Antarctica
 

2004: Antarctic Treaty Secretariat Flag

1978: Proposed Flag (Whitney Smith)

1996: Propsed Flag (Graham Bartram)

Map of Antarctica Map of Antarctic Research Stations & Territorial Claims Antarctic Treaty (23 Jun 1961) Capital: None Major Statons: Amundsen-Scott (US), Belgrano (Arg.), Bernardo O'Higgins (Chile), Dumont d'Urville (Fr.), Halley (UK), Mawson (Aus.), McMurdo (US), Neumayer (Ger), Palmer (US), Scott (NZ), Troll (Norway), Vostok (Rus.), Syowa (Jap.) Currency: No Common Currency ----------------------- Treaty Secretariat website Population: Uninhabited Seasonal Research Staff: Summer (Jan.): 3,944 (2007) Winter (Jul.): 1,077 (2007) GDP: $ N/A Total Armed Forces: Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature Summer (Jan.) population - 3,944 total; Argentina 417, Australia 200, Brazil 40, Bulgaria 15, Chile 224, China 70, Czech Republic 20, Ecuador 26, Finland 20, France 122, Germany 78, India 65, Italy 113, Japan 125, South Korea 60, NZ 85, Norway 44, Peru 28, Poland 40, Romania 13, Russia 429, South Africa 80, Spain 28, Sweden 20, Ukraine 24, UK 205, US 1,293, Uruguay 60 (2006-2007) Winter (Jul.) population - 1,077 total; Argentina 176, Australia 62, Brazil 12, Chile 88, China 29, France 37, Germany 9, India 25, Italy 2, Japan 40, South Korea 15, NZ 10, Norway 7, Poland 12, Russia 148, South Africa 10, Ukraine 12, UK 37, US 337, Uruguay 9 (2006) Number of Year-round Stations - 37 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 3, China 2, France 1, Germany 1, India 1, Japan 1, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Norway 1, Poland 1, Russia 5, South Africa 1, Ukraine 1, UK 2, US 3, Uruguay 1, Italy and France jointly 1 (2005) Summer-only Stations - 16 total; Bulgaria 1, Chile 1, Czech Republic 1, Ecuador 1, Finland 1, Germany 1,  Italy 1, Japan 1, Norway 1, Peru 1, Romania 1, Russia 1, Spain 2, Sweden 1, UK 1 (2006-2007) Antarctica Index Chronology Dec 1773 - Jan 1775        British Capt. James Cook circumnavigated the                               continent without sighting land. 16 Feb 1819                First sighting of the Antarctic Peninsula and South                              Shetland Islands by British Capt. William Smith.  27 Jan 1820                Russian Capt. Thaddeus von Bellingshausen (Fabian                              Gottlieb von Bellingshausen) sights and lays                                claim to being the first person to set eyes on                              the Antarctic continent.  7 Feb 1821                U.S. Capt. John Davis makes first known landing on                              the continent at Hughes Bay on Antarctic                              Peninsula. 24 Feb 1831                First sighting of the Antarctic continent in the                              Indian Ocean sector (Enderby Land) by British                               Capt. John Biscoe, in the Tula and Lively.  9 Feb 1839                First landing south of the Antarctic Circle by                                  British Capt. John Balleny in the Eliza Scott,                              discovered and landed on the Balleny Islands.  9 Feb 1841                First ever to enter the Ross Sea by British                              explorer Sir James Clark Ross in the ship Erebus. 26 Jan 1853                First landing on Greater Antarctica (Victoria Land)                              by American Capt. Mercator Cooper in the Levant.  24 Jan 1895                Carsten Borchgrevink made the first landing on                               Antarctica since Davis. Three years later he led                              the first party to winter on the continent. 1902 - 1904                First permanent scientific station established in                              the Antarctic, at Laurie Island, South Orkneys by                              the Scottish National Antarctic expedition under                              William Speirs Bruce in the Scotia. 22 Feb 1904                Argentina began to occupy Antarctic lands when                              purchasing the meteorological station belonging                              to the Scottish Dr. Bruce, on Laurie island,                              South Orkney islands. 14 Dec 1911                Roald Amundsen of Norway reaches the South Pole;                              on 18 Jan 1912 U.S. Capt. Robert Scott located                              the Pole but died on the return trip. 29 Nov 1929                U.S. explorer Richard E. Byrd made the first flight                              over the South Pole from Little America Base.  13 Jan 1941                German commandos board and capture two                               Norwegian factory ships in the sea north of                               Queen Maude Land. By the end of the next day,                               the Germans had taken possession of three                               factory ships and eleven catchers. The German                               Navy subsequently used the waters of the                               Peninsula and the sub-Antarctic islands as a                               haven from which they could venture forth to                              attack allied shipping. Their main base was an                              obscure harbor on Kergulen Island. 29 Jan 1944 - 1945         British dispatch a naval mission to Antarctica                              (Operation Tabarin) which established the first                              permanent British scientific bases. Mar 1957                   First permanent station at South Pole built.  1 Jul 1957 - 31 Dec 1958  International Geophysical Year (IGY), scientists                              of 67 nations research the environment. 24 Nov 1957 -  2 Mar 1958  First successful land traverse of Antarctica by                              British Commonwealth Transantarctic expedition                              under Vivian Fuchs. Weddell Sea to Ross Sea via                              the South Pole.  16 Dec 1957                South Geomagnetic Pole reached for the first time                              by a tractor traverse from Soviet Union.   1 Dec 1959                Antarctic Treaty signed. 23 Jun 1961                Treaty entered into force.  1 Sep 2004                Secretariat of Antarctic Treaty inaugurated. Argentine Claim Australian Claim Brazilian Zone British Claim Chilean Claim French Claim New Zealand Claim Norway Claim Former Claims Germany South Africa Antarctic Treaty Secretariat

     Antarctic Treaty — The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 Dec 1959 and entered into force on 23 Jun 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica. Administration is carried out through consultative member meetings.
    Summary: Article 1- Antarctic area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2—freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3—free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4—does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5—prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6—includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south; Article 7—treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all activities and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8—allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9—frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10—treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11—disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14—deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements—more than 170 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include—Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora (1964); Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but was subsequently rejected; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 Oct 1991 and entered into force 14 Jan 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes on marine pollution, fauna, and flora, environmental impact assessments, waste management, and protected areas; it also prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; 27 parties have ratified the Protocol as of Apr 1998.
 

Executive secretary (in Buenos Aires, Argentina)
 1 Sep 2004 -              Jan Huber (Netherlands)

Antarctic Treaty membership 

Dates of  Membership	Member Nations
23 Jun 1961	Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Soviet Union1, United Kingdom, United States
14 Jun 1962	Czechoslovakia2
20 May 1965	Denmark
30 Mar 1967	The Netherlands
15 Sep 1971	Romania
19 Nov 1974	East Germany3
16 May 1975	Brazil
11 Sep 1978	Bulgaria
5 Feb 1979	West Germany3
11 Jan 1980	Uruguay
16 Mar 1981	Papua New Guinea
18 Mar 1981	Italy
10 Apr 1981	Peru
31 Mar 1982	Spain
8 Jun 1983	China
19 Aug 1983	India
27 Jan 1984	Hungary
24 Apr 1984	Sweden
15 May 1984	Finland
16 Aug 1984	Cuba
28 Nov 1986	South Korea
8 Jan 1987	Greece
21 Jan 1987	North Korea
25 Aug 1987	Austria
15 Sep 1987	Ecuador
4 May 1988	Canada
31 Jan 1989	Colombia
15 Nov 1990	Switzerland
31 Jul 1991	Guatemala
28 Oct 1992	Ukraine
25 Jan 1996	Turkey
24 May 1999	Venezuela
17 May 2001	Estonia
27 Dec 2006	Belarus
1Dissolved 25 Dec 1991, succeeded by Russia. 2From 1 Jan 1993 Czech Republic and Slovakia. 3East and West Germany united 3 Oct 1990.

Argentina

Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the Island of the South Atlantic (Tierra del Fuego, Antárctica y Islas del Atlántico Sur) Argentine claim, 25°W to 74°W; overlaps British and Chilean claims. Claimed: 31 Aug 1943

Australian Antarctic Territory (Australian claim, 160°E to 142°E and 136°E to 45°E):
Claimed: 13 Jun 1933 

Brazilian Antarctica (Antártica Brasileira) Brazilian informal claim, 28°W to 53°W; overlaps Argentine, British and Chilean claims. Zone of Interest Designated: 1986
 

Magellanes and Chilean Antarctica (Magallanes y Antárctica Chilena) Chilean claim, 53°W to 90°W; overlaps Argentine and British claims. Claimed: 6 Nov 1940
 

French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises) Adelie Land; includes French claim, 142°E to 136°W. Claimed: 21 Nov 1924
 

New Zealand Antarctic Territory (Ross Dependency) New Zealand claim, 150°W to 160°E. Claimed: 30 Jul 1923

Norwegian Antarctic Territory(Dronning Mauds Land) Queen Maude Land; Norwegian claim, 45°E to 20°E and Peter I Island.  Claimed: 14 Jan 1938

British Antarctic Territories(British claim, 20°W to 80°W; Argentine and Chilean claims overlap. Claimed: 21 Jul 1908

Germany

German New Swabia Land (Deutsch Neuschwabenland) 20°E to 10°W, overlapped Norwegian claim.
Claimed: 19 Jan 1939 - 25 May 1945

South African Antarctica South African unverified claim 1963 - 1994?
 

Territorial Disputes: The Antarctic Treaty freezes claims (see Antarctic Treaty Summary in Government type entry); sections (some overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK; the U.S. and most other states do not recognize the territorial
claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the U.S. and Russia reserve the right to do so); no claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west; several states with land claims in Antarctica have expressed their intention to submit data to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to extend their continental shelf claims to adjoining undersea ridges.