Antarctica

Antarctica The Antarctic continent was first charted by James Cook in 1773–4, though it was not fully explored until the twentieth century. In a race to reach the South Pole, the Norwegian Roald Amundsen was the first to arrive on 15 December 1911. The ill-fated British expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott (b. 1868, d. 1912) did not arrive there until 18 January 1912. (The myth of Scott's amateurism against Amundsen's professionalism has been largely refuted, since temperatures on Scott's route were 40°F below the expected average.) Most of Antarctica's territory was claimed by Britain (British Antarctic Territory) in 1908, New Zealand (Ross Dependency) in 1923, Australia (Australian Antarctic Territory) in 1933, France (Adélie Land) in 1938, Norway (Queen Maud Land) in 1939, Chile (Antarctic Peninsula) in 1940, and Argentina (Antarctic Peninsula) in 1942. However, these claims have not been recognized by either the USA or the Soviet Union (Russia). The Antarctic Treaty signed in 1959 by twelve nations, including Britain, the USA, the Soviet Union, France, and Japan, guaranteed the continuation of peaceful research, the banning of military or nuclear activity, and the establishment of a system of mutual inspection. The treaty was valid for 30 years. In 1991, the Antactic Treaty was extended by the Antarctic Environmental Protocol, which was signed in Madrid and became effective in 1998. Ratified by 26 countries, it banned the exploitation of the continent's mineral resources for another 50 years, and kept it free from direct environmental pollution. Its ice masses have been particularly vulnerable to the advance of global warming. In May 2002, an area the size of Luxemburg broke off the ice shelf of the Antarctic. Such events would give gradual rise to the sea level, ultimately putting at risk entire states close to the sea level.