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Map Of Antarctica Created By The CIA

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Map of Antarctica
 

The map of Antarctica above comes from the CIA World Factbook

Antarctica Location Map

Antarctica Location Map

Antarctica Facts

Full Official Name: Antarctica
Demonym: N/A

Flag:

Antarctica Flag

Area

Total Area: 14.2 million km²
Total Land Area: 14.2 million km²
Total Water Area: N/A km²

Demographics

Population: no indigenous inhabitants, but staff is present at year-round and summer-only research stations

Population Growth Rate: N/A

Largest City: McMurdo Station (Population: 1,000 (Summer), 153 (Winter))

Ethnic Groups: N/A

Languages: N/A

Religions: N/A

Economy

Currency: N/A

Real GDP at Purchasing Power Parity ($ PPP): N/A

GDP per capita (PPP): N/A

Exports Value Per Year: N/A

Biggest Export Partners: N/A

Imports Value Per Year: N/A

Biggest Import Partners: N/A

Government

Type: Antarctic Treaty Summary – the Antarctic region is governed by a system known as the Antarctic Treaty system; the system includes:

1. the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, which establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica,

2. Measures, Decisions, and Resolutions adopted at Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings,

3. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972),

4. The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980), and

5. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991); the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings operate by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative parties at annual Treaty meetings; by January 2024, there were 56 treaty member nations: 29 consultative and 27 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 22 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; measures adopted at 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

nonclaimant consultative nations are –

and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession in parentheses, are:

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 International Court of Justice; Articles 12, 13, 14 – deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements – some 200 measures adopted at treaty consultative meetings and approved by governments;

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 and includes five annexes that have entered into force:

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; a sixth annex addressing liability arising from environmental emergencies has yet to enter into force; the Protocol prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Capital City: N/A (Population: 1,000 (Summer), 153 (Winter))

Other Facts

Time Zone: All time zones

Country Code: AQ

Internet TLD: .aq

Climate: the coldest, windiest, and driest continent on Earth; severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing; summers characterized by continuous daylight, while winters bring continuous darkness; persistent high pressure over the interior brings dry, subsiding air that results in very little cloud cover

Topographic Map of Antarctica

Topographic Map of Antarctica
 

The topographic map of Antarctica was created by Robert A. Rohde

Read More About Antarctica