Antarctica Cruises FAQ - Southern Explorations
The grandeur of Antarctica is mesmerizing, a magnet for intrepid travelers and an environmental bonanza for research scientists from throughout the world. A continent once exploited for its bounty, coveted by nations large and small, near and far, Antarctica today is protected by international agreements that dedicate the region to peaceful cooperation and scientific research.
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Argentina and Chile are Antarctica’s closest neighbors, 620 miles to the north. Its next closest neighbors are New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Three-quarters of Antarctica is bordered by the Southern Ocean and the remainder by the Indian Ocean. Several named and unnamed islands lie off the Antarctica shore. On the South America side is Antarctica’s most hospitable region with the continent’s most temperate climate and less than year-round ice along the shore. A twenty to thirty mile wide zone, called the Antarctic Convergence, separates the cold seas that surround the Antarctic continent from the warmer waters beyond. This mix of temperatures creates a bio-diverse swath of marine life between the two hydrological regions. Nineteen peri-Antarctic islands (islands and archipelagos within the Antarctic Convergence and some sub-Antarctic islands with similar characteristics) are found in the Antarctic seas. The best known of these, and the most visited on Antarctica tours, are the South Shetland Islands, the South Orkney Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Ecologically, the Falklands are not peri-Antarctic islands, though they are a common stop for visitors during Antarctica cruises.
The world’s fifth largest continent is the windiest, coldest, driest place on earth, receiving only two inches of snow each year. Summer temperatures can reach a balmy 60°F, on the peninsula, and winter temperatures in the interior have been recorded at -129.3°F. The continent stays light almost around the clock during summer and is mostly dark in the winter. Almost entirely covered by ice, 15,666 feet thick in some places, Antarctica holds 90% of the earth’s ice, creating the world’s highest continent. Ice shelves surround half of the 11,160 mile coastline. This pristine continent, so isolated from human activity, provides an accurate measurement of the impacts of industrialization, lead having been found in the air, pesticide in the Antarctic wildlife and garbage along the shore.
Few visitors on Antarctica cruises make it to the continent’s most famous sight, the South Pole, located 800 miles inland on a 9,301 ft plateau. Since Antarctica’s ice sheet is continually shifting, the sign marking the geographic South Pole must be moved each year. The ceremonial South Pole, not far away, holds the flags of the signatories of the Antarctic Treaty, giving the site a more colorful, significant appearance. The Transantarctic Mountains divide the continent into West and East Antarctica. The continent’s highest peak, Vinson Massif, at 16,050 ft is located here.
ANTARCTICA AT A GLANCE
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CAPITAL
Antarctica has only an “unofficial capital” located on King George Island, one of the South Shetlands, where twelve countries maintain research stations.
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GOVERNANCE
Rules and laws governing the lands and waters below the 60°S parallel are contained in the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). The ATS international agreement was originated by twelve countries in 1959 and expanded through a series of subsequent amendments, since signed by thirty-four more nations. Between 1908 and 1943, seven nations had already claimed portions of Antarctica and islands within the convergence (Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and Norway) which are neither recognized nor disputed by other treaty signatories. Though the ATS prohibits claims made after 1961 when the treaty took effect, the United States and several other nations have reserved the right to make future claims. The treaty is implemented by the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, headquartered in Buenos Aires. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources oversees the protection of the continent’s marine ecosystems and is headquartered in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
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POPULATION
Antarctica has no native or permanent population. Twenty-six countries have established sixty-six research stations on mainland Antarctica and the peri-Antarctic Islands, with a temporary population of scientists and research staff totaling 3,000 in summer and 1,200 in winter. The Falkland Islands have a population of 2,478 (excluding military base personnel, 2006 census).
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HOLIDAYS
6/21 (or 6/22) Midwinter’s Day
12/25 Christmas
12/31 New Year’s Eve
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AREA
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Antarctica
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Inc. ice shelves and outlying/offshore islands - 5.4 million sq mi
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Peri-Antarctic Islands (grouped by location)
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Southern Ocean
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South Georgia Island 1,450 sq mi
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South Orkney Islands 240 sq mi
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South Sandwich Islands 120 sq mi
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South Shetland Islands 3,688 sq mi
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Other 387 sq mi
Atlantic Ocean
25 sq mi
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Falkland Islands 4,700 sq mi
Indian Ocean
3,105 sq mi
Pacific Ocean
335 sq mi
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PROTECTED AREAS
In addition to the protections provided by the Antarctic Treaty System, twenty-two areas receive extra protective status as Antarctic Specially Protected Areas.
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MAJOR INDUSTRIES
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Tourism (under 50,000 visitors annually)
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Scientific research
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Fishing (Primarily krill, sold as livestock feed and fish food, squid, crab and finfish including the endangered Patagonian Toothfish known as Chilean Sea Bass)
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Whaling has been banned since 1965 though Japan still hunts the Minke species for purposes it calls “research,” limiting its annual catch to 1,000 animals.
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Seals may only be hunted by permit.
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MAJOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
The region’s only commercial agricultural crops are grown in the Falkland Islands.
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CUISINE
Visitors on Antarctica cruises may only wonder what it might have been like to enjoy the regional cuisine, because international treaty provisions today ban the disturbance (including killing) of Antarctic wildlife. Though the idea of authentic Antarctic dining on the wildlife that visitors come here to observe is most likely an unappetizing concept for most Antarctica adventure travelers, explorers of previous centuries had no choice but to experience the region’s bounty. They wrote about the delicious dark seal meat, some species of which were said to be tastier than beef (blubber removed of course). Organ meats of some seal species, roasted breast of penguin, and the super-sized penguin eggs with red yolks were popular Antarctic cuisine. Vegetable side dishes would have been limited to the two cabbages that grow on certain islands in the region.
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CURRENCY
Most locations on Antarctica tours and Antarctic expeditions use U.S. dollars and the currency of whichever country operates the settlement or research station.
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TIME ZONE
Time on the Antarctic shore (including daylight savings time) is set according to the home country of each research station. Consequently, at any one time in Antarctica, it may be as early as 12 AM and as late as 4 PM.
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INTERNATIONAL DIALING CODE
672
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ELECTRICITY
On shore, electricity varies according to the home country of the settlement, research station or territorial claim.
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