100 Years Of Antarctic History

Throughout Antarctica, nations with economies that were dependent on whaling claimed ownership of large parts of the continent.Land on the Peninsula has been claimed by Chili, Argentina, and Britain.Other countries, such as Norway, Australia, New Zealand, and France have also claimed portions of the continent.

The highest point of nationalism hit this continent in 1940. It occurred when Nazi Germany dropped swastika-engraved stakes over large areas of Antarctica to claim it for the Third Reich.After World War II, Antarctica was practically abandoned by the world except for those countries with interests in whaling enterprises.However, incited by astral occurrences, Antarctica began to draw the attention of scientists in the mid part of the century.

This culminated in the International Geophysical Year when many different government bodies along with the bevy of scientists descended upon Antarctica to study phenomena because of a hole in the Earth’s magnetic field. Specifically, they were all looking at the effect of sunspot activity on Earth.67 nations sent scientists to Antarctica to study this phenomenon.The Antarctic Treaty came about from the successful cooperation of all these countries for the purposes of scientific advancement.exciting travel to antarctica

This Treaty, signed in 1959 by the countries with primary interests in the continent, enacted a mandate that Antarctica’s only use would be for peaceful intentions.No waste dumping or nuclear bomb tests would be permitted on Antarctica.The only military activities allowed were in support of the scientific projects.There would be no further talk of territorial claim staking.

An amazing example of this, is that the treaty was signed at the height of the Cold War, and those countries involved in that struggle did not insert their internal strife into the treaty. This also included not taking sides with their allies if their allies lost land because of the deal. They did reserve the right to be able to change their minds if they so chose in the future.This clever maneuver also stopped all of the smaller countries from asserting any claims to territory as well.antarctic travel

All this changed in the 1960’s and 1970’s as the presence of oil, gas, and minerals believed to be on the continent, brought governments and industry searching for these resources.The number of national bases continues to grow, particularly on the Antarctica Peninsula and the islands that lay off its shore. The population on the continent reaches a maximum of around 5,000 during the summer months, and they pack the science stations that sprawl across this area.

In the 60’s countries like Poland, the then Soviet Union, the United States, Italy, Great Britain, Argentina and Chile launched their own individual bases on King George Island. That was followed with new base openings in the 80’s by China, Peru, South Korea, and other Southern American countries.Though they were there for ostensibly scientific purposes, their actions were not unlike the Nazi stake dropping in that they wanted to stake political claim.These bases essentially served as notices of the “squatting rights” of these nations.

Political motivation for inhabiting Antarctica began to evolve away from resource exploitation to that of scientific exploration by the 1980’s.The Antarctic shares the destiny of the oceans, as more and more of them are being considered globally owned.It was Britain’s Halley Bay Antarctic base that first discovered the hole in the Earth’s ozone layer. This proved that industrial activity was degrading the atmosphere, allowing cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth’s surface.

This discovery led to the 1987 internation agreement to eliminate ozone-destroying chemicals by the turn of the century.With this revelation, science bases in Antarctica were suddenly much more valuable, as their ability to accurately monitor carbon emissions and the greenhouse effect were amazing.People began protesting the killing of whales in the 1980s, while the worldwide Green movement proposed the idea of turning Antarctic into a world park.

In 1991, that dream became a reality when the nations who created the Antarctic Treaty voted to ban all exploration of natural resources for a period for 50 years so that the natural environment could grow and thrive and scientific research could flourish.This same country that once helped to move the Industrial Revolution through whaling is now helping man learn how to better take care of the planet and its resources.