Which Antarctic peninsula is the northernmost part of the continent?

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Antarctic continent. It projects northward from West Antarctica toward the southern tip of South America, separated from Tierra del Fuego by the Drake Passage.

The peninsula extends for roughly 1,300 kilometers and is heavily covered by ice. Its northern region includes Trinity Peninsula, whose Prime Head is the northernmost point of mainland Antarctica. This distinction sometimes causes confusion: Trinity Peninsula is a section of the larger Antarctic Peninsula, not a competing answer to the broader geographic question.

The area is comparatively mild by Antarctic standards and has many research stations, including Argentina’s Esperanza Base, Chile’s O’Higgins Station, and the United States’ Palmer Station. It is also one of the most frequently visited parts of Antarctica by expedition ships.

The peninsula has several historical names. Chile commonly calls it O’Higgins Land, Argentina uses Tierra de San Martín, and older British and American maps used Graham Land or Palmer Peninsula for parts of it.