Population:
no indigenous inhabitants, but there are both permanent and
summer-only staffed research stations
note: 26 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, operate
through their National Antarctic Program a number of seasonal-only
(summer) and year-round research stations on the continent and its
nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region
covered by the Antarctic Treaty); these stations' population of
persons doing and supporting science or engaged in the management
and protection of the Antarctic region varies from approximately
4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000
personnel, including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard
research, are present in the waters of the treaty region; peak
summer (December-February) population - 3,822 total; Argentina 417,
Australia 213, Brazil 40, Bulgaria 15, Chile 224, China 70, Ecuador
22, Finland 20, France 123, Germany 78, India 65, Italy 112, Japan
150, South Korea 60, NZ 85, Norway 44, Peru 28, Poland 40, Russia
429, South Africa 80, Spain 28, Sweden 20, Ukraine 24, UK 205, US
1,170, Uruguay 60 (2005-2006); winter (June-August) station
population - 1,028 total; Argentina 176, Australia 62, Brazil 12,
Chile 88, China 29, France 37, Germany 9, India 25, Italy 2, Japan
40, South Korea 15, NZ 10, Norway 7, Poland 12, Russia 148, South
Africa 10, Ukraine 12, UK 37, US 288, Uruguay 9 (2005); research
stations operated within the Antarctic Treaty area (south of 60
degrees south latitude) by members of the Council of Managers of
National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP): year-round stations - 37
total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 3, China 2, France
1, Germany 1, India 1, Japan 1, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Norway 1,
Poland 1, Russia 5, South Africa 1, Ukraine 1, UK 2, US 3, Uruguay
1, Italy and France jointly 1 (2005); seasonal-only (summer)
stations - 15 total; Australia 1, Bulgaria 1, Chile 1, Ecuador 1,
Finland 1, Germany 1, Italy 1, Japan 1, Norway 1, Peru 1, Russia 1,
Spain 2, Sweden 1, UK 1 (2005-2006); in addition, during the austral
summer some nations have numerous occupied locations such as tent
camps, summer-long temporary facilities, and mobile traverses in
support of research
Government Antarctica
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antarctica
Government type: Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica; the 28th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2005; at these periodic meetings, decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; at the end of 2005, there were 45 treaty member nations: 28 consultative and 17 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 21 non-claimant nations; the US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims; the US does not recognize the claims of others; Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; the years in parentheses indicate when a consultative member-nation acceded to the Treaty and when it was accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1975/1983), Bulgaria (1978/1998) China (1983/1985), Ecuador (1987/1990), Finland (1984/1989), Germany (1979/1981), India (1983/1983), Italy (1981/1987), Japan, South Korea (1986/1989), Netherlands (1967/1990), Peru (1981/1989), Poland (1961/1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1982/1988), Sweden (1984/1988), Ukraine (1992/2004), Uruguay (1980/1985), and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1962/1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1962/1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1996), and Venezuela (1999); note - Czechoslovakia acceded to the Treaty in 1962 and separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993; Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through six specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, 5) area protection and management and 6) liability arising from environmental emergencies; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Legal system:
Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative
member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by
these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and
operations) in accordance with their own national laws; US law,
including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such
as murder, may apply extraterritorially; some US laws directly apply
to Antarctica; for example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16
U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties
for the following activities, unless authorized by regulation of
statute: the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of
nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected
areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation
into the US of certain items from Antarctica; violation of the
Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in
fines and one year in prison; the National Science Foundation and
Department of Justice share enforcement responsibilities; Public Law
95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in
1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in
advance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans to other nations as
required by the Antarctic Treaty; for more information, contact
Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National Science
Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone: (703) 292-8030, or
visit their website at www.nsf.gov; more generally, access to the
Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areas between 60 and 90
degrees south latitude, is subject to a number of relevant legal
instruments and authorization procedures adopted by the states party
to the Antarctic Treaty
Economy Antarctica
Economy - overview:
Fishing off the coast and tourism, both based abroad, account for
Antarctica's limited economic activity. Antarctic fisheries in
2003-04 (1 July-30 June) reported landing 136,262 metric tons
(estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention on the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which
extends slightly beyond the Antarctic Treaty area). Unregulated
fishing, particularly of Patagonian toothfish, is a serious problem.
The CCAMLR determines the recommended catch limits for marine
species. A total of 23,175 tourists visited in the 2004-05 Antarctic
summer, up from the 19,486 visitors the previous year. Nearly all of
them were passengers on commercial (nongovernmental) ships and
several yachts that make trips during the summer. Most tourist trips
last approximately two weeks.
Communications Antarctica
Telephones - main lines in use:
0; note - information for US bases only (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA