The main disappointment for a traveler to Antarctica according to the standard tourist route- this is the absence of penguins with the famous yellow collars. On those lands that are accessible to regular cruise ships, you can find million-strong colonies of gentoo (gentoo), adélie and chinstrap penguins. They are all cute in their own way, but hardly reach 50-70 cm in height. In addition, they do not have yellow bibs around their necks. Only there - on a ship during a cruise - did I realize that the largest penguins, kings and emperors, live not on the much-visited tip of Antarctica, which is as close as possible to South America, but in much more hard to reach places: on South Georgia Island and in the Ross Sea area, respectively.
The structure of Antarctica is such that it is closest to the South American continent. The Antarctic Peninsula stretches from the coldest continent to Cape Horn, between them lies the Drake Passage: here the waters of the two largest oceans - the Pacific and Atlantic, as well as the officially unrecognized Southern - connect. For a long time now, cruise ships have been departing from the Argentine town of Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego every day from November to March. Crossing the strait is still a pleasure, two or three days of strong rolling, and this is provided there is no storm. Next begin the calm waters of the Southern Ocean and many Antarctic islands. Landings are scheduled between cruise lines by the hour. At the very end of the five-six-day cruise, the traveler will have one or two landings on the Antarctic continent itself and the journey back to Ushuaia.
I took such a cruise in January 2010, but the photographer’s heart did not want to come to terms with the fact that the Antarctica checkbox seemed to be ticked, but the most beautiful yellow-collar penguins were not captured. This thought haunted me for several years, and I was waiting for the right opportunity. After almost three years, such a chance presented itself - an expedition to South Georgia! This is where the largest colonies of the second largest king penguins live. Cruises there are rare and quite expensive. Imagine: first you need to get to Santiago de Chile, from there a plane flies once a week to the Falkland Islands. In the port of Stanley (the capital of the Falklands), a ship awaits you, an ice-class vessel, and already there a three-day journey across the Atlantic to the east, into sub-Antarctic waters, to the island of South Georgia begins.
Well, we've sorted out the geography, now a little history. Both the Antarctic islands and South Georgia were densely populated by people during the whaling period, that is, from approximately the beginning of the 20th century until the 60s. It turns out that whale oil was the main lubricant of all machines and mechanisms until the discovery of a cheap method of obtaining oil from petroleum products. So the industrial revolution became possible thanks to whales. Later, the factories closed, people left, the fleets were left to rust, and penguins roam among the ruins and elephant seals bask in the sun. Fortunately, the king penguins were of no use and were not hunted.
So the three days of travel towards South Georgia passed unnoticed by sleepiness induced by seasickness pills and photographing the albatrosses following the ship. And then we saw this island: rocks, waves crashing against the shore, gray sky - a rather inhospitable place. The winds blow there constantly, and a storm can blow at any moment. The island stretches from southeast to northwest, and its entire eastern side is indented with bays and bays. The main inhabitants are, of course, penguins, elephant seals, seals and many birds. We move slowly along the coast. Finally the command sounds - landing tomorrow!
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain greeted us with cold, leaden skies, wind, but at the same time amazing photographic light. I jumped out of the Zodiac boat onto the sandy shore, walked a little to the side, and then a penguin proudly walked past me, not at all embarrassed by my presence. Then about 50 king penguins jumped out of the water onto the shore, apparently busy with more important things than being frightened by visiting photographers. From behind, an elephant seal roared, a kind of fat “seal” four meters long and weighing one and a half tons. Three meters away, a pair of giant petrels (with a wingspan of almost a meter) were tearing apart the carcass of a dead penguin. Having recovered from the first impression, I took out my camera and started taking pictures... Royal beauties were around, wherever you looked.
October is the time for the chicks to grow up. They were already slightly smaller in size than an adult penguin, thicker than it, and covered with brown down. Penguin chicks gather in huge “kindergartens” and wait for their parents to come and feed them. From time to time, an adult penguin approaches, shouts something, and one of the thousands of chicks comes out to him, squeaking in response. After lunch they part until the next day.
After some time, an understanding came: penguins, especially babies, are very curious. If I stand still and don’t make sudden movements, they begin to approach me, one at a time, and then in groups, to surround me. The bravest try to taste a shoe or a camera lens. This is where the time comes to shoot spherical panoramas.
St Andrews Bay
St Andrews Bay is home to hundreds of thousands of penguins. We disembarked on a warm, sunny morning. I walked around in a simple fleece. The snow was melting, and the penguins, in order to cool off, stood on the remaining few snowfields and lined up in long lines along the banks of the rivers, keeping their paws in the water. The bay was surrounded by mountains, and as far as the eye could see there were penguins. They stood in groups and ranks, scurrying into the ocean and back. The cubs waited for feeding in "kindergartens" covering entire hectares. Hundreds of elephant seals lounged along the water's edge. It was breathtaking from such an abundance of life. I didn’t want to shoot so much as just observe this ordered chaos. In the evening, when the sun went down, I noticed a funny effect: the fur of the penguins glowed beautifully in the backlight, and it seemed like there was a huge field of cacti in front of me!
South Georgia Island
In the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Antarctica, lies the South Georgia archipelago, which includes a large island of the same name and several so tiny that they are not worth special mention. Technically, the archipelago is located closer to the Latin American continent (and therefore Argentina tries to lay claim to it with enviable regularity), but historically South Georgia is one of the overseas territories of Great Britain.
Due to its remoteness from everything else, the South Georgia archipelago was unknown to the world for a long time. And even now there is no consensus on who discovered these islands. Possible candidates include the famous Amerigo Vespucci or the relatively unknown merchant Anthony de la Roche. But it’s one thing to discover and sail past, and quite another to be the first to set foot on unknown land!
This fact is known for sure. The first person whose foot touched the distant and harsh islands was the great English navigator James Cook. He not only explored the new land, but also drew up a map of the territory, giving it the name of Georgia Island in honor of the English King George III and declaring the island the possession of the British crown.
In the last decades of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, the archipelago was inhabited by seal hunters, and by the 20th century, South Georgia had become the world's largest whaling center.
During its not so long history, the archipelago, however, managed to survive a number of turbulent events. All of them are connected with the claims of Argentina and the powerful rebuff that Great Britain gave. The Latin Americans tried with all their might to seize the territory: they secretly built military bases and launched them to the shores submarines. In the 1980s, the islands were even at the center of the undeclared Falklands War, but the armed forces of the United Kingdom once again prevailed and the Argentine garrison finally capitulated.
The stern British, just in case, left their military on the island for about two decades, and then they recalled it. Now South Georgia is perhaps the most peaceful place on earth, where only scientists live, observing the weather.
The largest city in the archipelago, Grytviken, is the southernmost and most sparsely populated “capital” in the world. If up to 2,000 people lived here during the heyday of whaling, now at its peak summer season the number of inhabitants is about 50.
Tourists also come here. In addition to historical sites, such as an ancient cemetery where the remains of polar explorers are buried, or dilapidated whaling bases, Grytviken in particular and South Georgia in general are incredibly pleasing to the eye beautiful scenery surrounding mountains, glaciers and fjords.
However, the most important attraction of Antarctica is the unique animal world. And South Georgia is the best place to admire it. Thus, 80% of all albatrosses on Earth nest here. But what about albatrosses: it seems that the entire million of the total number of king penguins existing on Earth lives on South Georgia! Don't believe me? See for yourself with panoramas
South Sandwich Islands(eng. South Sandwich Islands) is a subantarctic archipelago located in the South Atlantic, 570 km southeast of South Georgia, consisting of 11 small islands of volcanic origin and many small islands and rocks. The archipelago, the area of which is sometimes referred to as the Southern Ocean, is the eastern limit of the Scotia Sea.
Administratively, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are part of the British overseas territory (that is, they belong to Great Britain, but are not part of it). Argentina makes territorial claims to the islands, but together with the Falklands and South Georgia (never separately).
The South Sandwich Islands cover an area of 310 km² and are composed mainly of young volcanic rocks. Highest point - Belinda (mountain) (English) Russian. (1372 m) on Montagu, largest island archipelago. The islands are mountainous, constantly covered with snow and glaciers. The archipelago is located along the South Sandwich Trench and is part of the South Antilles Ridge.
IN last years British Antarctic possessions have become much closer and more accessible to tourists. Grytviken Harbor is home to a seaport that annually welcomes large ships, including tourist ships, sailing to the snowy shores of the South Atlantic from October to March. In general, such tours have not yet gained sufficient popularity, and information about them should be obtained from travel agencies or shipping companies.
Visa and customs regulations. In order to enter the territory of the South Sandwich Islands, you must have a visa, which is issued at the British Embassy. All rules and requirements regarding its acquisition comply with English laws, as well as customs nuances.
Subantarctic climate, the weather is windy, cloudy with frequent precipitation throughout the year. The temperature throughout the year is about 0 °C. Flowering plants are practically not common, mainly mosses and lichens.
There is no permanent population; in the summer the islands are visited by scientific expeditions.
Vegetation on the South Sandwich Islands islands consists mainly of mosses and lichens. There are practically no flowering plants here, due to the severity of the climate.
Animal world islands is represented mainly by birds, among which penguins predominate, but in large quantities Cormorants, petrels, terns and gulls also nest here. On the coast of some islands there are large colonies of walruses and seals.
It enters the coastal waters of the islands, especially in autumn and spring. a large number of whales There are not too many fish in these waters, and there are no commercial fish at all.
Many South Atlantic islands and archipelagos are named by discoverers in honor of crew members, various superiors and officials, but all sorts of North Atlantic place names are also common (so if there are simply Orkney Islands near Scotland, then there will certainly be South Orkney Islands near Antarctica).
The discoverers of the islands and archipelagos in the South Atlantic named many of them after crew members, state officials and various higher-ups, but North Atlantic place names of all kinds are also quite common (so, since there are Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, youll be sure to find South Orkney Islands somewhere in the Antarctic).
According to the descriptions of the ancient Greeks, the mythical island of Thule was located somewhere near Britain, and for a long time was considered the northernmost point of the earth. The Antarctic Thule Island (part of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands archipelago) is a greeting to the north.
The mythical island of Thule was described by the ancient Greeks as being somewhere near Britain, and for a long time it was believed to be the northernmost point on earth. The Antarctic island of the same name (which is part of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) is a tip of the hat to the north.
The island's population consists of seals, penguins and birds.
The islands population consists of seals, penguins and birds.
A lot of penguins.
A whole lot of penguins.
A lot of seals.
A whole lot of seals.
A lot of birds.
And a whole lot of birds.
Life goes on here naturally(former penguin pictured).
Life takes its natural course here (thats a former penguin in the picture).
Penguins look very cute in photographs. Yes, and seals too. But the smell is so unbearable that after an hour of walking around the island my jacket smelled for another month! (Because our ship took another month to reach the nearest dry cleaner.)
The penguins look very cute in photos. And the seals do as well. But the stench is so intolerable that an hour of walking around the island was enough to make my jacket smell for another month! (Because it took our ship another month to reach the nearest dry cleaner.)
Naturally, the entire island is covered in feathers and droppings.
Naturally, the whole island is covered with feathers and guano.
And another dead penguin.
And more dead penguins.
You can draw a compass rose from penguin perches. A penguin sits on the laid eggs facing the wind. Because if she sits with her butt facing the wind, the droppings will fly into her. And so he flies like the hand on a clock in all directions where the wind blows. Well, friends have to build perches a little further than the distance of the average shot.
Penguin nests can be used as a makeshift wind rose of sorts. The female penguin always faces the wind when sitting on her eggs, because if she sat with her butt to the wind, her guano would get blown right back at her. This way, however, the guano flies out like a clock hand in all the directions the winds happened to be blowing. Well, that and her girlfriends have to set up their nests outside the average range of her shots.
Penguins also molt, which makes them not as photogenic as we are used to.
Penguins also molt, which makes them less photogenic than were used to.
In 1976, the Argentines decided to disrupt the idyll a little by building a base here called “Corvette Uruguay”.
In 1976, the Argentinians decided to interfere in this idyllic state of affairs by building a base here, which they called Corbeta Uruguay.
They brought equipment, built housing, brought in tractors, and installed radio communication masts.
They brought over equipment, built housing, shipped in tractors and set up radio masts.
And a few years later there was a war between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. As soon as the British won the war, they immediately sent three ships with naval special forces to Tula - this became the very last operation of the Falklands War. The fact is that there might not have been another chance to take away the islands occupied by the Argentines, and in the wake of a fresh war this could have been done without diplomatic scandals. It's not about the rocks, it's about the principle.
A few years later, Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falkland Islands. As soon as the Brits won, they immediately dispatched three ships with marines to Thule—this became the final operation in the Falklands War. The thing is, they might not have gotten another chance to take back the islands occupied by Argentina, and in the wake of a fresh war the whole thing could be pulled off without any diplomatic scandals. Its not about the rocks; its about the principle.
The British issued an ultimatum to surrender by noon. On June 20, 1982, the Argentines waved the white flag shortly before the deadline. The staff was deported and the base was mothballed.
The British issued an ultimatum: surrender by noon. On June 20, 1982, shortly before the deadline, the Argentinians raised a white flag. The personnel were deported and the base was sealed off.
After some time, the British discovered that the Argentine flag was again flying on the flagpole near the base (and the British one, accordingly, was thrown out). And this was the last straw. Special forces with explosives were sent to the base. This is what remains of the Corvette Uruguay.
Some time later, the British discovered that the Argentinian flag was once again flying from the bases flagpole (and the British one had, consequently, been thrown out). This became the final straw. Special forces were sent over to the base with explosives. This is what remains of Corbeta Uruguay today.
Can not see? There's not much to see there. They blew everything up!
Cant see? Eh, there isnt much to see anyway. They blew it all up!
They planted explosives wherever their imagination allowed.
They stuffed explosives just about everywhere they could think of.
We walked away and pressed the button.
Then they stepped back and pushed the button.
Let's walk around the territory and enjoy the untouched Antarctic landscape.
Lets take a walk through the grounds and enjoy some pristine Antarctic landscapes.
Animals love it! Under what other circumstances would they get a playground of this size?
The animals love it! Under what other circumstances would they have ended up with a playground this size?
By the way, Antarctica itself is now protected by international agreements, according to which you cannot even pee in the open air there. All waste is collected and removed. All passengers are required to wet their boots with a special disinfectant before disembarking. Before visiting Thule, we also sanitized all our shoes and were instructed that whoever needed to go to the toilet on board.
By the way, Antarctica itself is now protected by international treaties that prohibit even peeing outdoors. Every bit of waste must be collected and shipped out. All passengers are required to treat their boots with a special disinfectant solution prior to disembarking. Our entire group also had to disinfect their shoes before visiting Thule, and we were instructed to use the bathroom on board the ship if nature called.
How many seals and penguins died during the explosions, British military literature is modestly silent.
British military literature is strangely silent on the number of penguin and seal casualties of the explosions.
Seals are quite aggressive and attack those who approach them. The way to escape is simple - you need to raise your hands, growl and rush at the evil seal. He will immediately run away from fear. It's quite funny to watch 50 travelers attack seals and growl while walking around the island.
Seals are fairly aggressive and will attack anyone who approaches them. But theres a simple way to save yourself: just raise your arms, roar and rush at the angry seal. Itll immediately flee in terror. The sight of 50 travelers roaring and attacking seals as they walk around the island is a rather amusing one.
This is certainly one of the most interesting, unexpected, memorable and vibrant places in Antarctica.
This is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting, exceptional, stunning and memorable places in Antarctica.
General information
Official name - . Island territories in the South Atlantic. Owned since 1775 (South Georgia) and 1908 (South Sandwich Islands) and have the status of an overseas territory. The area is 4,066 km2. Population: 30 people. (as of 2006). The official language is English. The capital is Grytviken. The monetary unit is the pound sterling.
The cold climate of these islands is influenced by Antarctic waters. The climate here is quite harsh, but with changeable weather. At sea level, the air temperature ranges from 0° in winter and +8°C in summer. The lowest winter temperature is about -5°C, very rarely it drops below -10°C. Snow or sleet can be expected at any time of the year, with precipitation amounting to about 1500 mm per year. At an altitude of 300 m, the strip of eternal snow begins.
A westerly wind blows across South Georgia, stopping briefly. In the east the climate is milder. When the foehn winds blow over the island, the weather becomes drier and warmer, then in summer the temperature can rise to +20°C. The water around the island is always cold, although it is practically not covered with ice, except in those places where the water is protected from the wind by bays. Icebergs are a common sight here. The water temperature drops to 0°C by September and rises to +4°C by April.
The climate of the South Sandwich Islands is colder than that of South Georgia. The sea around the islands is frozen from mid-May to late November.
Story
The island of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were discovered by the English navigator James Cook. The three islands of the archipelago were discovered by the Russian imperial expedition led by Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev.
The history of settlements goes back more than two centuries, during which mainly fishing villages were founded on the islands. Indigenous people was absent due to the remoteness of the islands in the ocean and the harsh, cold maritime climate.
The South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited due to high volcanic activity.
Throughout the 19th century, South Georgia was inhabited primarily by North American seal hunters.
South Georgia is the world's largest whaling center.
The Falklands military conflict, the essence of which was claims to the Antarctic territories, including the island of South Georgia, forced Great Britain to station a small garrison in Grytviken.
Attractions of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Grytviken was previously a whaling base, from 1982 to 2001 - a small military garrison, now some buildings of the former whaling base are being restored as tourist attractions, and the South Georgia Museum is operating. Depending on the season, the island is home to between 20 and 50 people. In the summer, temporary bases for scientific expeditions are formed, numbering several dozen people.
The South Sandwich Islands are a subantarctic archipelago southeast of South Georgia, consisting of several small islands. Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, often called the Southern Ocean. Scientific expeditions take place on the islands in the summer.
Shag Rocks- small bare rocks barely protruding from the water. Located halfway between South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.
They are not remarkable in any way, but there is a myth that a Spanish galleon with gold crashed on them (the rocks are named Aurora Islands). The expeditions sent have not yet found any evidence of this legend. Shag Rocks, by description, bear little resemblance to the Aurora Islands, but their number and geographical coordinates almost coincide. And since legends tend to exaggerate, there is a possibility that the described islands are the Shag rocks.
Cuisine of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
The cuisine in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands does not have any distinct national characteristics. Perhaps the traditions of English cuisine are evident a little more than others.
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands on the map
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Most tourists arrive in South Georgia mainly on cruise ships and tourist yachts. However, some tourists deliberately strive to come to this island, which can be considered the personification of the untamed nature of Antarctica. For the modern adventure traveler, a visit to South Georgia is an unforgettable experience. There are mountain peaks, glaciers, beautiful fjords, colonies of albatrosses and king penguins, as well as various historical sites showing how polar explorers and whale hunters used to live.
South Georgia, a British overseas island territory, is located in the South Atlantic Ocean. The length of South Georgia Island is 167.4 kilometers and its width ranges from 1.4 to 37 kilometers. The total area, including the adjacent islands, is 3,756 square meters. km.
South Georgia Island is volcanic in origin and is covered in cliffs, mountains, tundra and oceanic grasslands. The highest local peak is Mount Paget, whose height reaches 2,934 meters. In general, on this island the height of 11 peaks exceeds 2,000 meters.
There are many smaller islands near South Georgia - Annenkova Island, Bird Island, Welkom Island, Grass Island, Cooper Island, Pickersgill Island, Trinity Island and Willis Island. All these islands together make up the South Georgia archipelago.
Even in midsummer (January), 75% of South Georgia Island is covered in snow and glaciers.
There is only one official language – English.
The climate is subantarctic, cold, windy, and very variable. Average daily Maximum temperature air at sea level is about 0C winter period(August) and +8C in summer (January). In winter, the average air temperature is -5C, and rarely drops below -10C. The warmest month is February, when the average air temperature reaches +6C. The average annual precipitation is 1500 mm.
The best time to visit South Georgia is from October to February.
The permanent population of South Georgia is more than 20 people. Most of them are British citizens. Therefore, it is clear that it is simply impossible to talk about any unique culture of the inhabitants of this island, although there are several interesting historical and cultural monuments there.
The main food product of the few residents of South Georgia is fish. In the surrounding waters they catch “ice fish” (common whitefish), Patagonian toothfish, cod, and Antarctic krill (crustaceans). Fishing occurs only a few months a year, but it generates millions of dollars in profits for the companies that engage in this activity.
There are practically no attractions in the usual sense of the word on the island of South Georgia. However, the South Georgia government is taking a number of measures to attract tourists. Thus, the whaling base in Grytviken was recently restored (on its territory there is the grave of the famous polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton), the port pier was also repaired there, and several old whaling ships were raised from the bottom of the sea.
By the way, Grytviken is also home to the South Georgia Museum, opened in 1992. Its exhibition tells about the history of Antarctic exploration, whaling, as well as the Falklands War of 1982 between Great Britain and Argentina.
The Norwegian Church built in 1913 may be of some interest in Grytviken.
But the main attractions that attract tourists to South Georgia are the fjords, glaciers, mountains, colonies of birds (albatross), king penguins, seals, elephant seals, as well as a large number of reindeer, brought there at the beginning of the 20th century.
About 30 people live permanently in South Georgia. In summer, the island's population increases. In addition, there are seasonal and year-round weather stations. All permanent residents of this island live only in the village of Grytviken.
Tourists arrive in South Georgia mainly on cruise ships and tourist yachts. Sometimes fans of extreme entertainment come there who want to see the real Antarctica.
The Atlantic Ocean around South Georgia remains cold all year round. In winter, coastal waters do not freeze, although thin ice may form in sheltered bays. Icebergs can often be seen in coastal waters.
The pound sterling (GBP) is the official currency of South Georgia.
Ukrainians need to obtain a visa to visit South Georgia (this is issued by the British embassy or consulate).
It is 5 hours behind Kyiv. Those. if, for example, in Kyiv it is 13:00, then in Grytviken it is 08:00.
Stamps, postcards with local landscapes, warm clothes, sweaters, hats, etc. are brought as souvenirs from South Georgia.
