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Antarctica

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Antarctica (from Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earth's South Pole. It is the coldest place on earth and is almost entirely covered by ice. It is not to be confused with the Arctic, which is located near the Earth's North Pole.

Antarctica was discovered in late January 1820. For more details see the article on the History of Antarctica.

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent in area, after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. However, it is by far the smallest in population: indeed, it has no permanent population at all. It is also the continent with the highest average altitude, and the lowest average humidity of any continent on Earth, as well as the lowest average temperature.

It has been assigned the Internet ccTLD .aq.

Contents

Antarctic Climate

Main article: Climate of Antarctica. See-also: sea level rise.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Antarctica

Territorial claims

Territorial claims of Antarctica
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Territorial claims of Antarctica

Several nations, particularly those close to the continent, made territorial claims in the 20th century. These claims have little practical relevance due to the Antarctic Treaty which came into effect in 1961, but continue to be observed by cartographers.

Most countries that have observation or study facilities in Antarctica have those facilities within their claimed territory. The Antarctic Treaty defers these claims and most other nations do not recognize them. No other nations have made claims themselves, although the United States and Russia assert the right to do so.


No formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west.

Former claims

Tabletop icebergs in Antarctica
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Tabletop icebergs in Antarctica

Population

Palmer Station
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Palmer Station

It is usually estimated that at a given time there are at least 1,000 people living in Antarctica. This varies strongly with season.

Antarctica has no permanent residents, but a number of governments maintain permanent research stations on the continent. Many of the stations are staffed around the year. These include:

Emilio Marcos Palma was the first person born in Antarctica, his mother having been sent there by the Argentinian government to give birth.

Literature set in Antarctica

Military

The Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature in Antarctica, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military manoeuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon. It permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes.

The United States military issues the Antarctica Service Medal to those members of the military who perform research duty on the Antarctica continent.

See also

External links

  • Council Of Managers Of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) http://www.comnap.aq/ , official homepage.
  • Portals on the World - Antarctica http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/frd/antarctica/antarctica.html from the Library of Congress
  • Australian Antartic Division http://www.aad.gov.au/
  • British Antarctic Survey http://www.antarctica.ac.uk
  • ANetStation http://www.anetstation.com
  • The World Factbook – Antarctica http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ay.html from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
  • The Antarctic Digital Database - a source of digital topographic map data for Antarctica http://www.add.scar.org
  • The Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research - coordinating body for Antarctic Science http://www.scar.org


Continents of the World
Africa | Antarctica | Asia | Australia | Europe | North America | South America

(The Pacific Islands in Oceania are not part of any continent.)


Regions of the World

Antarctica | East Asia | Central Asia | Southeast Asia | South Asia | North Asia | Middle East | Levant | Arabia | North Africa | Central Africa | Great Lakes | Congo | Guinea | Sahel | Sudan | West Africa | East Africa | Southern Africa | Great Plains | Central America | Caribbean | Andean States | Eastern South America | Northern South America | Western Europe | Eastern Europe | Northern Europe | Scandinavia | Southern Europe | Central Europe | Balkans | Australasia or Australia | Micronesia | Melanesia | Polynesia
(For more, visit subcontinent and subregion)





Last updated: 02-08-2005 04:14:33
Last updated: 03-01-2005 21:48:46