Up next in 10
Why So Many Countries Claim Antarctica But Can’t Do Anything With It
4K views
Mar 31, 2025
Antarctica is not like every other continent. Aside from its extreme cold and vast ice sheet, it's also the only major piece of land that has never had a human settlement rise up on it. And because of this, as it was explored in the early 1900s, countries began making wild claims on it, claims that look more like a "pie chart" than actual national borders. In this video, we'll go through the history of exploration of the continent, Antarctica's extreme geography, who claims the continent today, and why those same countries actually can't do much with the continent despite those claims.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Antarctica is the only continent with no historic human habitation
0:04
Its location at the South Pole has made it completely inhospitable for most living creatures
0:09
Despite this, many countries have claimed large parts of Antarctica over the last 600 years
0:14
And with the planet warming, many more are sure to try and grab a piece for themselves
0:19
So who rightfully owns the world's seventh continent? Hello and welcome to Geography by Jeff
0:28
Antarctica is not often thought about in terms of modern geopolitics. But as the planet heats up and more ice melts
0:35
this will inevitably lead to more nations turning their eyes south to see what
0:39
if anything, they can get. In today's video, we're going to explore who has claims on Antarctica today
0:45
what they want with it, and what the future holds for the world's largest desert
0:49
But before we get to the video, if you enjoy geography, be sure to check out my podcast, Geography is Everything
0:55
Each week we bring you a new topic and explore it through the lens of geography. We recently covered the geography of the Titanic, which has just a little bit in common with today's episode
1:04
You can listen right here on YouTube, sub-stack where there's exclusive content, or whatever app you use to listen to podcasts
1:15
Unlike every other continent, Antarctica has never had an actual civilization rise up on it and stick around
1:22
Because of this, the very existence of the continent was something of a mystery to humans
1:26
for centuries. In the 2nd century, Greek philosopher Ptolemy proposed the existence of a large southern
1:31
continent on some of his maps. However, this was purely speculative. Ptolemy, like other thinkers of his time, had no actual evidence of Antarctica's existence
1:41
It would take until the 1700s for humans to finally have the technology to make a true
1:45
exploratory voyage to the far southern regions of the planet. In the late 18th century, Captain James Cook would make three voyages to the southern hemisphere
1:54
During his second voyage from 1772 to 1775, Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle, but did not actually see Antarctica
2:01
Although Cook didn't find the fabled continent, his voyages did illustrate that any southern continent must lie well towards the pole
2:07
and be much smaller than previously imagined. In the early 1820s, American sealer Nathaniel Palmer
2:14
British mariner Edward Bransfield, and Russian explorer Fabian von Bellinghausen independently sighted the Antarctic Peninsula These early voyages mark the beginning of the confirmed exploration of Antarctica though the harsh conditions limited the extent of these early voyages to very basic trips to the continent
2:30
Then, in the early 1900s, explorers to Antarctica had a new goal
2:35
Reach the South Pole first. This would kick off a series of missions across a variety of national teams
2:40
In 1901, British naval officer Robert Falcon Scott would lead the Discovery expedition
2:46
which would get further south than anyone had before, but would not make it to the pole itself
2:51
Scott would make another attempt in 1911, but this time he would have competition
2:55
in Norwegian Roald Amundsen. Amundsen and his team would ultimately become the first to reach the South Pole in December 1911
3:02
Scott would make it to the South Pole as well in January 1912, but only to find that he had been beaten
3:07
Tragically, on the return journey, Scott and his team would perish. With Antarctica effectively conquered by explorers
3:14
the world's countries would continue to become more interested in the continent. By the 1940s, three separate research stations would be established in Antarctica for scientific purposes
3:23
These include the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and McMurdo Station by the United States
3:28
and Scott Base by New Zealand. But even with permanent establishments, Antarctica's extreme geography makes it incredibly challenging to live there
3:36
Even figuring out where Antarctica is has been an incredible effort for humankind
3:40
While at one point Europeans didn't know the Americas existed either, humans did live and thrive on the continent
3:46
and the history shows. Antarctica is completely different, which makes it so interesting
3:52
But before we get to why countries might wanna own a big old icy desert, if you're enjoying this video
3:58
hit that subscribe button. More fun geography videos are just a single click away
4:06
I've already alluded to this in the video, but it can't be said enough
4:10
Antarctica has an incredible geography that makes it almost impossible to live there
4:14
And this is mostly due to where the continent is. In the far southern part of the planet, far away from where the sun is actually able to
4:20
warm the planet. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and driest continent. A staggering 98% of its surface is covered by an ice sheet, which averages about one
4:29
mile in thickness and contains about 70% of the world's fresh water, albeit locked in ice
4:34
This frozen expanse doesn't just sit still either. Rather it a dynamic moving landscape The ice sheets flow outward from the interior gradually forming vast ice shelves as they meet the encircling seas And due to the ice sheets incredible depth Antarctica on its surface looks relatively flat But that definitely not the case Under the ice exists the Gamburtsev
4:53
Mountains, a mountain range as vast and as high as the European Alps. And the only way we even know
4:58
about the true size of these mountains is because of advanced ice-penetrating radar. But despite all
5:03
this ice-locked water, Antarctica is, in fact, the world's largest desert. The continent gets
5:08
less than 8 inches of rain a year by its coasts, and far less inland. It's also home to the dry
5:14
valleys, the continent's most curious paradox. These valleys, largely ice-free and considered
5:19
one of the driest places on Earth, have no precipitation, and the moisture is wicked away
5:24
by powerful katabatic winds. Antarctica's landscape is so barren and inhospitable that
5:29
scientists consider it the closest earthly equivalent to the surface of Mars. Of course
5:34
one of Antarctica's most dramatic geographic phenomena is the formation of icebergs. When
5:39
the flowing ice sheets reach the ocean, huge chunks break off to form icebergs. The largest
5:44
iceberg ever recorded was Iceberg B-15, which broke away from the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000 and
5:50
had an area of about 6,800 square miles, roughly the size of the island country of Jamaica. Ice
5:56
sheets melting and dissolving into the ocean is largely causing a slow rise in the sea level around
6:01
the world, and is expected to only get worse as global temperatures rise overall. Now despite the
6:06
cold, wind, lack of rain, and any sort of method to have a self-sustaining civilization, many
6:11
countries have been very eager to lay claims on the continent. In 1959, 55 research stations by 12
6:21
different countries dotted the landscape of Antarctica, and these stations began the process
6:25
for various claims by different countries. Up to this point, seven countries had made territorial claims on the continent
6:31
Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, France, the United Kingdom, and Norway. But because Antarctica didn't have any previous civilizations
6:40
and its natural features are somewhat benign, the claims made on Antarctica resemble something
6:45
that looks more like a pie chart than actual territorial boundaries. The United States and Soviet Union
6:50
had research stations on the continent during this time, but did not make any official claims
6:54
due to not wanting to bring the Cold War to the coldest continent. Sensing a rising issue of who rightfully owns the continent
7:00
US President Dwight Eisenhower would convene a conference of the 12 countries active in Antarctica to sign the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 This treaty would put aside all national claims and forbid
7:11
military activity, mineral mining, nuclear testing, and nuclear waste disposal on the continent
7:16
It would also go on to protect the various countries' scientific research, while at the
7:19
same time attempt to protect the continent's unique ecosystem. Regardless of the treaty
7:24
the same seven countries that had claims prior to the signing of the treaty would continue to
7:28
maintain their territorial claims on Antarctica. While the treaty would suspend these claims
7:32
it also doesn't deny them. The United States and Russia also maintain they have the right to lay
7:37
claim should the treaty ever be rescinded. Today, the treaty has expanded to include 56 parties
7:43
and all activities are regulated within the framework of the treaty to ensure the continent
7:47
is used for peaceful and scientific purposes only. So while the territorial claims technically still
7:52
exist, they are not internationally recognized, and the entire continent of Antarctica is
7:57
collectively managed by the nations that are part of the Antarctic Treaty System
8:04
Antarctica is not the most hospitable place on the planet, to say the very least
8:08
But there are still plenty of reasons for why a country would want to actually own a part of it
8:12
For Argentina and Chile, it's a matter of geographic closeness, as each exists only about 600 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula
8:19
Their claims are more a matter of national pride and territorial continuity than anything else
8:23
But other than that, it all comes down to money. Because of its ice sheet, Antarctica is still largely a mystery
8:29
But as the ice sheet melt away due to climate change, there exists the possibility of additional resource extraction
8:35
While the current Antarctic Treaty forbids mineral and resource extraction from the continent
8:39
many countries would still likely jump at the opportunity to search for natural resources
8:43
should the opportunity arrive. The seven countries with historic claims no doubt have this on their mind
8:49
Though it should be pointed out that this kind of resource extraction would just go on to worsen the already delicate climate crisis we've caused on the planet
8:56
Antarctica is kind of the final frontier in terms of land on the planet
9:00
but the weather and geography makes it nearly impossible to have any meaningful settlements
9:04
outside of relatively small research stations. And thankfully, a comprehensive treaty that maintains today
9:09
should ensure that Antarctica remains free of any territorial control, leaving the continent to the scientists
9:16
I hope you enjoyed learning more about the world's coldest continent. If you did, please subscribe to my channel
9:21
and if you wanna watch more of my videos, you can do so here. Thanks for watching
9:26
See you next time
#Climate Change & Global Warming
#Earth Sciences
#Ecology & Environment
#education