Antarctica is the windiest, coldest, driest, and most uninhabited region on the planet.
With 98% of the continent covered in miles-thick ice, and limited resources, Antarctica is
easily the most naturally inhospitable place on earth.
Still, that barren icescape covers a tenth of the world’s land.
And as we know, most countries aren’t super willing to let unclaimed land stay unclaimed.
Currently, fifty-one countries have joint international control over Antarctica, with
seven claiming overlapping jurisdiction over certain portions.
So, who exactly controls Antarctica?
Well, back when there was still unexplored land ready for the taking, in order to control
a territory, you usually had to be an aboriginal inhabitant, a powerful occupying force, or
at the very least, the first person to show up.
In Antarctica’s case, there are no indigenous peoples, nor even an occupying force.
And even today, there is no permanent human population, so it’s hard to argue that any
one dominant nation controls the continent.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, a number of expeditions to Antarctica led
to many surrounding islands and bays being claimed by different countries.
The first was the United Kingdom, which attempted to lay claim to most of the continent.
This land grab worried international powers, and around the 1930s, France, Norway, Argentina,
Chile (CHEE-leh) and Nazi Germany began carving out their own territorial claims.
Following the end of World War Two, Germany lost any claim to the land, and the US asserted
its own territorial dominion.
By 1959, following a period of scientific frenzy on the continent, twelve countries
signed the Antarctic Treaty, establishing the area as a condominium.
No, not like the type of housing.
It means that multiple countries mutually agree to have equal sovereignty over a territory.
Although technically, all the previous territorial claims are still in effect.
Since then, a few dozen more countries have joined that treaty.
So who owns Antarctica?
Well, no one and everyone.
In short, the Antarctic Treaty establishes the continent as a scientific preserve only
to be used for peaceful, scientific purposes.
That means no military activity or nuclear testing, and free sharing of any scientific
discoveries.
Plus there’s an environmental moratorium on mining and drilling until at least 2048.
As of now, Antarctica may be one of the few places in the world where mutual international
cooperation has lead to peaceful dispute resolution and uninhibited scientific research.
Things are equally complicated on the opposite side of our planet too, and the debate over
the North Pole gets a lot more messy.
To learn why, check out our video here.
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