Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Map of Antarctica with Eastern Antarctica seen to the right. Image of a variety of ice types off the coast of East Antarctica. East Antarctica, also called Greater Antarctica, constitutes the majority (two-thirds) of the Antarctic continent, lying primarily in the Eastern Hemisphere south of the Indian Ocean, and separated from West Antarctica by the Transantarctic Mountains.
Western Antarctica and Eastern Antarctica correspond roughly to the western and eastern hemispheres relative to the Greenwich meridian. [note 1] West Antarctica is covered by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. There has been some concern about this ice sheet, as there is a small chance it will collapse due to rising temperatures in the region.
Seven sovereign states – Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom – have made eight territorial claims in Antarctica.These countries have tended to place their Antarctic scientific observation and study facilities within their respective claimed territories; however, a number of such facilities are located outside of the area claimed by their ...
A map of the Antarctic region, including the Antarctic Convergence and the 60th parallel south The Antarctic Plate. The Antarctic (/ æ n ˈ t ɑːr t ɪ k,-k t ɪ k /, US also / æ n t ˈ ɑːr t ɪ k,-k t ɪ k /; commonly / æ ˈ n ɑːr t ɪ k /) [Note 1] is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole.
Antarctica is not shown. The United Nations geoscheme is a system which divides 248 countries and territories in the world into six continental regions, 22 geographical subregions, and two intermediary regions. [1] It was devised by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) based on the M49 coding classification. [2]
Oceanic islands between the Equator, 60°S, 20°W, and 115°E are the only Southern Hemisphere lands (besides East Timor) outside the five southern nuclear-weapon-free zones. Bouvet Island and the Kerguelen Islands are Antarctic islands on this map but outside the Antarctic NWFZ. Australian islands are parts of the South Pacific NWFZ.
The Antarctic Treaty also stated that Antarctica can only be used for peaceful purposes and any exploitation of the continent such as mining is forbidden, thus scientific research is the only activity that may be performed on Antarctica. [14] As more countries established research stations on Antarctica, the number of signatories of the treaty ...
Vinson Massif from the northwest, the highest peak in Antarctica. East Antarctica comprises Coats Land, Queen Maud Land, Enderby Land, Mac. Robertson Land, Wilkes Land, and Victoria Land. All but a small portion of the region lies within the Eastern Hemisphere. East Antarctica is largely covered by the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. [23]