Ushusia – the Southernmost City in the World


November 2022


by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram


Search for the ‘Southernmost City in The World’ and the chances are that you will find Ushuaia in Argentina. The phrase is probably most used to attract tourists. Sometime around the turn of the last century, Chile declared Puerto Williams, slightly south of Ushuaia and with a population of less than 3000, as a ‘City’. Ushuaia’s permanent residents easily number 20 times more, and more importantly, Ushuaia has the proper infrastructure to be a real city, while Puerto Williams is mostly a naval base plus a few streets and fewer hotels. Thus, Ushuaia may be more deserving to wear that ‘crown’, if there were one! But southernmost city or not, there’s no denying that Ushuaia is really set in a lovely location, sandwiched between the Martial Glacier to the north and the Beagle Channel to the south! This photo essay aims to show you around!


Ushuaia as seen from the helicopter (more of this in the post on the helicopter ride). The pier from which ships depart to Antarctica is seen below the centre of the photograph.

A close up of the city with the Martial Glacier at the back.


Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Church of Our Lady of Mercy) in downtown Ushuaia.


The interiors of the Church.


The Martial glacier forms the backdrop to the city.


The trail up the Martial glacier starts in the city, while the city itself is the starting point for voyages to Antarctica. Here is a view of the Beagle Channel from the trail (with people seen walking) up to the Glacier.


A stream by the trail.

The streets in the city that run north-south (and there are many!) are kind of steep, starting at the foothills and ending right at the waterfront.

View of a street, looking up north. The Glacier can be seen at the back.


The same street, looking south. The Beagle Channel is seen at the end.


Sunrise over the Channel.


A bird in the bay.


A paddler, enjoying the cool morning in the bay.


‘Secretaría de la mujer’ This is the office that takes care of issues related to women, including their protection. The image of Evita Peron is seen towards the top left.


Close-up of the image of Evita Peron seen in the earlier photograph. 


Some nice buildings by the waterfront!


Hope you get to visit Ushuaia, and go to Antarctica too!!

See you on a helicopter ride, Friends! In a later post in this blog, of course 😀
Location: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina

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