Demographics of Antarctica

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Children, adolescents and teachers of the school of Esperanza Base. 21.09.2011 Conectar Igualdad en la Antartida Argentina Artartida2 (6186143757).jpg
Children, adolescents and teachers of the school of Esperanza Base.

Antarctica has no permanent residents. It contains research stations and field camps that are staffed seasonally or year-round, and former whaling settlements. [1] Approximately 12 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, send personnel to perform seasonal (summer) or year-round research on the continent and in its surrounding oceans.

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The population of people doing and supporting scientific research on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty) [2] 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. The largest station, McMurdo Station, has a summer population of about 1,000 people and a winter population of about 200. [3]

At least 11 children have been born in Antarctica. [4] The first was Emilio Marcos Palma, born on 7 January 1978 to Argentine parents at Esperanza, Hope Bay, near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula. [5] The first girl born on the Antarctic continent was Marisa De Las Nieves Delgado, born on 27 May 1978. The birth occurred at Fortín Sargento Cabral, Base Esperanza (Argentine Army). [6] [7]

See also

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The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. It was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War, setting aside the continent as a scientific preserve, establishing freedom of scientific investigation, and banning military activity; for the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude. Since September 2004, the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, which implements the treaty system, is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antarctic</span> Polar region around Earths South Pole

The Antarctic is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Antarctica</span>

The history of Antarctica emerges from early Western theories of a vast continent, known as Terra Australis, believed to exist in the far south of the globe. The term Antarctic, referring to the opposite of the Arctic Circle, was coined by Marinus of Tyre in the 2nd century AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McMurdo Station</span> American Antarctic base

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polar regions of Earth</span> Regions around the Earths geographical poles

The polar regions, also called the frigid zones or polar zones, of Earth are Earth's polar ice caps, the regions of the planet that surround its geographical poles, lying within the polar circles. These high latitudes are dominated by floating sea ice covering much of the Arctic Ocean in the north, and by the Antarctic ice sheet on the continent of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southernmost settlements</span> Worlds most southerly settlements

Southernmost settlements are cities, towns, weather stations or permanent military bases which are farther south than latitude 45°S. They are closely related to the Southern Ocean or either the Roaring Forties or Furious Fifties. Antarctic bases are excluded due to not having a permanent population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esperanza Base</span> All-civilian Antarctic base

Esperanza Base is a permanent, all-year-round Argentine research station in Hope Bay, Trinity Peninsula. It is one of only two civilian settlements in Antarctica. The base's motto is Permanencia, un acto de sacrificio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Antarctic Program</span> American government initiative

The United States Antarctic Program is an organization of the United States government which has a presence in the Antarctica continent. Founded in 1959, the USAP manages all U.S. scientific research and related logistics in Antarctica as well as aboard ships in the Southern Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentine Antarctica</span> Department in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marambio Base</span> Antarctic Station

Marambio Station is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctica station named after Vice-Commodore Gustavo Argentino Marambio, an Antarctic aviation pioneer. It is located in Marambio Island, Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula, some 100 km (60 mi) from the coastal civilian village of Esperanza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonization of Antarctica</span> Establishing permanent human societies in Antarctica

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Antarctica</span> Religion in Antarctica

Religion in Antarctica is largely dominated by Christianity, with churches being the only religious buildings on the continent. Although used regularly for Christian worship, the Chapel of the Snows has also been used for Buddhist and Baháʼí Faith ceremonies. Some of the early religious buildings are now protected as important historical monuments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial claims in Antarctica</span> Land claims of the continent

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instituto Antártico Argentino</span> Argentine Antarctic program

The Instituto Antártico Argentino is the Argentine federal agency in charge of orientating, controlling, addressing and performing scientific and technical research and studies in the Antarctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Antarctica</span> Women in Antarctica

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Firefighting in Antarctica encompasses various organizations and procedures designed to fight fires on the continent of Antarctica. Firefighting in Antarctica is complicated by the harsh conditions of the continent, the remoteness of the locations to be serviced, and the importance of protecting life-supporting shelter from immolation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Antarctica</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Antarctica

The COVID-19 pandemic in Antarctica is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Due to its remoteness and sparse population, Antarctica was the last continent to have confirmed cases of COVID-19 and was one of the last regions of the world affected directly by the pandemic. The first cases were reported in December 2020, almost a year after the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in China. At least 36 people are confirmed to have been infected. Even before the first cases on the continent were reported, human activity in Antarctica was indirectly impacted.

References

  1. Cool Antarctica: Who lives in Antarctica? Archived January 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "ATS - The Antarctic Treaty". www.ats.aq. Archived from the original on 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  3. NSF: McMurdo Station
  4. Science Geeks: "Why 11 babies have been born in Antarctica" 14 July 2020
  5. "Born Freezing: Meet Antarctica's First Citizen - WebEcoist". webecoist.com. 15 February 2011.
  6. Meja, Natalia (11 March 2018). "Juana, salteña y madre de la primera mujer antártica". El Tribuno (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  7. "Marisa, la primera nacida en el hielo". La Capital (in Spanish). 24 August 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.