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.
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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