Throughout Antarctica, nations with economies that were dependent on whaling claimed ownership of large parts of the continent.On the Peninsula, three nations claims overlie each other. Making the Peninsula shared by Britain, Argentina, and Chile.Other countries that have claims to this area include France, New Zealand, Norway and Australia.
The greatest example of nationalism came in 1940 when planes were sent by Nazi Germany to drop stakes with the swastika symbol carved on them over vast areas of Antarctica to allege ownership by the Third Reich.With the world pre-occupied by WWII, Antarcitica found itself alone except for the whalers who came to hunt the great animals.But, it wouldn’t be long before heavenly happenings caused a scientific stir, prompting a mass return to The Ice.
The celestial event was the peak of sunspot activity in 1957-1958. This International Geophysical Year is marked by increased interest by scientist and governments around the globe exploring Antarctica because of its one of a kind view of the southern hole in the Earth’s magnetic field. The wanted to be able to see how the barrage of solar radiation affected the continent.The continent was soon home to a 67 country coalition of science personnel.This movement, and the cooperation among the scientists in this community were a drving factor in the Antarctic Treaty, an amazing international agreement.travel to antarctica
All of the countries possessing a key interest in Antarctica signed the treaty in 1959, setting aside this continent to be used for peaceful purposes only.This treaty protects the land physically by banning nuclear testing or explosions, as well as any dumping of radioactive waste.The only reason military activities were to be allowed on the continent was in the logistic support of science.The conflicting territorial claims between countries were set aside in the interest of preserving the continent.
The superpowers of this era did not step forward to assert claims or otherwise interfere, although they did reservce the right to make claims in the future.In one fell swoop, no country could stake any more claims to the continent.trips to antarctica
The minerals, gas, and oil that was thought to lie in and off the shores of Antarctica became attractive during the 1960’s and ’70’s.There was a flurry of national bases erected, mainly on the peninsula and surrounding islands. Antarctica’s summer population of approximately 5,000, largely due to the fact that it’s only a three day cruise, dozens of science posts are home to most of these visitors.
King George Island became home to bases for Poland, Argentina, Chile, Italy, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and in the 1980’s South Korea, Brazil, China, Uruguay, and Peru followed suit.Not only were these bases the site of scientific experiments, but they also served as political markers, similar to the swastika stakes dropped by Nazi Germany in 1940.In other words the bases also allowed each country to create “squatters rights.”
Things began to change in the late 80’s though. More people became aware of the exploitation of the area and tried to preserve what was left.Antarctica is in the process of becoming the jointly-owned property of the entire planet, similar to the political definitions of ocean ownership.At this time, a hole in the Earth’s atmosphere was discovered. British scientists at the Halley Bay Antarctic base found that due to the industrial advances most super powers had made caused a hole in the Earth’s atmosphere which allowed harmful UV rays in.
In 1987, this discovery spurred an international decree that the end of the 20th century would see the end of chemical usage that damaged the ozone.It also showed how important Antarctic science bases were. The bases are still used for measuring how carbon emissions are causing the “greenhouse” effect which began with the start of the Industrial Age.The Green movement was largely responsible for rejection of whaling in the 1980’s and protection of the continent.
The Antarctic Treaty nations came to an agreement by 1991 to stop all gas and oil exploration, along with mining and irreversible exploitation of the continent for 50 years or so, as well as bringing environmental concerns to scientific levels of importance.Antarctica is important today as it was during it’s hey-day because instead of being exploited and ruined in the name of wealth and greed, it’s teaching us how those very things that marked progress are creating a very unstable world. Hopefully, through the studies conducted we will be able to learn how to reverse some of those issues and challenges we will face in the future.
Antarctica, magnificent in its beauty and unmerciful in its brutality, is a land unto itself.The uniqueness also comes from the fact it’s the only continent on earth that has never been bloodied by war.And yet here, in a land mass greater than Europe and America together, more men have died violently than naturally since the never-ending cold makes it virtually germ-free.
Modern Antarctica is a study of contrasts when one considers the opposing politics that come together to work peacefully in comfortable enclosures that are a few inches from a -100-degree environment that would literally freeze them in seconds.Having a healthy appetite is welcomed in Antarctica as many have discovered when they’re downing four good meals a day, and the incredibly low temperature just devours calories quicker than any known diet.
The endless days of Antarctica also brings forth the mass insomnia known as “The Big Eye”. The summertime 3-am sunshine prevent many from sleeping comfortable.Bombastically the people who live in the Antarctic claim the rights to being part of the 300 Degree Club.It holds claim to the cheapest and southernmost bar on the planet, located at the South Pole. Here it is possible to get a 12 year old scotch or a cognac for the same exact price and still have a huge bar tab by the time you are ready to leave.From the month of April through December, the nights become endless.antarctica cruise prices
The heartland of Antarctica is blanketed with a moving cap of ice that is 9,000 feet thick; however, geologists believe that there may be sufficient coal, natural gas, and oil to supply the planet within it.There are many strange laws in Antarctica; including those is the inability to extradite anyone from there, leaving it the perfect getaway spot for criminals who want to escape from justice, provided they could survive for one day in the harsh climate that numbers among the world’s most unforgiving; needless to say, there’s no hurry to amend those laws.
Even so, Antarctica has the smallest crime rate of any country or nation out there.This continent might be considered the best place to commit the perfect crime, as if someone has ever killed anyone, they’ve never been prosecuted for it.There are no statutes, nor are there treaties concerning extradition, so that a murderous felon could be brought to justice anywhere on Antarctica.antarctica cruise vacations
Ten flags from different countries are unfurled over the continent; however, not a single square foot of this real estate is claimed by any.No effort to establish a long term colony in this primitive land has yet been mounted, and even so, the South Pole is home to the most complex scientific instrumentation and computers.
It may be surprising to know that the people who live here, although usually only for a short period, are known to have the highest IQ per capita on the planet.In no other continent will you find more people with degrees than a high school education.There is more research preformed here than in any other geographical location. If you want to find scientific talent, you will find more here than at any university in the world.One of the few laws regarding Antarctica involves the prohibition of nuclear weapons tests and explosions.
The environmental laws on the planet are in effect in Antarctica.A century ago the land and sea were bloody from the slaughter done by seal and whale hunters; today a special license is required before any animal life is killed.The world’s scientists, who find Antarctica to be a research treasure, are working hard to maintain its pristine condition.
It was just over a hundred years ago that a whaling ship named Antarctic anchored itself and then launched a longboat toward a wind-swept shore through the dangerous waters of the Ross Sea.On January 24, 1895, Captain Leonard Kristensen and the landing party of the “Antarctic” left the first trace of human kind on the frozen continent in their quest to slaughter whales in these, as yet, unclaimed waters.
Blood was soon spilled across Antarctica.Millions of seals were killed for their coats, whales and penguins for their oil – which was used to grease the cogs of the industrial Revolution’s new age machinery.It was on Macquarie Island that countless penguins were rounded up and forced up planks that lead into large pots of boiling oil so that they would fall in and add their own oil to the mix.
Finally, after exploiting the Frozen Continent more than 100 years, it seems humans are willing to let go of the easy money and fast kill opportunities to allow Antarctica to be a place of preserving both science and nature for the future.There are discussions currently underway to establish Antarctica as a world park.For science, Antarctica serves as a base for studying pollutant threats that affect the whole world, including ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect.Considering how brief a time we have inhabited our planet, the discoveries that we have made in Antarctica since its discover are truly remarkable.There were only parts of the coastline, the islands, and several paths to the South Pole investigated until the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958.antarctic cruise
From the time Antarctica was discovered its history has been filled with fierceness, nationalism, idealism, and constant killing. Only on occasion were attempts made at scientific research on this continent.Whaling around Antarctica occurred with more intensity during World War I, because the oil from them was refined into glycerin used in artillery shells.Post-WWII, the Soviet Union and the United States both hunted the oil from sperm whales, as this was used for jet engines.It was not until the International Geophysical Year that Antarctica was referred to as anything but “Terra Australia Incognita,” a term used by medieval mapmakers to describe this undiscovered southern continent.
Even though the very first person born in Antarctica is still a child, their birth was still the subject of great nationalistic pretense.The mother of Emilio Marcus Palmer was flown to Antarctica to give birth to him in 1978 simply for the purpose of claiming part of Antarctic territory in the name of Argentina.great antarctic cruise
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had planted the American flag on the moon’s surface nine years earlier, as a show of America’s dominance.A similar exploit took place in 1911 when Roald Amundsen raced to be the first to the South Pole to show nobility to Norway’s King Haakon VII.This journey was also made by Robert F. Scott and his team for the British Empire. However, on their journey they stopped to collect rock and fossil samples which had to be transported using man-pulled sleighs.
It is believed that between the discouragement felt when they found out that Amundsen reached the Pole a month sooner, eating a poor diet, having to haul the rocks and fossils, and utter bad luck caused Scott and his team to perish on the return trip, making them the first people to die in Antarctica for the sake of science.The South Pole was claimed by America in 1929 when Richard Byrd flew over the area using his Ford Trimotor.It was back in 1821 that the Soviets laid claim to the Antarctica with the journey made by Russian Admiral Thaddeus Bellingshausen past the Antarctic Peninsula.
Dallas, TX, USA, and the South Pole share one thing – it is likely to reach 100 degrees there in July.And while the South Pole also will hit 100 degrees in July, it will be 100 degrees below zero.Colder than any deep-freezer, this temperature can instantly freeze any exposed skin in mere seconds.
Even with these conditions, twenty-eight people commit six months to living at the South Pole. They have to deal with no sunlight, very little contact with the world, and no way to escape.This team works to maintain the U.S. polar base and to control the telescopes and other scientific devices located at the research station.Advancements in technology and communications are changing their work.
Astronomers in North America can remotely operate the telescope in the observatories of the South Pole.This made history as the first time a South Pole telescope was controlled from another continent.It is the dream of astronomers to be able to watch the universe from the South Pole’s telescope while controlling it completely from a warmer climate.Antarctic Cruising Tours
People in Antarctica deal with the coldest, driest, and windiest conditions on Earth.Its elevation is the highest of the continents, making breathing sometimes difficult.These harsh conditions have led certain animals that survive there to adapt specifically to the cold including seals, penguins and tundra vegatation.
Those who accept the risk of working during the Antarctic winter are called “winter-overs.”For entertainment, they have to rely on a large variety of videos, a small exercise room, a pool table, great food, and traditions.Normally, winter-overs do not speak much about what occurs during their winter months of isolation at the South Pole, from February to October.antarctica holiday
One challenge faced by this crew is that the research program at the South Pole has continually grown and the research station is facing a great challenge in having a steady and consistent electrical supply.The three oil-powered generators at the station have been unable to meet the energy demands of the computers, lasers, telescopes, and other devices dependent upon power sources.This causes winter-overs to have to deal with insufficient power, in conjunction with cramped quarters and cold buildings.
To help spend the time, several traditions have grown into existence.In order to be part of the “300 Club,” there needs to be temperatures less than 100 degrees below zero.The members heat the sauna up to 200 degrees.They then sprint from the 200 degree sauna into the minus 100 degree air and back again.
Airdrop is also a very greatly expected occurrence.This occurs in June. It is the drop of pallets of food, mail, and supplies by a U.S. Air National Guard military transport plane.The winter-overs quickly go outside, utilize heavy equipment, and bring the supplies inside.This is the closest winter-overs are able to come to physical contact with the outside world during the six month winter.
Winter-overs spend their six months without a single tree or without traveling very far from their camp at all.Each crew member gets a one week vacation to the United States’ main Antarctic base, McMurdo Station.While here, the winter-overs are able to camp out in the 25-degree climate, bake in the sun, and relax in t-shirts and jeans.
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