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Ushuaia Department

Ushuaia Department
Department
Location of Ushuaia Department within Tierra del Fuego Province
Location of Ushuaia Department within Tierra del Fuego Province
Coordinates: 54°48′58″S 68°19′25″W / 54.81611°S 68.32361°W / -54.81611; -68.32361
Country Argentina
ProvinceTierra del Fuego Province
Head townUshuaia
Area
[1]
 • Total
9,390 km2 (3,630 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total
56,956
 • Density6.1/km2 (16/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-3 (ART)

Ushuaia Department (Spanish: Departamento Ushuaia) is a department of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina.[2]

Geography

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The capital city of the department is situated in Ushuaia. Off the eastern end of the main island, separated by the Le Maire Strait, is Isla de los Estados (English: Staten Island, from the Dutch Stateneiland).[2] The department neighbours the Río Grande Department in Tierra del Fuego as well as the Argentine claimed department for the British Falkland Islands and Argentine Antarctica claim.[2] In the department's port office, they stamp passports with the phrase "Fin del Mundo" (English: End of the World).[3]

Military

[edit]

Ushuaia Department has long been a main location for Argentine military bases. During the 1982 Falklands War with the United Kingdom, the ARA General Belgrano sailed from Ushuaia to the Falkland Islands, where it was sunk by the Royal Navy submarine HMS Conqueror.[4][5] As a result, there was sensitivity around the Falklands War and antipathy towards the British in the department as a result.[6] In 2014, the controversy was restoked when the British television programme Top Gear drove through Ushuaia Department and were forced to flee due to a mob of Argentine veterans of the Falklands War attacking them. The mob felt that one of their car's numberplates (H982 FKL) was a reference to the Falklands War.[7][8] In 2025, it was announced that the Argentine government had given consideration to a proposal from the United States to base United States Navy submarines in Ushuaia with a new naval base there.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Provincia según departamento. Población, superficie y densidad. Años 1991 y 2001". Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Geography of Tierra del Fuego". MUSEO MARÍTIMO DE USHUAIA. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Tourist Office in Ushuaia Argentina". AFAR Media. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  4. ^ "National Day of the ARA General Belgrano s". Casa Rosada. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Belgrano posed a real threat to fleet". Portsmouth News. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  6. ^ Zhang, Benjamin. "Top-Rated British Car Show 'Top Gear' Was Chased Out Of Argentina By A Mob". Business Insider. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  7. ^ "James May: 'Our tour of Argentina was so contentious we were forced to flee with a police escort'". The Telegraph. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  8. ^ Plunkett, John (3 October 2014). "Top Gear driven from Argentina after Jeremy Clarkson number plate row". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Argentina: US SOUTHCOM Chief passes through – consequences to be seen shortly?". MercoPress. Retrieved 3 July 2025.