「世界の果て」で大自然とふれ合う

　ウスアイアはアルゼンチン南部のフエゴ島に位置する、世界最南端の町。南極大陸までわずか1000キロというこの場所は、過酷な自然環境に囲まれ、1896年にアルゼンチン政府が凶悪犯を収容する流刑地を建設したのに伴って開拓が始まりました。監獄は1947年に閉鎖され、その後は険しい山岳風景をはじめとする自然の美が売り物の観光スポットになりました。

景色を満喫するならアルゼンチンとチリとの国境に位置するビーグル水道　(Beagle Channel) の遊覧船ツアーがおすすめです。1832年に若き日のチャールズ・ダーウィンがビーグル号に同船してこの水路を航海し、先住民や動植物の記録を世界で初めて紹介したことで有名になりました。ジェンツー(Gentoo)ペンギン、マゼラン(Magellanic)ペンギン、アシカの群れなどが観察できます。このほか、チリ国境まで行ける国立公園のハイキングや釣り、カヤック、乗馬も人気です。町を歩けば「End of the World（世界の果て）」という文字の入ったさまざまなみやげ物が並んでいます。地元で獲（と）れたタラバガニは高価ですが、美味で食べてみる価値はあります。年間を通して強風が吹き、天候も急激に変わりやすく、夏に雪が降ることも珍しくありません。(W)

　"Oh, Ushuaia - I've always wanted to go down there!" cried a friend, her eyes glowing with excitement.

　An emotional reaction was typical when I told friends studying with me in Argentina that I had visited the southernmost city in the world. There's something about being at the edge of the map that appeals to the explorer inside all of us. Although far down on the globe at 54 degrees south latitude, Ushuaia ranks high among Argentine cities that foreigners want to experience after the country's cosmopolitan capital, Buenos Aires.

　Local businesses cash in on Ushuaia's unique geography. Store shelves are packed with "End of the World" souvenirs such as stuffed penguins, boxes of chocolates, bumper stickers and T-shirts in every color. A free passport stamp at the tourist office makes your journey official.

　The sense of being at the bottom is inescapable, and greets cruise ships even before passengers set foot on land. A painted wall facing the harbor announces in English, "Ushuaia: end of the world, beginning of everything." With only uninhabited islands and ocean separating it from the great white continent of Antarctica, Ushuaia is indeed where man's influence ends and nature's reign begins.

　This is the last stop for cruises continuing on to Antarctica, still 1,000 kilometers farther south. The grim reality of global warming has ice tourism booming to Ushuaia's benefit. Hotel rooms during peak season - from December through March when temperatures are mildest - are sold out well in advance.

始まりは流刑地

　Venturing down to South America's southern tip wasn't always so popular, or so voluntary. Settlement began with a prison colony in 1896 when 14 prisoners were shipped here from Buenos Aires. In 1902, construction began for a jail to hold 580 criminals. For one murderer, however, death was a better sentence than imprisonment in "the evil land." Before the transport sailed south, the prisoner jumped into the water and drowned in his chains.

　The area's extreme isolation and harsh climate made it unnecessary to build a security wall around the prison. Escapees either died in the wilderness or returned for food and shelter. While the prison closed in 1947, it has reopened as a prime tourist attraction. Visitors can enter the exhibit-filled cells where inmates once spent long days and cold nights.

　What draws most people this far south, however, is the natural beauty of the region known in Spanish as Tierra del Fuego, or Land of Fire. A boat tour through the Beagle Channel that separates Argentina and Chile is the best way to survey the scenery. From the water, Ushuaia looks small and vulnerable. Sharply rising mountains dwarf the city with their peaks covered in snow even during summer.

　As buildings fade from view, evidence of man's fingerprint on the landscape disappears. This terrain is tough to tame. Down here, nature - not man - is the deciding force. Strong winds shape the direction of tree growth, and days are climatically dynamic. A sunny sky can turn cloudy and cold in a hurry, and snowfall in summer is not unheard of.

フエゴ島のアイドルたち

　The boat slows as we pass cormorants and sea lions sunning on a rocky island. A giant sea lion welcomes us with a roar while dozens of his friends sleep like blubbery bowling pins knocked down. The celebrities of Tierra del Fuego wildlife, however, are nowhere to be seen. Penguins apparently have their own island half an hour away.

　It's too chilly for humans to be enjoying the beach, but that isn't stopping hundreds of Gentoo and Magellanic penguins. They hop around the shores of Martillo Island while our boat deck jumps with excited tourists. We observe each other from a short distance; the penguins flap their wings and we click our cameras. The en-counter is brief but memorable, and the boat returns to port.

　Back on land, the exploration of the outdoors continues at Tierra del Fuego National Park, just outside the city. I hiked a trail along a lake to the border with Chile. Fishing, kayaking and horseback riding are also popular in these forests never far from the water.

　After a full day of sightseeing in nature, I was hungry to put some on my plate. For dinner I ordered fresh centolla (king crab), whose tender meat is an expensive local delicacy, but well worth the price.

　Ushuaia's remote position on the map captures the imagination of many travelers. The reality of alpine landscapes and sub-Arctic wildlife rewards a journey to the end of the world that remains wonderfully isolated, but now also accessible to law-abiding citizens.