Antarctica Is Discovered
"Antarctica Is Discovered" explores the history and significance of the discovery of Antarctica, marking an important milestone in human exploration. The continent, located at the South Pole, is noted for its extreme cold and massive ice sheets, making it largely uninhabitable for humans and characterized by minimal vegetation. Following its first recorded sighting on November 18, 1820, by U.S. Navy captain Nathaniel B. Palmer, the continent remained largely mysterious until the early 19th century. Prior to this, various explorers and seal hunters had ventured into the southern regions, with some evidence suggesting earlier sightings, although these claims are often debated. The document also touches on the lack of permanent human population in Antarctica and notes that it has never been inhabited by indigenous peoples from surrounding regions. The international Antarctic Treaty of 1959 plays a crucial role in regulating scientific research and territorial claims among several countries, although actual settlement remains virtually non-existent. This overview encapsulates the journey of human interaction with Antarctica, highlighting both the challenges of exploration and the collaborative efforts to understand this unique and largely untouched environment.
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Antarctica Is Discovered
Antarctica Is Discovered
On November 18, 1820, the first recorded sighting of the continent of Antarctica was made. Covering the South Pole and the surrounding territory, it was the last continent to be visited by human beings.
Antarctica lies in the extreme south polar region of the world, making it cold and inhospitable. It is largely covered by massive sheets of ice. There is no permanent human population and little vegetation, and the few hardy animals such as penguins and seals largely stick to the coastlines. Its nearest large neighbor is South America, some 600 miles away. Therefore, although Antarctica is the fifth largest of the world's seven continents, little was known about it until the early 19th century. Earlier explorers may have reached it, according to evidence such as medieval maps which include a large and mysterious continent called “Terra Australis” in the Southern Hemisphere. However, maps from that era were often fanciful and inaccurate, so they cannot be relied upon with certainty. There has also never been any evidence of human habitation, so it is unlikely that the native peoples who settled South America or other lands in the Southern Hemisphere ever crossed the vast and frigid ocean waters to any portion of Antarctica.
Beginning in the late 18th century, explorers and seal hunters began to travel further and further south, coming ever closer to the continent. There is some dispute over whether the British explorer Edward Bransfield or the Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen first sighted Antarctica, but the credit generally goes to U.S. Navy captain Nathaniel B. Palmer, who reported seeing the continent on November 18, 1820. Nevertheless, it is entirely possible that a seal hunter or other adventurer sighted Antarctica before then and did not report the discovery for fear of revealing a potentially valuable secret.
Since Palmer's discovery, there has been significant scientific exploration of the continent, including treks to the South Pole, which is deep in the interior. However, there has been practically no human settlement of the land. The international Antarctic Treaty, executed on December 1, 1959, between 12 initial signatories, regulates scientific investigation and other uses of the continent. As of the writing of this book in the early 21st century, more than 40 nations now observe the terms of this treaty. Seven countries—Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Norway—have laid territorial claims to various portions of Antarctica, but these claims have generally not been pursued.