BLOG 25 / Ushuaia - the southernmost city on the globe

There is not much to report about Ushuaia. The city today, with about 60,000 inhabitants, was founded in 1884 as a penal colony and housed the worst criminals in Argentina until 1947. Today, Ushuaia is mainly a tourist destination - for cruise ships, as a starting point for Antarctica trips, and as the endpoint of trips with the 'Stella Australis' cruise ship. The town is very proud of its status as the southernmost city on the globe - even though the Chilean Puerto Williams, on the southern side of the Beagle Channel, also claims this title, it cannot really be seen as a 'city' with its approximately 2,000 inhabitants. Ushuaia is truly very far 'down south' with a latitude of 54° 48' south - compared to Cape Town with 33°55' or Invercargill on the South Island of New Zealand with 46°25'. However, it is still far north of the Southern Polar Circle (66°33'), which is already in the region of Antarctica. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is quite different - the Finnish city of Rovaniemi is right on the Northern Polar Circle, and on our Yukon Tour in 2016, we were able to cross the Polar Circle by car on land in Canada.

Not too much to be said about Ushuaia. Today's city with approximately 60,000 inhabitants started as a penal colony in 1884. The city jail housed the worst criminals in Argentina until 1947. Today, Ushuaia is a tourist town - for cruise ships, as a starting point for tours to Antarctica, and as a finishing harbor for cruises with the 'Stella Australis'.

They are very proud of their status as the southernmost city on the globe, although Puerto Williams in Chile - located on the southern banks of the Beagle Channel - also claims the same, but with only approximately 2,000 inhabitants, it might not be enough to be seen as a real 'city'.

A latitude of 54°48' puts Ushuaia really 'down under' - compare it to Cape Town (33^55') or Invercargill on the South Island of New Zealand (46°25'). But it is still far north of the Southern Polar Circle (66°33'), which is already in the region of Antarctica. The situation is quite different in the Northern Hemisphere - the Finnish city of Rovaniemi is quite close to the Northern Polar Circle, and on our Yukon Tour in 2016, we were able to cross it by car on land in Canada.