Antarctica

An Adelie penguin rookery on Gourdin Island on the Antarctic Continent.

Antarctica got its name from being on the opposite end of the world from the constellation Arktos (Bear, Ursa Major, North Star). It was first seen by Europeans in the 1820s and the land has remained one of the least touched places on earth. The voyage there feels like sailing to another planet. The scope and scale of Antarctica overwhelms the senses. After spending a month on the Antarctic Peninsula, I felt like I had only scratched the surface. The interior pulled at me like a magnet. Compared to the interior, the peninsula is mostly free of the massive ice shelves and continental glaciers that conceal the rest of Antarctica. The exposed coastline allows it to be full of life. The first explorers must have thought they were dreaming when they first set foot in a rookery containing over 400,000 penguins.

An Adelie penguin rookery at Brown Bluff on the Antarctic Continent.