Nations around the world started claiming large chunks of Antarctica for whaling purposes.Britain, Argentina and Chile all laid claim to large sections of Antarctica, and some of those claims overlap.France, New Zealand, Norway, and Australia are also know to have made claims on this continent.

In 1940, planes that were deployed by Nazi Germany claimed huge expanses of the continent for the motherland by dropping stakes with the swastika engraved upon them onto Antarctica.With the world pre-occupied by WWII, Antarcitica found itself alone except for the whalers who came to hunt the great animals.Soon, however, events in space caused scientists to turn back to studying The Ice.

Sunspot movement became prevalent in the years 1957 and 1958, so nations all across the globe began getting ready for the International Geophysical Year. Antarctica became a focal point due to its one-of-a-kind visibility of a clear spot in the magnetic field of the Earth in which they could examine it while it was being assaulted by solar radiation.Over 60 different countries took part and set up camps all around Antarctica.Because all the countries got along so well, a new treaty called the Antarctic Treaty, was formed and marks an amazing feat in international law and agreements.antarctica travel adventures

All of the countries possessing a key interest in Antarctica signed the treaty in 1959, setting aside this continent to be used for peaceful purposes only.This treaty protects the land physically by banning nuclear testing or explosions, as well as any dumping of radioactive waste.All military activity was limited to that of scientific support.The deliberation over land claims were put to rest for the time being.

The major countries at that time showed a willingness to work together, which was exceptional during these years, and decided to forgo any claims. In addition, they did not acknowledge claims from other countries either.This cleaver act made smaller countries follow their lead and did not press their territorial claims either.trips to antarctica

During the 60's and the decade following in the 70's, many countries thought there was a lot of natural gas, oil deposits and mineral deposits in Antarctica.Soon, there were national bases all over the surrounding islands and the peninsula; at its most prolific, Antarctica is home to 5,000 people - only in the summer, and only in the science stations that are based all around the peninsula and islands.

In the 1960's and 1970's, the Soviet Union, Argentina, Poland, Italy, Chile, Britain, and the United States established headquarters on the Island of King George. Peru, Uruguay, China, South Korea, and Brazil followed in the 1980's.Even though these bases are carrying out legitimate scientific work, just like the swastika stakes the Nazis were dropping via planes, they also serve as individual political markers.In this, the countries basically became "squatters" on land that did not truly belong to them.

In the 80's, however, science became the much more prevalent purpose of expeditions coming to Antarctica.In a manner similar to declaring the oceans international territory, the Antarctic has become a shared continent.At this time, a hole in the Earth's atmosphere was discovered. British scientists at the Halley Bay Antarctic base found that due to the industrial advances most super powers had made caused a hole in the Earth's atmosphere which allowed harmful UV rays in.

This discovery brought about the 1987 international agreement to phase out any use of chemicals that were destroying the ozone layer by the year 2000.All of this information increased the value of having Antarctic science bases, along with discovering the "greenhouse" effects due to carbon emissions that have caused damage since the Industrial Age started.People began protesting the killing of whales in the 1980s, while the worldwide Green movement proposed the idea of turning Antarctic into a world park.

Oil and gas exploration, mining and other permanent exploitation of Antarctica, was banned by 1991 through an agreement by the Antarctic Treaty nations, prompting heightened concern for the environment to be on an equal plain with science.This same country that once helped to move the Industrial Revolution through whaling is now helping man learn how to better take care of the planet and its resources.