Antarctica

From Wikinfo

Antarctica 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 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:

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, South Pole (U.S. Antarctic Program)
Casey, Vincennes Bay (Australian Antarctic Division)
Davis Princess Elizabeth Land (Australian Antarctic Division)
Halley (75S, 26W) British Antarctic Survey
McMurdo Station, Ross Island (U.S.)
Macquarie Island (Australian Antarctic Division)
Mawson, Mac Robertson Land (Australian Antarctic Division)
Scott Base, Ross Island (New Zealand)
Rothera (67S, 68W) British Antarctic Survey
SANAE (South African National Antarctic Expeditions), on the Fimbul Coastal Ice Shelf in Queen Maud Land

Edward Bransfield discovered Antarctica on January 30, 1820.

File:Antarctica.jpg

Territorial claims

Argentine: 25?W to 74?W; Overlaps Chilean and British Claims; Claimed in 1943.
Australian: 160?E to 142?E and 136?E to 45?E; Claimed in 1933, see Australian Antarctic Territory.
Brazilian: 28?W to 53?W; Overlaps Argentine, British and Chilean Claims; Zone of Interest Designated: 1986
Chilean: 53?W to 90?W; Overlaps Argentine and British Claims; Claimed in 1940
French: 142?E to 136?E; Claimed: 1924.
New Zealand: 150?W to 160?E; Claimed: 1923.
Norwegian: 45?E to 20?E (Queen Maud Land) and Peter I Island; Claimed: 1938.
British: 20?W to 80?W; Overlaps Argentine and Chilean Claims; Claimed: 1908.
- See:British Antarctic Territory, List of Commissioners of the British Antarctic Territory, List of High Commissioners of the British Antarctic Territory and List of Administrators of the British Antarctic Territory

Old claims:

German: 20?E to 10?W; Overlapped Norwegian claim; Claimed: 1939-1945.
South African: xxx?y to xxx?y; Claimed: 1963-1994.

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.

Typical for Antarctica are gigantic table-top icebergs. The continent is surrounded by a large pack ice zone, in which one of the most remarkable ecosystems of the planet developed, based on the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. It is the food of whales, penguins, fish, seals and many birds.

File:Antarktis.jpg
(photo Uwe Kils) from [1])

File:AntarcticaSatelliteSmall.jpg

Satellite image - Large version