There are no countries in Antarctica. Seven countries made claims to Antarctic territory before the Antarctic Treaty, and the treaty does not legally recognize any claims. Those seven countries are Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. Some of their claims overlap. Other countries do not recognize any claims. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 countries, and it freezes territorial claims, so no new claims can be made while it is in force.
As of November 2026, NSF Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is the southernmost year-round research station in the world. It opened in 1956 for the International Geophysical Year, and the current elevated station was completed in 2008. The South Pole station is at 90 degrees South. It drifts about 10 meters (33 feet) each year because the ice it sits on moves.
The South Pole station hosts the South Pole Telescope and the IceCube neutrino detector, built in the ice. Its clear, dry air and lack of light pollution suit astronomy. At the station, up to 150 people stay in a week of summer and up to 42 in a week of winter. The station has about 47 buildings, and most people arrive by ski-equipped aircraft from McMurdo Station.
Antarctica has no native population, so place names are chosen by international committees. Names often honor discoverers, ships or events, or describe a feature, such as Fishhook Ridge, named for its shape. Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole, in December 1911. Robert F. Scott arrived in January 1912. The US South Pole station is named for both men.
Halley Research Station sits on the Brunt Ice Shelf, which moves. Its modular design lets it move with the ice, and the sixth Halley station was moved over 20 kilometers in 2016 and 2017.
British Antarctic Survey scientists discovered the Antarctic ozone hole, a seasonal thinning of the ozone layer caused by CFCs and halons. Their discovery led to the 1987 Montreal Protocol.
Now consider the rules of the treaty. Antarctica is a demilitarised zone. The 1959 treaty prohibits military activities, weapons testing and the disposal of radioactive waste, and applies south of 60 degrees South. The Treaty entered into force in 1961. Under the Antarctic Treaty, scientific observations and results from Antarctica must be exchanged and made freely available, and all stations, installations and equipment are open to inspection at all times.
The Antarctic Treaty System has two main agreements beyond the 1959 treaty: CCAMLR, which protects the marine life of the Southern Ocean, and the Madrid Protocol, which bans mining except for science and requires environmental impact assessments. The Antarctic Treaty sets Antarctica aside for peaceful science.
Words to know
- demilitarised: free of military
- modular: built in sections
- ozone: a gas layer
- inspection: careful check
