Belgrano ll is a year-round Argentine station located on the Bertrab nunatak (exposed rock of a ridge or mountain) in Coats Land, East Antarctica. There was a Belgrano l, but it was evacuated in 1979 due to the deterioration of the ice where it was located. The new base was inaugurated in 1979 and is one of the 13 research bases run by Argentina.
The science conducted there is mainly concerned with Atmospheric science, Geodesy, Geophysics and meteorology.
The base is located about 1300 km from the South Pole. As of 2014 it is Argentina’s southernmost permanent base, and the third furthest south permanent base on the planet. Dug in the nearby ice, Belgrano II’s Catholic chapel is the world’s southernmost Christian church—in fact, it’s the southernmost place of worship of any religion.
In 2005 the main house was completely destroyed by fire as a result of a heater malfunction. Personnel had to be distributed to other buildings and new food and clothes had to be brought from the mainland and airdropped because the fire had destroyed all the gear needed for overwintering.
Currently there are a dozen buildings spanning an area of 6 hectares and there is an all-year capable airstrip located on a glacier 2 km (1.2 miles) southwest of the base. Luckily the base has medical facilities and 2 medical staff, which is a good thing since the nearest hospital is almost 3000 km away.
