Region Information

The archipelago of Fire Land ("Tierra del Fuego") has a land area of roughly 76,000 sq km and the main island covers 47,000 sq km. Tierra del Fuego is the most southern point in the earth which is not covered by eternal ice. Here you find the most southern city, Ushuaia, where 50,000 of the total of 90,000 inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego live. The landscape reminds you of some sights in Patagonia. The plains in the north of the island are a landscape of almost unrelenting wind, enormous herds of Corriedales (sheep) and oil derricks, while the southern part of the island offers scenic glaciers, lakes, rivers and seacoasts. The last mountains of the Andes reach here heights of up to 2,500 m, before ending in the South Pacific. The mostly maritime climate is surprisingly mild, even in winter, but its changeability makes warm, dry clothing important. In winter the temperature can sometimes get down to –15ºC and in summer it can get as hot as 20ºC.

Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world and its first inhabitants, the Yamanes Indians called it “the inside door to the west". The colourful and vivid town is the capital of the Tierra del Fuego province. Most of the people work in tourism. Here are most of the hotels and starting points to different excursions. Many shops, bars and restaurants are situated at the main street, San Martín. The former prison is well-worth visiting, showing a dark side of the history of Tierra del Fuego. The first white inhabitants of the island were, apart from some rich landowners, the prisoners. A view into the renovated former prison gives an idea of the “human treatment” of these times. The “Museo del Fin del Mundo” is one of the oldest buildings in Ushuaia. Apart from nature and cultural history, old photographs about aboriginal life and the early penal history are shown. There is also a bookstore with a good specialized library.

Río Grande: The second city in Tierra del Fuego lies 236 km north of Ushuaia, along its namesake river and on the flat windswept and dry steppe of Patagonia. Founded in 1894, it is mainly an industrial and oil-bearing town. The southernmost refinery in the world is at San Sebastián. A recent economic boom, sparked by duty-free status has subsided and the local economy has stagnated. Most visitors will pass through Río Grande quickly on their way to Ushuaia or north to Chile.