Deception Island

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     Deception Island is the subject of a stamp issued by Argentina in 1988. It is an active volcano in the South Shetland islands off the Antarctic Peninsula. The caldera is flooded and open to the sea, so it is possible to sail a vessel directly into the center of the volcano. Details on the stamp include latitude, a map of the island with a red dot indicating the location of the Argentina base, and a picture of the Argentine base.

SC 2012

     There is an interesting paragraph in Jack Child's book, Miniature Messages: The Semiotics of Politics of Latin American Postage Stamps, London: Duke University Press, 2008, pp. 150-151.

     "In 1998 a stamp was issued to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Deception Island Argentine base with he implication that it was still functioning. However it had been abandoned during the volcanic eruption of 1969 and never reoccupied, although the island is frequently visited by tourists and various Antarctic vessels from Argentina and several other countries. The official Argentine description of their bases lists Deception as 'a summer-only' base; the reality is that the base no longer exists and that the Argentine presence is limited to short stays lodged in temporary quarters. The volcano continues to show signs of activity, including thermal springs used by tourists who want to claim that they have 'swum in Antarctica.'"

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