Territorial claims of Antarctica

Antarctica territories

Brazil's Antarctica Territory

Currently there are seven claimant nations who maintain a territorial claim on eight territories in Antarctica. These countries have tended to site their scientific observation and study facilities in Antarctica within their claimed territory. Download high resolution version (990x1220, 206 KB)Political map and research stations (2002) Public domain, produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. ... Download high resolution version (990x1220, 206 KB)Political map and research stations (2002) Public domain, produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x682, 75 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Antarctica territories ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x682, 75 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Antarctica territories ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 417 pixelsFull resolution (1425 × 743 pixel, file size: 56 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 417 pixelsFull resolution (1425 × 743 pixel, file size: 56 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Land claims are a legal declaration of desired control over areas of property including bodies of water. ...

It is sometimes stated that the Antarctic Treaty defers or suspends these claims. However, Article IV of the treaty, which deals with the issue of territorial claims, merely specifies that previously asserted claims are not affected by the treaty. The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earths only continent without a native population. ...

It states that contracting to the Treaty:

• is not a renunciation of any previous territorial claim.
• does not affect the basis of claims made as a result of activities of the signatory nation within Antarctica.
• does not affect the rights of a State under customary international law to recognise (or refuse to recognise) any other territorial claim.

What the treaty does affect are new claims: Customary international law Unwritten law applied to the behaviour of nations. ...

• No activities occurring after 1961 can be the basis of a territorial claim.
• No new claim can be made.
• No claim can be enlarged.

The Soviet Union and the United States both filed reservations against the restriction on new claims, and the United States and Russia assert their right to make claims in the future if they so choose. Brazil maintains the Comandante Ferraz (the Brazilian Antarctic Base) and has proposed a theory to delimiting territories using meridians, which would give territories to Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador too. Image:Ferraz. ...

In general, territorial claims below the 60° S parallel have only been recognised between those countries making claims in the area. However, claims are often indicated on maps of Antarctica - this does not signify de jure recognition.

All claim areas except Peter I Island (see below) are sectors, the borders of which are defined by degrees of longitude. In terms of latitude, the northern border of all sectors, except the Norwegian, is the 60° S parallel which does not cut through any piece of land, continent or island, and is also the northern limit of the Antarctic Treaty. The southern border of all sectors, except the Norwegian, collapses in one point, the South Pole. Fabian von Bellingshausen discovered Peter I Island (in Norwegian ) off West Antarctica on January 21, 1821. ... Longitude is the east-west geographic coordinate measurement most commonly utilized in cartography and global navigation. ... Latitude,usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... For other uses, see South Pole (disambiguation). ...

List of Antarctic territories

Flag	Territory	Claimant	Claim limits	Date
	Adelie Land (district of French Southern and Antarctic Lands)	France	142°2′E to 136°11′E	1924
	Antártica, Chile, commune of Antártica Chilena Province	Chile	53°W to 90°W	1940
	Argentine Antarctica (department of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands)	Argentina	25°W to 74°W	1943
	Australian Antarctic Territory (external territory of Australia)	Australia	160°E to 142°2′E and 136°11′E to 44°38′E	1933
	British Antarctic Territory (overseas territory of the United Kingdom)	United Kingdom	20°W to 80°W	1908
	Dronning Maud Land	Norway	44°38′E to 20°W	1939
	Peter I Island		68°50′S, 90°35′W	1929
	Ross Dependency	New Zealand	150°W to 160°E	1923
Unclaimed territory			90°W to 150°W (except the Peter I Island)

The South Orkney Islands fall within the territory claimed by Argentina and United Kingdom; and the South Shetland Islands fall within the areas claimed by Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom. The UK, France, Australia, New Zealand and Norway all recognise each others claims, which do not overlap. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_French_Southern_and_Antarctic_Lands. ... The French Southern Territories (long name: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, French: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises or TAAF) are antarctic, volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Africa and about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Magallanes,_Chile. ... Antártica is one of two communes (comunas) of the Antártica Chilena Province in the Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region, and forms the Chilean Antarctic Territory. ... ... Flag of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region showing the southern cross. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Chile. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Tierra_del_Fuego_province_in_Argentina. ... Antarctic portion between meridians 25º West and 74º West Argentine Antarctica (in Spanish, Antártida Argentina) is a sector of Antarctica which Argentina considers part of its National Territory. ... Departments (Spanish: departamentos) form the second level of administrative division in the provinces of Argentina. ... Argentina is subdivided in 23 provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 federal district (capital federal). ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands (Sp. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Motto: Research and Discovery Anthem: God Save the Queen Status British overseas territory Official language(s) - Commissioner Tony Crombie Administrator Michael Richardson Area 1,395,000 km² Population c. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway. ... Queen Maud Land (Norwegian: Dronning Maud Land) is the part of Antarctica lying between the terminus of Stancomb-Wills Glacier, at 20°W, and Shinnan Glacier, at 44° 38E. It has a land area of approximately 2,500,000 km², mostly covered by the Antarctic ice sheet. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fabian von Bellingshausen discovered Peter I Island (in Norwegian ) off West Antarctica on January 21, 1821. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Political status Dependency of New Zealand Governor Anand Satyanand Area   – Total  450 000 km² (174 000 mi²) Population Scott Base: 10-80 seasonally McMurdo Station: 200-1000 seasonally Currency New Zealand dollar The Ross Dependency comprises an area of Antarctica (and other land masses in the Southern Ocean) claimed by... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The South Orkney Islands (Spanish: Islas Orcadas) are a group of sub-antarctic islands situated at latitudes 60°50 to 60°83 S, and longitudes 44°25 to 46°25 W in the Southern Ocean. ... The South Shetland Islands or Iles Shetland du Sud or Islas Shetland del Sur or New South Britain or New South Shetland or Shetland Islands or South Shetlands or Sydshetland or Süd-Shetland Inseln are a chain of islands in the Southern Ocean lying about 120 kilometres northward of...

Prior to 1962, British Antarctic Territory was a dependency of the Falkland Islands and also included South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The Antarctic areas became a separate overseas territory following the ratification of the Antarctic Treaty. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands remained a dependency of the Falkland Islands until 1985 when they too became a separate overseas territory. Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto Leo Terram Propriam Protegat(Latin) Let the Lion protect his own land or May the Lion protect his own land Anthem God Save the Queen Capital Grytviken (King Edward Point) Official languages English Government British overseas territory  -  Head of State Queen Elizabeth II  -  Commissioner Alan Huckle Area  -  Total 3... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (almost exclusively Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ...

Non-officialized claims

Flag	Territory	Claimant	Claim limits	Date
	Brazilian Antarctica	Brazil	28°W to 53°W	1986

Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Brazilian Antarctica (Antártica Brasileira) is the name of the Brazilian informal claim, a zone of Interest designated in 1986, covering the Antarctic from 28°W to 53°W; it overlaps Argentine, British and Chilean claims. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

Historic claims

Flag	Territory	Claimant	Claim limits	Date
	New Swabia	Nazi Germany	20°E to 10°W	1939–1945

Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... New Swabia (German: Neuschwabenland or Neu-Schwabenland) is a section of the continent Antarctica between 20°E and 10°W (overlapping a portion of Norways claim zone Queen Maud Land), which was claimed by Nazi Germany between 19 January 1939 and 8 May 1945. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

See also

• Antarctic Treaty System
• Antarctica
• History of Antarctica
• List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands
• Brazil Antarctic Geopolitics

v • d • e Antarctic territorial claims
Current	Adélie Land · Argentine Antarctica · Australian Antarctic Territory · British Antarctic Territory · Antarctic Chilean Territory · Ross Dependency · Queen Maud Land · Peter I Island The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earths only continent without a native population. ... Antarctica has no indigenous population, and so the human history of Antarctica does not begin until the 19th century, when the continent was first seen. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Adélie Land is the portion of the Antarctic coast between Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12S, 136°11E and Point Alden at 66°48S, 142°02E, with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a sector about 2600 km toward... Antarctic portion between meridians 25º West and 74º West Argentine Antarctica (in Spanish, Antártida Argentina) is a sector of Antarctica which Argentina considers part of its National Territory. ... The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia. ... Motto: Research and Discovery Anthem: God Save the Queen Status British overseas territory Official language(s) - Commissioner Tony Crombie Administrator Michael Richardson Area 1,395,000 km² Population c. ... Flag of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region showing the southern cross. ... Political status Dependency of New Zealand Governor Anand Satyanand Area   – Total  450 000 km² (174 000 mi²) Population Scott Base: 10-80 seasonally McMurdo Station: 200-1000 seasonally Currency New Zealand dollar The Ross Dependency comprises an area of Antarctica (and other land masses in the Southern Ocean) claimed by... Queen Maud Land (Norwegian: Dronning Maud Land) is the part of Antarctica lying between the terminus of Stancomb-Wills Glacier, at 20°W, and Shinnan Glacier, at 44° 38E. It has a land area of approximately 2,500,000 km², mostly covered by the Antarctic ice sheet. ... Fabian von Bellingshausen discovered Peter I Island (in Norwegian ) off West Antarctica on January 21, 1821. ...
Former	New Swabia