symbols

Bandera de la Provincia de Tierra del Fuego

The flag of Tierra del Fuego, which includes Argentine Antarctica, was adopted in 1999 as the result of a competition. It is a diagonal bicolor flag of sky blue and orange with a white

albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Paci ...

dividing the flag diagonally and the

Southern Cross CRUX is a lightweight x86-64 Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It is not based on any other Linux distribution. It also utilizes a ports system to ...

constellation in the blue upper half. The orange represents the fire in the province's name, while the blue represents the sky and reflects the color of the national flag.

Argentine bases

Esperanza and Marambio are the largest Argentine bases, together holding 70 buildings, with a combined occupancy rate ranging from roughly 110 in winter to 250 in summer. Orcadas Base on the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

and

DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. Built by De Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988, Viking Ai ...

aircraft. The

devotes resources to its annual Antarctic missions. In 2022/23, the auxiliary vessels ''Puerto Argentino'' and ''Estrecho San Carlos'' were tasked to the mission, along with the icebreaker ''Almirante Irízar''. These vessels were supported by Argentine Navy Sea King helicopters. As of mid-2023, Argentina was in discussions with Finland to build a new polar logistics vessel, the "ARC 133". The ship is to be a Polar 4 class vessel (year-round operation in thick first-year ice, which may include old ice inclusions) and is envisaged for completion by the latter 2020s.

Permanent bases

* Belgrano II (), laboratory and meteorological station; southernmost Argentine base (since 1979) * Belgrano III () (closed) * Esperanza (),

Hope Bay Hope Bay may refer to: * Hope Bay, Antarctica Hope Bay (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Bahía Esperanza'') () is a bay long and wide, indenting the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and opening on Antarctic Sound. Location Hope Bay is in Graham ...

**Laboratory and meteorological station (since 1952) **Radio LRA36 Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, School #38 Presidente Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (since 1978) **Catholic Chapel, Post, Gym, Civil registration, port, tourist facilities * Carlini (), scientific station at King George Island *

Station (), Seymour-Marambio Island **Laboratory, meteorological station **Airport, 1.2 km long, 30m wide runway (since 1969)
Website
*

Orcadas Base Base Orcadas is an Argentina, Argentine scientific station in Antarctica, and the oldest of the stations in Antarctica still in operation. It is located on Laurie Island, one of the South Orkney Islands (), at above sea level and from the coastl ...

(),

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula San Martín Base San Martín Base () is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after General José de San Martín, the Libertador of Argentina, Chile and Peru. It is located on Barry Island, Marguerite Bay, Anta ...

(), laboratory and meteorological station (since 1951)

Seasonal bases

* Teniente Camara Base (1957) ,

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...

* Base Deception (1948) ,

* Petrel Air Station (1967)

Dundee Island Dundee Island () is an ice-covered island lying east of the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and south of Joinville Island, Antarctica. Location Dundee Island is in the Joinville Island group in Graham Land. It is south of Joinvi ...

* Base Primavera (1977) ,

Alexander Island Alexander Island, which is also known as Alexander I Island, Alexander I Land, Alexander Land, Alexander I Archipelago, and Zemlja Alexandra I, is the largest island of Antarctica. It lies in the Bellingshausen Sea west of Palmer Land, Antarcti ...

* Base Melchior (1947)

Anvers Island Anvers Island or Antwerp Island or Antwerpen Island or Isla Amberes is a high, mountainous island long, the largest in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica. It was discovered by John Biscoe in 1832 and named in 1898 by the Belgian Antarctic Expe ...

* Almirante Brown Base (1951) , Paradise Bay * Teniente Matienzo Base (1961) , Larsen Nunatak

Camps, huts and other establishments

There are 64 other establishments in Argentine Antarctica. * Base ''Alférez de Navío Sobral'' (1965) , Edith Ronne Land (closed) * Estación Científica Ellsworth (ex US) (1958) ,

Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha C ...

(closed) * Refuge ''Francisco de Gurruchaga'' , Nelson Island (open as hut) * Base Ballvé , King George Island (open as hut) *

Belgrano I Base Belgrano I Base () was a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station, located on Piedrabuena Bay on the Filchner Ice Shelf. It was named after General Manuel Belgrano, one of the Libertadores and the creator ...

, Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf (closed) *

Belgrano III Base Belgrano III Base () was a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after General Manuel Belgrano, one of the Libertadores and the creator of the Argentine Flag. It was located on Berkner Island ...

, Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf (closed) *

Camp Livingston Camp Livingston was a U.S. Army military camp during World War II. It was located on the border between Rapides and Grant Parishes, near Pineville, north of Alexandria, Louisiana. History Camp Livingston was open from 1940 to 1945, and was ...

, Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island * Refugio Suecia ,

(built in February 1902 by the Swedish South Polar Expedition) *

Refuge Abrazo de Maipú Abrazo de Maipú is a refuge located on the Trinity Peninsula of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was built for the first time on September 7, 1967, by Argentina and subsequently destroyed. The refuge, rebuilt in July 2003, is a container fitted wit ...

Trinity Peninsula Trinity Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Antarctic Peninsula. It extends northeastward for about 130 km (80 mi) to Cape Dubouzet from an imaginary line connecting Cape Kater on the north-west coast and Cape Longing on the sou ...

(administered between Chile and Argentina) Argentina's claim to the

overlaps with the Antarctic claims of Chile, 53°W to 90°W, and the UK claims, 20°W to 80°W. Currently, there are no attempts by Argentina or any other country to enforce territorial claims in Antarctica. See

List of Antarctic territorial claims Seven sovereign states – Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom – have made eight territorial claims in Antarctica. These countries have tended to place their Antarctic scientific observation and stud ...

. None of these claims have widespread international recognition.

Demographics

In 1978, the first Antarctic baby was born in the Fortín Sargento Cabral at the Esperanza Base. He was named

. María de las Nieves Delgado was the first Antarctic girl, born on 27 March 1978 at Esperanza Base. By 1980, six more children were born at the base: Rubén Eduardo de Carli (21 September 1979), Francisco Javier Sosa (21 September 1979), Silvina Analía Arnouil (14 January 1980), José Manuel Valladares Solís (24 January 1980), Lucas Daniel Posse (4 February 1980) and María Sol Cosenza (3 May 1983). The base has an Argentine civil registry office where there have been births and weddings. In 1991, there were 142 permanent residents, including 19 minors. These residents are families that live in Antarctica or scientists that have lived there for more than two years. There were 121 men and 21 women that lived mostly near Esperanza and other bases. As of 1998–1999, Argentine Antarctica had a winter population of 165.