The Antarctic Peninsula forms the northwestern part of the Antarctica continent. The peninsula is a 1300 km long stretch of bedrock islands,
mostly covered under a thick layer of ice. Temperatures are moderate, so the majority of the research stations are located here
and most cruise ships limit the visits to this area.
In 1821 John Davis and crew set foot at Hughes Bay, looking for seals.
Finding none, they soon left, not realizing they were the first humans on Antarctica.
Early in the 20th century several expeditions
to the peninsula were carried out, leading to sovereignty claims from the UK, Argentina and Chile, but none are internationally recognized.
The
mountainous peninsula features active volcanoes and scores of glaciers that feed massive iceshelfs like the Larsen
Ice Shelf, the source of many large icebergs
Flora and fauna on and around the Antarctic tundra and the coast is surprisingly
rich. There are no trees but you will find lichens, mosses and a couple of hardy plants.
Several species of penguin,
seal, whale and bird feed on the abundant
Antarctic krill and fish in the nutrition rich ocean. Others like
Orcas, L
eopard
seals and G
iant petrels feed on anything they can catch, including seals, penguins and smaller birds.
Humans have introduced chicken,
rats, cats, rabbits and even cattle, but somehow these species only survive in the protective environment of the research
stations.