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Poles Apart
Factfile |
 Poles apart - Antarctica and the Arctic |
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Development
Within the Arctic Circle - Canada, Russia, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and the USA (Alaska) all own land. The Arctic region has been mined for oil, gas and minerals despite the harsh environment. Countries like Canada and Alaska have started to give back land and rights to the native people of the Arctic, but this has often been in exchange for the right to extract minerals in the area. To co-ordinate scientific research in the Arctic, in 1990 the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) was formed.
Prudhoe Bay in Alaska
In contrast, any one country does not own Antarctica. Britain, Norway, Chile, New Zealand, France, Australia and Argentina all have made territorial claims in Antarctica - sometimes for the same piece of land. However, under an agreement known as the Antarctic Treaty, `Antarctica shall be used for peaceful measures only…in the interests of humanity'. The original treaty was signed by 12 nations in 1959, but currently there are 44 nations signed to the Treaty. These 44 nations represent over 90% of the world's population. Any country can join the Treaty, but to have an official say, the nation must maintain scientific involvement (usually a research base) in Antarctica.
Scientist in Antarctica courtesy of BAS
Antarctica has remained totally free of commercial development thanks to the Treaty of 1959 and the more recent Protocol on Environment Protection, 1991, which has banned all mining and mineral extraction until 2041.
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