Argentine Antarctic Domain

Updated:

The Argentine Antarctic Domain belongs to the Antarctic Region. It encompasses the southern islands and the Antarctica. The Antarctic Domain of Argentina, is usually considered to be coincident with the limits of the Antarctic Province.

Fundación Lillo

LILLO Foundation

Article of the guest columnist, Esteban O. Lavilla y Juan A. González for surdelsur.com

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Antarctica Province

Dominio Antártico Argentino: Mapa de la Provincia Biogegráfica Antártica
Antarctica Province

The Antarctica Province encompasses the whole of the Antarctica and the neighbouring islands, to the south of the 60º S.

Climate

Extremely cold; it snows and hails all year round.

Landscape

Varied, although in general covered with ice. Rocky soils.

Vegetation

Extremely scanty. In the areas which are free from ice and snow there may be some terrestrial alga, lichen, mold and very few gramineous species.

Communities

They have not been defined yet.

Fauna: Very much poor in vertebrates. There are neither amphibians nor reptiles.

Mammals: Wedell seal, crabeater seal, sea lion, fur seal, common seal.

Birds: King, emperor, Adelia, red beak, strap chin and yellow crest penguins; albatross, petrels, cormorants, skuas, Antarctic pigeons, gulls.

Human Activities

Scientific research.