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Antarctica (region)
 
 
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The geographic
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
 region of Antarctica comprises the continent
Continent

A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
 of Antarctica
Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....
 and the ice shelves
Ice shelf

An ice shelf is a thick, floating platform of ice that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down to a coastline and onto the ocean surface....
, waters and island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
 territories in the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean, also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean south of 60th parallel south latitude....
 situated south of the Antarctic Convergence
Antarctic Convergence

The Antarctic Convergence, better known as the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone , is a line encircling Antarctica where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet and mix with the relatively warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic....
.






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Spsm
Mt Herschel, Antarctica, Jan 2006
Grytviken Museum
The geographic
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
 region of Antarctica comprises the continent
Continent

A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
 of Antarctica
Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....
 and the ice shelves
Ice shelf

An ice shelf is a thick, floating platform of ice that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down to a coastline and onto the ocean surface....
, waters and island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
 territories in the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean, also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean south of 60th parallel south latitude....
 situated south of the Antarctic Convergence
Antarctic Convergence

The Antarctic Convergence, better known as the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone , is a line encircling Antarctica where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet and mix with the relatively warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic....
. The region covers some 20% of the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half ball'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere south of the celestial equator....
, of which 5.5% (14 million sq.km) is the surface area of the continent itself.

The maritime part of the region constitutes the area of application of the international Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. The Convention is implemented by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, headquartered in Tasmania, Australia.* ...
 (CCAMLR), where for technical reasons the Convention uses an approximation of the Convergence line by means of a line joining specified points along parallels of latitude
Circle of latitude

A circle of latitude, on the Earth, is an imaginary east-west circle connecting all locations that share a given latitude. A location's position along a circle of latitude is given by its longitude....
 and meridians of longitude
Meridian (geography)

A meridian is an imaginary arc on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations running along it with a given longitude....
. The implementation of the Convention is managed through an international Commision headquartered in Hobart
Hobart

Hobart is the List of Australian capital cities and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1803 as a penal colony, Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 by an efficient system of annual fishing
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
 quotas, licenses and international inspectors on the fishing vessels, as well as satellite
Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an Physical body which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
 surveilance.

Most of Antarctica region is situated south of 60°S latitude parallel, and is governed in accordance with the international legal regime of the Antarctic Treaty System
Antarctic Treaty System

The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population....
. The Treaty area covers the continent itself and its immediately adjacent islands, as well as the archipelago
Archipelago

An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Italian language arcipelago , derived ultimately from Greek language arkhon and pelagos ....
s of the South Orkney Islands
South Orkney Islands

The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands in the Southern Ocean. The Orkneys have been part of the British Antarctic Territory since 1962, and prior to this the islands were a Falkland Islands....
, South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands, lying about 120 kilometres north of the Antarctic Peninsula....
, Peter I Island
Peter I Island

Peter I Island is a volcano island located near Antarctica. It was discovered by Fabian von Bellingshausen off West Antarctica on 21 January 1821....
, Scott Island
Scott Island

Scott Island is a small uninhabited island of volcanic origin in the Ross Sea, Southern Ocean, northeast of Cape Adare, the northeastern extremity of Victoria Land....
 and Balleny Islands
Balleny Islands

The Balleny Islands form a chain of uninhabited, mainly volcano, islands in the Southern Ocean stretching from 66?15' to 67?35'S and 162?30' to 165?00'E....
.

The islands situated between 60°S latitude parallel to the south and the Antarctic Convergence
Antarctic Convergence

The Antarctic Convergence, better known as the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone , is a line encircling Antarctica where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet and mix with the relatively warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic....
 to the north, and their respective 200-mile
Nautical mile

A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. It corresponds approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian .It is a non-International System of Units unit used especially by navigators in the shipping and aviation industries....
 Exclusive Economic Zone
Exclusive Economic Zone

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine Natural resource....
s fall under the national jurisdiction
Jurisdiction

In law, jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility....
 of the countries that possess them: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia ? which measures approximately by and is by far the largest island in the territory ? and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sand...
 (United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
; also an EU Overseas territory), Bouvet Island
Bouvet Island

Bouvet Island is an uninhabited sub-antarctic volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, south-southwest of the Cape of Good Hope . It is a Dependent territory of Norway and is not subject to the Antarctic Treaty....
 (Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
), and Heard and McDonald Islands
Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Heard Island and McDonald Islands are a volcanic group of Barren_vegetation islands located in the Southern Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica, approximately 4099 km west of Perth, Western Australia....
 (Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
). Kerguelen Islands
Kerguelen Islands

The Kerguelen Islands , also known as Desolation Island, is a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean. It is a territory of France. They are Antipodes to an area between where Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana meet in North America....
 (France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
; also an EU Overseas territory) are situated in the Antarctic Convergence area, while the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located from the coast of Argentina, west of the Shag Rocks , and north of the British Antarctic Territory ....
, Isla de los Estados
Isla de los Estados

Isla de los Estados is an Argentine island that lies 29 km off the eastern extremity of the Argentina Tierra del Fuego Province of Tierra del Fuego, from which it is separated by the Le Maire Strait....
, Hornos Island
Hornos Island

Hornos Island is a Chile island at the southern tip of South America. The island is mostly known for being the location of Cape Horn. It is generally considered South America's southernmost island, but the Diego Ram?rez Islands are farther south....
 with Cape Horn
Cape Horn

Cape Horn island is the southernmost Headlands and bays of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile.Cape Horn is widely considered to be the most southerly point of South America, and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried tr...
, Diego Ramírez Islands
Diego Ramírez Islands

The Diego Ram?rez Islands are a small group of lesser islands located in the southernmost extreme of Chile about 100 km southwest of Cape Horn and 93 km SSE of Ildefonso Islands, stretching 8 km north-south ....
, Campbell Island
Campbell Island, New Zealand

Campbell Island is a Extreme points of the world, sub-Antarctic island of New Zealand and the main island of the Campbell Island group. Campbell Island proper is located at ....
, Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between Australia and Antarctica. 54?37'53"S, 158?52'15"E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Protected areas of Tasmania in 1978....
, Amsterdam
Île Amsterdam

New Amsterdam or ?le Amsterdam is a France island in the Indian Ocean located at . It is part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands....
 and Saint Paul
Île Saint-Paul

?le Saint-Paul is an island forming part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands in the Indian Ocean, with an area of 6 km? . It is located about southwest of the larger ?le Amsterdam, and south of R?union....
 Islands, Crozet Islands
Crozet Islands

The Crozet Islands are a sub-antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands....
, Prince Edward Islands
Prince Edward Islands

The Prince Edward Islands are two small islands in the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean that are politically part of South Africa. As a group of two islands, the Prince Edward Islands are located at ....
, and Gough Island
Gough Island

Gough Island is a volcanic island rising from the South Atlantic Ocean to heights of over 900 m above sea level with an area of . It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha, which in turn is a dependency of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena....
 and Tristan da Cunha group
Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean, 2,816 km from South Africa and 3,360 km from South America....
 remain north of the Convergence and thus outside Antarctica region.

The first Antarctic land discovered by man was the island of South Georgia
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia ? which measures approximately by and is by far the largest island in the territory ? and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sand...
, visited by the English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 merchant Anthony de la Roché
Anthony de la Roché

Anthony de la Roch?, 17th century, was an Kingdom of England merchant born in London to France Huguenot father and Kingdom of England mother. During a commercial voyage between Europe and South America he was blown off course, and visited the Antarctica island of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, making the first ever discovery...
 in 1675. The first human born in Antarctica was Solveig Gunbjörg Jacobsen
Solveig Gunbjörg Jacobsen

Solveig Gunbj?rg Jacobsen was the first person born south of the Antarctic Convergence, in Grytviken. Her father Fridthjof Jacobsen settled in South Georgia Island in 1904 to become assistant manager, and from 1914 to 1921 manager of the Grytviken whaling station....
 born on 8 October 1913 in Grytviken
Grytviken

Grytviken is the principal Hamlet in the United Kingdom territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic. It was so named by a 1902 Swedish surveyor who found old English try pots used to render Pinniped oil at the site....
, South Georgia. Antarctica region had no indigenous population when first discovered, and its present inhabitants comprise few thousand transient scientific
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
 and other personnel working on tours of duty at the several dozen research stations
List of research stations in Antarctica

A number of governments maintain permanent research stations throughout Antarctica. Many of the stations are Demographics of Antarctica around the year....
 maintained by various countries. However, the region is visited by more than 40,000 tourists annually, the most popular destinations being the Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....
 area (especially the South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands, lying about 120 kilometres north of the Antarctic Peninsula....
) and South Georgia Island
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia ? which measures approximately by and is by far the largest island in the territory ? and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sand...
.

See also

  • Antarctic Convergence
    Antarctic Convergence

    The Antarctic Convergence, better known as the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone , is a line encircling Antarctica where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet and mix with the relatively warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic....
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
    South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

    South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia ? which measures approximately by and is by far the largest island in the territory ? and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sand...
  • Bouvet Island
    Bouvet Island

    Bouvet Island is an uninhabited sub-antarctic volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, south-southwest of the Cape of Good Hope . It is a Dependent territory of Norway and is not subject to the Antarctic Treaty....
  • Kerguelen Islands
    Kerguelen Islands

    The Kerguelen Islands , also known as Desolation Island, is a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean. It is a territory of France. They are Antipodes to an area between where Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana meet in North America....
  • Heard Island and McDonald Islands
    Heard Island and McDonald Islands

    Heard Island and McDonald Islands are a volcanic group of Barren_vegetation islands located in the Southern Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica, approximately 4099 km west of Perth, Western Australia....
  • South Orkney Islands
    South Orkney Islands

    The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands in the Southern Ocean. The Orkneys have been part of the British Antarctic Territory since 1962, and prior to this the islands were a Falkland Islands....
  • South Shetland Islands
    South Shetland Islands

    The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands, lying about 120 kilometres north of the Antarctic Peninsula....
  • Peter I Island
    Peter I Island

    Peter I Island is a volcano island located near Antarctica. It was discovered by Fabian von Bellingshausen off West Antarctica on 21 January 1821....
  • Scott Island
    Scott Island

    Scott Island is a small uninhabited island of volcanic origin in the Ross Sea, Southern Ocean, northeast of Cape Adare, the northeastern extremity of Victoria Land....
  • Balleny Islands
    Balleny Islands

    The Balleny Islands form a chain of uninhabited, mainly volcano, islands in the Southern Ocean stretching from 66?15' to 67?35'S and 162?30' to 165?00'E....
  • Antarctica
    Antarctica

    Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....


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