It's often referred to as "El fin del mundo," the end of the world. And surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Martial mountain range and thegunmetal-gray waters of the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia—capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago and located at the bottom of the South American continent—really does have a desolate beauty that will make you feel like you're far, far away from home.

Considered the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia draws tourists eager to experience the isolated life at the "end of the world." It's also a gateway to Antarctica cruises and Isla Yécapasela (also known as Isla Martillo), home toa colony of 3,000 pairs of Magellanic penguins, 16 pairs of gentoo penguins and 155 pairs of rock cormorants, as of 2009.

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But aside from the appeal of its unmatched location, tourists also come to to resort town for its rich, intriguing history. Ushuaia was once a penal colony—among the city'sfirst settlers were some of Argentina's most dangerous criminals, who had been sent to what was once known as the "Siberia of Argentina," according to Rough Guides.In 1896 the prison received its first inmates, mainly re-offenders and dangerous prisoners, who would become forced colonists and spend much of their time building the town with timber from the forest around the prison. The prisoners also built a railway to the settlement, which is now a tourist attraction known as the End of the World Train (Tren del Fin del Mundo), the southernmost railway in the world. Today, visitors can also visit the prison, which is now the Maritime Museum.

Another attraction at Ushuaia is Argentina's first coastal national park, the Tierra del Fuego National Park, which boasts dramatic scenery, with waterfalls, forests, mountains and glaciers. It has a prolific birdlife, and visitors here may be able to spotcondors, albatross, cormorants, gulls, terns, oystercatchers, grebes, kelp geese and the comical, flightless, orange-billed steamer ducks, according to Lonely Planet.

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Tourists also visit the wreck of the Saint Christopher (HMS Justice) in the harbor of Ushuaia. An American-built rescue tug that served in the British Royal Navy in World War II, the Saint Christopher was decommissioned from the Royal Nay and sold for salvage operations in the Beagle Channel. After suffering engine problems in 1954, she was beached in 1957 in Ushuaia's harbor where she now serves as monument to the shipwrecks of the region.

Ushuaia has some of the world's most picturesque scenery—and a unique climate. The average high in summer is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the average high in winter is about 40 degrees (in the Southern Hemisphere,the summer months are December, January and February; the winter months are June, July and August).Due to its extreme latitude, the city's climate is influenced by Antarctica, and the duration of daylight varies significantly, from more than 17 hours in summer to just over 7 hours in winter.The cruise season runs from November to March (majority of vessels depart in January and February) with fresh snow cover in the early months and whale migrations toward the end, according to AZCentral.