Port Lockroy is a natural harbour on the Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....

 of the British Antarctic Territory

British Antarctic Territory

The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...

. After its discovery in 1904 by the French Antarctic Expedition

French Antarctic Expedition

French Antarctic Expedition refers to several French expeditions in Antarctica.-First expedition:Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec was a French explorer....

 it was used for whaling between 1911 and 1931 and British military operations (Operation Tabarin

Operation Tabarin

During World War II, Operation Tabarin was a small British military expedition launched from the UK in 1943 to the Antarctic to establish permanently occupied bases.-Reasons for the expedition:There were several reasons for Tabarin...

) during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and then continued to operate as a British research station until 1962.

In 1996 Port Lockroy was renovated and is now a museum and post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 operated by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust. It is designated as Historic Site no. 61 under the Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic Treaty System

The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. For the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all of the land...

 and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Antarctica. Proceeds from the small souvenir shop fund the upkeep of the site and other historic sites and monuments in Antarctica.
Port Lockroy was named after Edouard Lockroy

Édouard Lockroy

Édouard Lockroy was a French politician.He was born in Paris, the son of Joseph Philippe Simon , an actor and dramatist who took the name of Lockroy....

, a French politician and Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, who assisted Jean-Baptiste Charcot in obtaining government support for the French expedition.

A major experiment on the island is to test the effect of tourism on penguins. Half the island is open to tourists, while the other half is reserved for penguins. So far, interestingly, the results show that tourism has a slight positive effect on penguins, possibly due to the presence of people being a deterrent to skua

Skua

The skuas are a group of seabirds with about seven species forming the family Stercorariidae and the genus Stercorarius. The three smaller skuas are called jaegers in North America....

s - Antarctic birds that prey on penguin chicks and eggs.

External links

• "Port Lockroy ", UK Antarctic Heritage Trust
  UK Antarctic Heritage Trust
  The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust is a British charity, registered in 1993. The UKAHT is a member of the Antarctic Heritage Trust coalition. The UKAHT's Patron is HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal.The organization's stated goals are as follows:...
  
  , Accessed 25 April 2010
• "British Antarctic Survey: Port Lockroy Station ", Natural Environment Research Council
  Natural Environment Research Council
  The Natural Environment Research Council is a British research council that supports research, training and knowledge transfer activities in the environmental sciences.-History:...
  
  , Accessed 25 April 2010
• "Images from Port Lockroy"