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United Kingdom - British Antarctic Territory

Status: UK overseas territory

Geography

The British Antarctic Territory consists of that segment of the Antarctic continent lying south of latitude 60°S and between longitudes 20° and 80°W, comprising the Antarctic Peninsula with all adjacent islands, the South Orkney and South Shetland Islands and the Weddell Sea, as well as the landmass extending to the South Pole.

Area: 1,709,400 sq km

Settlements: Two British Antarctic Survey (BAS) research stations are manned the year round: Rothera on Adelaide Island, and Halley V on moving ice off the Caird Coast. There is a summer-only station at Signy in the South Orkney Islands.

Topography: The Antarctic Peninsula and the islands are mountainous (Mt Jackson 3,184m). The mountains, the tail of the Andes chain, are connected to South America by a submarine ridge (the Scotia arc), which includes the active volcanoes of the South Sandwich Islands. The South Orkneys and South Georgia are also peaks of this chain. Of the 0.4% of the Antarctic continent which is ice-free, most is on the Antarctic Peninsula. No geological survey has been undertaken to establish whether commercially exploitable mineral resources exist in Antarctica. The Madrid Protocol (1991) bans all mineral resource activities on the continent. Scientists confirm that 180 million years ago, Antarctica was the centre of a southern supercontinent, ‘Gondwana’, which broke up to form Antarctica, South America, Africa, India and Australia. So it is possible that minerals found in the other continents also exist in Antarctica. There may also be hydrocarbons (oil and gas) on the Antarctic continental shelf.

Climate: The centre of the landmass is cold with average annual temperatures of -50°C to -60°C. It is also theoretically a desert with annual snowfall equivalent to 7cm of rainfall. Nearer the coast, it is less cold (-10°C to -20°C) and receives more snow and some rain. Winds are moderate but are locally strong katabatic winds where cold air flowing from the interior is channelled by the local topography.

Vegetation: Sparse and primitive, with only lichens and mosses able to survive in the interior. Near the coast, where land is snow-free in summer, there are a few stands of flowering plants such as Antarctic hairgrass and Antarctic pearlwort. Antarctica has not always been a frozen continent. Seventy million years ago, some parts had a temperate climate, were forested and populated by the last dinosaurs. Scientists have found fossilised trees, ferns and other vegetation as well as the remains of ancient extinct animals.

Wildlife: The Antarctic Peninsula and islands are the most favoured breeding grounds for birds on the continent: seven species of penguin are resident in the area; petrels, cormorants, sheathbills, prions, skuas and terns breed there. Six species of seals live on and under the pack ice; they breed during the spring (September–November). The Weddell Seal is the most southerly mammal, living under the sea ice on the coast all year round.

Transport/Communications: Ships belonging to the British Antarctic Survey service the stations, and there is direct air support between the Falkland Islands and Rothera. The main stations are linked by satellite to the Survey headquarters in Cambridge, UK. Support is given to the British Antarctic Survey by the presence of the ice patrol vessel HMS Endurance, which is in Antarctic waters throughout the austral summer.

Society

Population: British Antarctic personnel number about 50 in winter, rising to more than 400 in summer. In addition to the British Antarctic Survey, the wintering bases of other Antarctic treaty parties are present in the British Antarctic Territory, with an estimated population varying from 450 in winter to 2,500 in summer. Cruiseships also bring up to 14,000 visitors each year to the British Antarctic Territory. The tourists stay three to five days on board ships in the area.

Economy

Overview: There is no economic activity. Scientific research and environmental monitoring are carried out. The Antarctic ozone hole was discovered by BAS scientists. Tourism is growing. The United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) has a team at Port Lockroy each season. This historic site usually attracts about 6,000 visitors a year.

History

The South Shetland Islands were discovered and taken possession of by Captain W Smith in 1819, the South Orkney Islands by Captain G Powell in 1821. The Antarctic Peninsula was discovered in 1820 by Edward Bransfield and taken possession of for Britain in 1832 by John Biscoe. Thereafter, explorers penetrated the Weddell Sea and, finally, the great landmass of the continent. Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, was trapped in pack ice in the Weddell Sea for a year during 1915–16. Britain registered the first claim to Antarctic Territory by Letters Patent in 1908, a claim that had to be adjusted in 1917 as it included part of Argentina and Chilean Patagonia. Britain’s claim to the land between longitudes 20° and 80°W is contested by Argentina’s claim to the region between 25° and 74°W, and Chile’s claim to the region between 53° and 90°W.

In the 1950s, five-sixths of the Antarctic continent was claimed by seven countries. However, none of the claims was recognised by non-claimant states and the Antarctic Treaty (1959) was negotiated to put in place a mechanism to defuse disputes over sovereignty. It followed the unprecedented scientific co-operation in Antarctica demonstrated by 12 countries during the International Geophysical Year, 1957–58.

The Treaty came into force in 1961. Covering the area south of 60°S, its objectives are: to keep Antarctica demilitarised, nuclear-free and to ensure that it is used for peaceful purposes only; to promote international scientific co-operation in Antarctica; and to set aside disputes over territorial sovereignty.

An Environmental Protocol was added to the Antarctic Treaty in 1991, putting into abeyance indefinitely the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in Antarctica. This prohibition may be reviewed after 50 years, or before if there is a consensus of treaty parties to do so.

There were 12 original signatories to the Treaty, including the UK. The Treaty has since been acceded to by 46 states, and 27 of these have Consultative Party status. The Consultative Parties meet annually.

Administration

Until 1989, the British Antarctic Territory was administered by a high commissioner, resident in the Falkland Islands. In 1989, the administration was moved to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London. The office of commissioner is held by the head of Overseas Territories Department and the administrator is the head of the Polar Regions Section.

Since 1967, the Department of Education and Science in the UK (later the Office of Science and Technology) has been financially responsible for the British Antarctic Survey through the Natural Environment Research Council. Station commanders are appointed magistrates and the courts of the territory are presided over by a senior magistrate or a judge of the Supreme Court. A Court of Appeal was set up in 1965 for hearing appeals from the territory.