Luitpold Coast facts for kids
The Luitpold Coast (also known as German: Prinzregent-Luitpold-Land) is a part of the Coats Land coastline in Antarctica. It stretches from near the Hayes Glacier to 36° West longitude. This area is considered the eastern edge of the huge Filchner Ice Shelf.
A German explorer named Wilhelm Filchner discovered this coast. He found it during his second trip to Antarctica, which took place from 1911 to 1912. Filchner named the coast after Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria.
Home to Amazing Penguins
A special spot on the Luitpold Coast is known as an Important Bird Area (IBA). This area covers about 500 hectares (that's like 1,235 acres) of fast ice. It is located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northeast of the Filchner Ice Shelf.
This site is important because it is home to a large breeding colony of emperor penguins. Scientists estimated in 2009, using satellite pictures, that about 6,500 emperor penguins live and raise their young here. BirdLife International has officially recognized this area as an IBA.
Virgen de las Nieves Refuge
The Virgen de las Nieves Refuge is an Argentine Antarctic shelter. It is located on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf along the Luitpold Coast. This refuge is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of the Belgrano I Base.
The Argentine Army manages this refuge. It first opened on December 2, 1958. Today, it operates under the Belgrano II Base.
The refuge was built during the 1958-1959 Argentine Antarctic campaign. Lieutenant Colonel Jorge De Marzi and Major Pedro Arcondo supervised its construction. At that time, it was Argentina's southernmost Antarctic refuge. It was even further south than the Santa Bárbara Refuge and the old Sobral Base. The refuge's name, Virgen de las Nieves, refers to Our Lady of the Snows.
See also
- In Spanish: Costa Confín para niños
