 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2021) |
This list includes flags that either have been in use or are currently used in Antarctica.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2021) |
This list includes flags that either have been in use or are currently used in Antarctica.
| Flag | Date | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1929 | RRS Discovery crew | Plain white flag |
 | 1978 [1] | Whitney Smith's proposal. | An orange field bearing an emblem consisting of a pair of hands holding a segment of a disk representing Earth with the letter "A" representing Antarctica. |
 | 1995 [2] | Joanne Cooper and Stefan Tucker's proposal. | An orange field bearing an outline of Antarctica, a compass pointing south at the bottom left, and the outline of a penguin to the right. |
 | 1996 [3] | Graham Bartram's proposal. | A white outline of Antarctica on a UN-blue background. |
 | Dave Hamilton's proposal. | The pale blue strip represents pack ice, the dark blue stripe represents the night sky and the yellow stripe is a representation of the aurora australis. The famous stellar constellation the Southern Cross is shown in the dark blue stripe at the right. | |
 | 2007/2008 [3] | Olivier Leroi's proposal. | The flag is vertically divided in four stripes — black, off-white, orange, and gray — reproducing the proportions of the colors on the "livery" (feathers) of an emperor penguin, selected as Antarctica's emblematic animal. |
 | Evan Townsend's proposal (True South flag) | According to the flag's promoters, it signifies: "Horizontal stripes of navy and white represent the long days and nights at Antarctica's extreme latitude. In the center, a lone white peak erupts from a field of snow and ice, echoing those of the bergs, mountains, and pressure ridges that define the Antarctic horizon. The long shadow it casts forms the unmistakable shape of a compass arrow pointed south, an homage to the continent's legacy of exploration. Together, the two center shapes create a diamond, symbolizing the hope that Antarctica will continue to be a center of peace, discovery, and cooperation for generations to come." |
| Flag | Date | Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Flag of the Antarctic Treaty System | Logo of the organization in 2:3 proportions. A white outline of Antarctica over a dark blue field with lines representing longitude and latitude counterchanged on top. | |
 | 2013 [10] | Flag of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research | Logo of the organization in 2:3 proportions. A white outline of Antarctica on a blue field defaced with the acronym of the organization, surrounded by the text "The International Council for Science" and "Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research" arranged in a circle within a white circular line. |
| Flag | Date | Claim/Territory | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Since 1999 [11] | The blue symbolizes the sky and sea surrounding the province, while the Southern Cross reflects the night sky and the albatross itself is a local bird that represents freedom through flight. | |
 | Since 1963 [12] | A UK white ensign less the cross of St. George defaced with the Coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory. | |
 | A UK blue ensign defaced with the Coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory. | ||
 | Since 1997 [13] | The blue color represents the night sky, while the golden peaks symbolize the steppe region, white indicates the snow that often falls in winter, and the Southern Cross symbolizes the position of the area. | |
 | Since 2007 [14] | The flag consists of a blue field with the French flag with white fimbriation on the canton. The charge consists of 5 stars (for the five regions of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories) and the letters "TAAF" (from the French name of the territory, Terres australes et antarctiques françaises) forming a monogram in the shape of anchor. |
| Flag | Date | Claim/Territory | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1995 [15] | The New Zealand flag is the basis for his design, though with an 'Ice Blue' background representing the Ross Sea, and the white horizontal bar at the bottom of the flag representing the Ross Ice Shelf. |
| Flag | Date | Expedition | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1902–1904 | Scottish saltire with the letters "S-N-A-E" as an acronym for "Scottish National Antarctic Expedition". | |
 | 1910–1912 | ||
 | |||
 | 1933–1939 | ||
 | |||
 | 1946–1948 | ||
 | 1947–present | French Antarctic Expedition, also used in the Arctic. | |
 | 1979–1982 | UK flag defaced with a globe and an arrow circumnavigate it from North to South. |
To make it easier to recognize the participants of the expedition, flags were placed on the sleighs. British expeditions used distinctly complex, embroidered designs for this purpose.
| Flag | Base | Country | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Amundsen–Scott South Pole | United States | White variant of the flag of the USAP: plain white field charged with the logo of the United States Antarctic Program. |
 | Palmer Station | United States | Blue variant of the flag of the USAP: plain blue field charged with the logo of the United States Antarctic Program. |
 | Captain Arturo Prat | Chile | Plain white field charged with the coat of arms of the base. |
 | Gabriel de Castilla | Spain | The flag of Spain with the emblem of the base in the center. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link to file | 1949 | Pennant of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions | |
 | 1979 [19] | ||
 | 2000 [20] | White represents the ice and purity. Blue represents the sky and valor. The silhouette depicts Shakleton's efforts on the waters around Ross Island. The Antarctic Skua, inspires freedom found in the south and a free meal wherever it may be found. The bloodshot red bowsprit reflects the directional desires on earth and on the wheel of life. | |
 | Antarctic Vexillological Association | Blue represents the 24-hour day of the summer season, black represents the 24-hour night of the winter season, and white represents the ice and snow of the Antarctic continent. The Diamond in the middle if divided across the equator represents the "A" of Antarctica and "V" of Vexillology. The Diamond also represents the 4 compass points representing the compass points leading away from the geographic South Pole. | |
 | 2020 [23] | 200th Anniversary Commemorative Flag of Russia in Antarctica | |
 | Antarctic flag used by Quark Expeditions | ||
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, designating 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.
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands is an overseas territory of France. It consists of:
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.
The flag of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is displayed.
Elephant Island is an ice-covered, mountainous island off the coast of Antarctica in the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands, in the Southern Ocean. The island is situated 245 kilometres north-northeast of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, 1,253 kilometres west-southwest of South Georgia, 935 kilometres south of the Falkland Islands, and 885 kilometres southeast of Cape Horn. It is within the Antarctic claims of Argentina, Chile and the United Kingdom.
Flags of the World is an Internet-based vexillological association and resource, dealing with both modern and historic flags. Beginning as a Yahoo Group, in 1993, the website was established in 1995 by Giuseppe Bottasini, a computer engineer from Milan. It became a member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations (FIAV) in 2001. Readers submit contributions via a mailing list. It has been called the most all-encompassing flag databases on the web, with over 19,000 pages by mid 2003.
A flag of Antarctica is a flag or flag design that represents the continent of Antarctica. As a condominium with no single governing body, it does not have an official flag of its own. However, several designs have been created for the purpose of representing the continent.
The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith, and others. Its membership of 1,100+ comprises flag scholars, enthusiasts, designers, collectors, conservators, educators, merchants, manufacturers, historians, and hobbyists from most states and provinces of the United States and Canada, and more than 30 other countries.
Semper Paratus is a Latin phrase, meaning "Always Ready". Sometimes shortened to Semper P. It is used as the official motto of some organizations, such as the United States Coast Guard. A 1928 march of the same name is also used as the U.S. Coast Guard's official march, and the phrase appears on the organization's flag.
The flag of the British Antarctic Territory was granted on 21 April 1998. It features the coat of arms granted on 1 August 1963, a year after the British Antarctic Territory, a British Overseas Territory, was created. Previously, the Territory was a part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies and used the same flag. On 30 May 1969, a blue ensign with the British Antarctic Territory coat of arms in the fly was introduced as a government ensign.
Scott's Hut is a building located on the north shore of Cape Evans on Ross Island in Antarctica. It was erected in 1911 by the British Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1913 led by Robert Falcon Scott.
"Semper Paratus" is the official song and march of the United States Coast Guard. It was composed by U.S. Coast Guard Captain Francis Saltus Van Boskerck in 1927. It made its debut in 1928.
The flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands is a flag representing the overseas territory of France consisting of Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands, and the Scattered Islands. The flag was adopted on 23 February 2007.
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.
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish from the Magnetic South Pole.
Discovery Hut was built by Robert Falcon Scott during the Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904 in 1902 and is located at Hut Point on Ross Island by McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Visitors to Antarctica, arriving at either the US Base at McMurdo or New Zealand's Scott Base are likely to encounter Discovery Hut as both are located on Hut Point. Discovery Hut is just 300m from McMurdo Base. The hut has been designated a Historic Site or Monument, following a proposal by New Zealand and the United Kingdom to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.
Winter Island is an island 900 m (980 yd) long, lying 200 m (220 yd) north of Skua Island in the Argentine Islands, Wilhelm Archipelago, off the west coast of Graham Land, Antarctica.
Horseshoe Island is an island 12 km (6.5 nmi) long and 6 km (3 nmi) wide occupying most of the entrance to Square Bay, along the west coast of Graham Land, Antarctica. It was discovered and named by the British Graham Land Expedition under John Rymill who mapped the area by land and from the air in 1936–37. Its name is indicative of the crescentic alignment of the 600 to 900 m peaks which give a comparable shape to the island.
The Antarctic Treaty issue is a postage stamp that was issued by the United States Post Office Department on June 23, 1971. Designed by Howard Koslow, it commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, and is notable as Koslow's first postage stamp design.
International competition extended to the continent of Antarctica during the World War II era, though the region saw no combat. During the prelude to war, Nazi Germany organised the 1938 Third German Antarctic Expedition to preempt Norway's claim to Queen Maud Land. The expedition served as the basis for a new German claim, called New Swabia. A year later, the United States Antarctic Service Expedition established two bases, which operated for two years before being abandoned. Responding to these encroachments, and taking advantage of Europe's wartime turmoil, the nearby nations of Chile and Argentina made their own claims. In 1940 Chile proclaimed the Chilean Antarctic Territory in areas already claimed by Britain, while Argentina proclaimed Argentine Antarctica in 1943 in an overlapping area.
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