Antarctica
Satellite image
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 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 the smallest in population.
| Table of contents |
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2 Territorial claims 3 Population 4 See also 5 External links |
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 but continue 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.
Tabletop icebergs in Antarctica
It is usually estimated that at a given time there are at least 1000 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:
Geography
Main article: Geography of AntarcticaTerritorial claims
No formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west.Former claims
Population
See also
External links
| Ecozones |
| Nearctic | Palearctic | Afrotropic | Indomalaya | Australasia | Neotropic | Oceania | Antarctic |
| Continents of the World |
| Asia | Africa | North America | South America | Antarctica | Europe | Australia |
| (The Pacific Islands, also called Oceania, are not part of any continent) |