Antarctica isn’t in a country: Why do people still ask if it is?
Perhaps, you live somewhere that every once in a blue moon, reaches one-hundred and fifteen degrees or even more. Climate change is very real and clearly needs to be addressed. Fortunately, it is but we still have sceptics who brush off this global crisis as a mere matter of opinion. Too many people (even those with power to influence thousands) treat climate change like a spiritual being.
In America, it’s something we have to believe in but it is a fact.
The heat can feel pretty intense and heavily uncomfortable. Heat strokes may threaten your very existence, bringing damage and failure to your organs. And your body temperature only needs to be one-hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit or more. We don’t mean to scare you, though we should be scared about climate change. And it’s true that the heat is dreadful.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a country like Antarctica?
Is Antarctica a country?
Antarctica isn’t a country nor is it in one. Understandably though, many folks ponder on that. But is there such a thing as a hot summer’s day in the arctic? All year round, it’s quiet as snow. Antarctica is home to most of the world’s fresh water. Diamond dust drifts in its air. It’s an icy fog with crystals and the sunlight causes them to sparkle.
They compose a glittering effect that looks like a million tiny floating diamonds. Surely, the snow lands are beautiful but what’s the future of Antarctica? Will there ever be more than just a few scientists and visiting filmmakers living there? What’s going on with Antarctica?
It’s a continent all on its own but again, Antarctica is not part of any country! This great continent colonized by vast snow blankets is governed by a concatenation of recognized agreements known as the Antarctic Treaty System. Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. This agreement currently holds 54 signatories.
It’s never been home to an indigenous population, but that hasn’t stopped seven nations from claiming the continent. The United States, Russia or Brazil all have permanent residence in Antarctica but have not yet claimed a territory.
These countries, including the U.S., Russia, United Kingdom and Norway, have established scientific research centres where about four-thousand people live and work. The numbers go down to one-thousand in the winter. They’re mostly scientists.
Travel
Currently, no one lives in Antarctica the way they do the rest of the world. You’ll find no towns, nor cities, commercial industries or homes. You’ll only see the research bases. It’s because of the remoteness inside, and harsh weather conditions that Antarctica has spent the past 35 million years being shunned by humanity.
There’ll have to be some great modifications for humans to build civilizations in Antarctica and perhaps, one day, we will! But how will we get there? Clearly, it won’t be as difficult as Mars, but it’ll still be one heck of a journey!
There are no natural bridges so we’ll have to sail the ocean, maybe beneath some storms or fly in the clouds. Our closest access point is South America. Ushuaia in Argentina is the major route for Antarctic travels.
From Ushuaia, you could visit the Antarctic Peninsula, and the sub-Antarctic islands like South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. Punta Arenas in Chile is another common passageway to the Antarctic Peninsula. You could take a plane to South Shetland Islands to board their vessel. You could also get there via Australia and the South Island of New Zealand.
You won’t need a visa to visit Antarctica or its offshore islands. But you will need your passport for the ship, and follow the visa laws for whatever country you must pass through.
—
There might not be a country in Antarctica but it’s another one of Earth’s masterpieces. Do you think we should build civilizations in Antarctica? Should we leave it alone? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
