Antarctica

Overview

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least explored continent, almost entirely covered in ice, with no permanent population, only researchers at scientific stations and travelers who visit during the brief summer season. The continent is protected under an international treaty that reserves it for scientific research and prohibits military activity and mineral extraction. Visitors get to experience one of the planet's most untouched and silent landscapes, where human presence remains minimal and the sheer scale of the terrain is almost hard to grasp.

The Antarctic Peninsula, the continent's most accessible region, greets visitors with massive icebergs, glaciers, and dramatic fjords, typically reached by ship from Ushuaia, Argentina. The Lemaire Channel, a narrow passage hemmed in by cliffs, is one of the most spectacular stretches in the region, while Deception Island's active volcanic caldera offers a unique geological experience. Historic research stations, such as the former British base at Port Lockroy, offer a glimpse into the early years of polar exploration.

Antarctica's wildlife is remarkable: emperor, Adélie, and chinstrap penguins breed in enormous colonies, while coastal waters are home to orcas, leopard seals, and various whale species, including humpbacks and blue whales. Cruising among icebergs and glaciers, along with Zodiac boat excursions, are the most popular ways to explore the continent, and some expeditions also offer camping and skiing on the ice for more adventurous travelers. The visiting season runs from November to March, when the southern hemisphere summer brings milder temperatures and longer daylight hours.

The Antarctic Treaty and territorial claims

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by twelve countries and entered into force in 1961, aimed at ensuring the continent's use exclusively for peaceful, scientific purposes, prohibiting military activity, mineral extraction, and any nuclear testing in the region. Before the treaty was signed, seven countries — Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, the United Kingdom, Norway, and New Zealand — had declared territorial claims over various sectors of Antarctica, several of which overlap, particularly the claims of Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom around the Antarctic Peninsula. The treaty adopted a distinctive solution to this situation: it did not eliminate existing claims but effectively "froze" them, meaning signatory states can neither actively assert nor formally renounce their claims for as long as the treaty remains in force. The United States and Russia (as the Soviet Union's successor) maintain no territorial claim of their own but reserve the right to make one in the future should circumstances change, creating a kind of balance between claimant and non-claimant states. More than 50 countries have since joined the treaty, and this international legal framework continues to successfully maintain Antarctica's demilitarized, science-focused status today.