Antarctic
Polar region surrounding the South Pole, governed by international treaty.
The Antarctic is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau, and other island territories located on the Antarctic Plate or south of the Antarctic Convergence.
- area
- 14 million km² (continent surface)
- region_coverage
- 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere
- largest_protected_area
- 1.07 million km² (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protection Area)
- administering_treaty
- Antarctic Treaty System
- no_permanent_population
- No indigenous population; transient scientific and tourist personnel
Lore & Background
The Antarctic region includes the ice shelves, waters, and all island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence, a zone approximately 32 to 48 km wide and varying in latitude seasonally. All land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude are administered under the Antarctic Treaty System.
Reader's Guide
The Antarctic region is significant for its role in global climate regulation, particularly through the Antarctic ice sheet, whose melting has high potential to contribute to sea level rise and disrupt Southern Ocean overturning circulation. Biogeographically, the Antarctic realm is one of eight terrestrial biogeographic realms. The Antarctic Treaty System governs all land and ice shelves south of 60°S, while islands between that latitude and the Antarctic Convergence fall under national jurisdictions of countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, and France.
Did You Know?
- The Antarctic region covers about 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere.
- Less than 1 percent of the Antarctic continent's land is exposed; the rest is permanently covered by ice and snow.
- The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protection Area, created in 2012, is the world's largest protected area at 1.07 million km².
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