The Antarctic continent, located in the Earth's southern hemisphere, is centered asymmetrically around the South Pole and largely south of the Antarctic Circle.

The Antarctic is usually defined as south of 60 south latitude, or the continent of Antarctica.

During this period the Antarctic continent became the focus of an international effort that resulted in intensive scientific and geographical exploration and in which 17 major Antarctic expeditions were launched from ten countries.

The Antarctic environment is now effectively protected by the international community, which is the de facto owner of this continent, without any national differentiations.

Antarctic Treaty

The majority of Antarctic seaborne voyages are to the Antarctic Peninsula region.

WMO continues to cooperate with Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

Antarctic tour operators continued to support operations and programmes in the Antarctic by providing transport.

Tux is an Antarctic bird.

Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition

In terms of latitude, the northern border of all sectors is the 60 S parallel which does not cut through any piece of land, continent or island, and is also the northern limit of the Antarctic Treaty.

Through its Standing Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research will continue to bring key scientific issues to the attention of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings.

Since the Twenty fifth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition and its member groups have participated in and monitored work carried out under the Antarctic Treaty system.

The Belgian Antarctic Expedition (BelgAE) of 1897 to 1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region.

E. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators

State of the Antarctic environment report

A management plan for all Antarctic Specially Protected Areas and new Antarctic Specially Managed Areas is required by Annex V.

The South African National Antarctic Programme (or SANAP) is the South African government's program for research in the Antarctic and Subantarctic.

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes organized a workshop on biological monitoring.

Lee Hotz Inside an Antarctic time machine

Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes

Recent developments pertaining to the Antarctic environment

H. Conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora

Antarctic tourism and other non governmental operations

The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes worked closely with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research in providing the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the Committee for Environmental Protection with technical papers on emerging issues.

Continent.

See also Argentine actions in Antarctica Argentina Chile relations Border issues Bransfield Strait Geology of the Antarctic Peninsula References External links Of Ice and Men Account of a tourist visit to the Antarctic Peninsula by Roderick Eime Biodiversity at Ardley Island, South Shetland archipelago, Antarctic Peninsula 89 photos of the Antarctic Peninsula

Since the Twenty fourth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, three new Antarctic Specially Protected Areas and two new Antarctic Specially Managed Areas were designated, including the McMurdo Dry Valleys that form the largest relatively ice free region in Antarctica.

The station is only used in Antarctic summer.

Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

C. Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals

The Shackleton Rowett Expedition (1921 22) was Sir Ernest Shackleton's last Antarctic project, and the final episode in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

The newly established and operational Secretariat will become a central repository of Antarctic information in particular with regard to Antarctic Treaty meetings and activities.

In addition, it has further strengthened cooperation with the Antarctic Treaty parties, through participating as an observer in the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and the meetings of the Committee for Environmental Protection, and assisting the newly established Antarctic Treaty secretariat.

George von Neumayer of Hamburg, also an Antarctic explorer, worked to renew Antarctic exploration in 1861 onwards as he worked in an observatory in Melbourne.

Activities of the Antarctic Treaty system and international bodies

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

All require Antarctic data to ensure true global perspective.

The Lost Continent

Based on the Council's review, new Guidelines for Ships Operating in Arctic and Antarctic Ice covered Waters were developed and endorsed by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in 2004.

Some nations however have their own flags for their Antarctic possessions.

Recognizing that the Antarctic Treaty, which provides, inter alia, for the demilitarization of the continent, the prohibition of nuclear explosions and the disposal of nuclear wastes, the freedom of scientific research and the free exchange of scientific information, is in furtherance of the purposes and principles of the Charter,

Mission The mission of the South African National Antarctic Programme is to increase understanding of the natural environment and life in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean through appropriate science and technology.

An Antarctic site inventory containing biological data and site descriptive information of 93 sites on the Antarctic Peninsula was prepared and is being updated by the United States and United Kingdom.