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The total continent of Antarctica, from its massive mountains to the seas replete with blue whales, emperor penguins and leopard seals, is, by means of international agreement, classified as a wilderness preserve.This accord took effect in 1998, and prohibits mining and oil drilling for at least fifty years anywhere within the boundaries of the world’s most frigid and pristine ecosystem. The pact stresses conservation in place of growth and development.The agreement forbids a number or possible threats to wildlife including pesticides and non-native animals.

The accord is called the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctica Treaty.Many countries signed this accord in order to protect this one region on earth from commercial interests and development by industry.The treaty was approved in 1991 by 26 leading nations including the United States, Russia, China, India, Japan, Argentina, Brazil and most major European countries who had interests in the area.To find great antarctica tours information see this resource.

By delineating regulation, the treaty served to end more than fifteen years of lobbying by environmentalists and diplomatic discussions.In addition to the restriction of oil and mining, the treaty also requires nations that run any of Antarctica’s 35 scientific outposts to remove all trash.Antarctic waters are also protected from scientific stations and tourist ships dumping raw sewage into them.

Explorers such as the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, the first to reach the South Pole in 1911, depended upon sled dogs for their transportation.But the treaty bans dogs completely because in recent years, dogs have killed Penguins amongst other native birds.Also banned were pesticides, polystyrene packaging and non-sterile soil.

There is a sheet of ice covering the land that averages approximately one mile in thickness. The land is only seen near the shores where some plant life survive, like moss and grass.Seventy per cent of the planet’s fresh water comprises Antarctica’s ice.Many kinds of sea life also live in or near Antarctica.If you want more comprehensive info on adventure antarctica tours that site will help you.

This amazing continent is considered one of the most fragile places on the planet.Since the temperature is almost always below zero, it takes a long time for anything to grow.It can take years for the area to recover from any disturbances.For instance, the single impression of a foot in a mossy outcropping may be preserved for ten years.

In 1959 the first Antarctic Treaty was signed and it banned military activity and nuclear testing.It also kept any one nation from owning all of Antarctica and gave rules for research.Even though there is no nation that claims ownership of the continent, every inch is claimed by overlapping countries.

Conservation laws were put into place in the 1980s when researchers found oil reserves offshore and deposits of coal, gold, iron, copper, zinc, uranium, manganese and other minerals.The ideas of drilling in Antarctica got tossed around in the 1970s when the energy crisis took place.Increases in the price of oil and advances in technology will intensify these interests.

Each of the 26 nations that uphold the treaty have their own jurisdictions.If the country’s government refuses to intervene when its citizens violate the rules, the other nations would apply pressure to solve the issue.This agreement has been considered a success story for the environment by a lot of people.

The continent of Antarctica is a place like no other in the world with its stark beauty and brutal climate and terrain.It remains the only continent in the world that has never seen the face of war.This is true even though it is the biggest continent on Earth, larger than Europe and America put together. Due to the extreme cold of this continent almost no germs can survive in this land, causing more people have died of violent causes than natural ones

This continent is quite the oxymoron, the most different of faiths and political stances cam come here and work closely together only inches away from freezing sub 100-degree weather.Since the horrendous cold of Antarctica makes their bodies lose calories at an alarming rate, those living in Antarctica are forced to eat four generous meals a day just to keep up.

Since the sun hardly ever sets in the summer, residents often suffer excruciating insomnia, as the lack of nighttime leaves them unable to sleep while the sun is shining bright at 3 in the morning.In spite of this, the Antarctica based ‘300 Degree Club’ has given rise to great entertainment.A bar the furthest south of the border exists in Antarctica, no matter what you buy it all costs the same, even if it is an expensive cognac. But a single night can lead to a massive bill.This is especially true between the months of April and September when the nights are very long.antarctica cruise ship

The heartland of this continent is covered by a 9,000-foot sheet of moving ice. However, geologists believe that it also has enough gas, oil, and coal in it to heath the entire planet.There are no laws in this land and no fugitive can be extradited. Plus, any criminal has almost 9-million square miles of place to hide, if they could survive them. These hiding spaces include the wide open spaces, broad valleys, and 15,000-foot mountain ranges that make up one of the unfriendly environments on the face of the Earth.

Even though Antarctica is not governed by any laws, it still has a lower crime rate than any other continent. If you wanted to commit a murder, you would do it in Antarctica, because you could never be prosecuted for it due to the lack of laws there.No international laws or treaties are in place to stop a murderer, anywhere on this vast land.adventure antarctica cruises

Even though there are flags of 10 different nation here in Antarctica, not a single one has tried to exploit it’s real estate.There has never been any attempts to form permanent colonies on the primitive lands of this continent. However, when compared to any other location in the world, the most complicated and technology advanced equipment is located here. There are even computers at the South Pole.

It may be surprising to know that the people who live here, although usually only for a short period, are known to have the highest IQ per capita on the planet.There are more people here with degrees from high level universities than there are high school diplomas.There is more research preformed here than in any other geographical location. If you want to find scientific talent, you will find more here than at any university in the world.Also, this large land mass is the only one who you are not allowed to detonate nuclear bombs.

The laws that Antarctica does have are incredibly strict environmental laws.Whalers and sealers now need a special license to kill any animal life on the continent.The worlds best scientists are fighting to keep this astonishing continent as pristine as it has ever been.

A hundred years ago or so, a whaling ship known as the Antarctic came to a halt off the volcanic, wind-battered coast and sent one of their longboats through the through the rough ocean of the Ross Sea to reach the shore.The land was found as part of a journey to unclaimed waters for the purpose of killing whales. Captain Leonard Kristensen and his party were the first people to place their feet on this continent.

The baptism of Antarctica was bathed in blood.The Industrial Revolution was starting to grow and the millions of seals that were slaughtered for their fur, as well as penguins and whales massacred for their oil, were part of what was needed to keep society moving forward.Many thousands of the shy penguins on Macquarie Island were gathered and driven up planks into large kettles of boiling oil, where they were cooked and melted down for the oil in their bodies.

It is only now, after centuries of abuse of Antarctica’s resources, that this Frozen Continent is being appreciated for it’s natural and scientific wonders. Humans have made the decision to forgo the easy money made through destruction of Antarctica’s resources, and instead chosen to treat it as a preserve of nature and science.There are discussions currently underway to establish Antarctica as a world park.Within Antarctica, scientists are more able to explore certain environmental factors such as the Greenhouse Effect and the depletion of our ozone layer.Considering the short and experimental nature of mankind’s occupancy in Antarctica, the reversal has been astoundingly quick.The degree of exploration was limited to a small fraction of coastline and islands, and included only a few routes to the South Pole up until the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year.antarctic cruise

From the time that Antarctica was first explored, its history is littered with fierceness, nationalism, idealism, and uncontrolled killing. Only occasionally would there be any attempts at scientific research.Whaling was stepped up in World War I, as refined oil was used to make glycerin for artillery shells.Whale oil continued to be a commodity after World War II, as the Soviet Union and the United States began to require more of the substance for use as a jet engine lubricant.It was not until the International Geophysical Year that Antarctica was referred to as anything but “Terra Australia Incognita,” a term used by medieval mapmakers to describe this undiscovered southern continent.

The first birth in Antarctic was witness to great controversy and nationalistic pretension and was entirely purposeful.In 1978, Emilio Marcus Palmer was born at Esperanza Base, owned by Argentina in order to reinforce claims by Argentina to large portions of the territory.best antarctic cruise

This occurred nine years after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon and placed America’s flag on it as a symbol of America’s dominance over other nations.In 1911, Roald Amundsen’s trek to the South Pole, honoring King Haakon VII of Norway, was the most productive, determined venture of this sort.Although Robert F. Scott and his team also made that trip for the British, they spent a great deal more time on their voyage so that they could collect rock and fossil samples – the weight of which only slowed them down further.

Scott’s team perished as they returned home, having lost the race to the South Pole to Amundsen by one month. They were possibly demoralized by simply not getting there first, but were also likely malnourished and exhausted. These were the first men to martyr themselves for science in Antarctica.A rather unique attempt to stake America’s claim on the territory took place when a Ford Trimotor was flown over the South Pole by Richard Bryd in 1929.It was back in 1821 that the Soviets laid claim to the Antarctica with the journey made by Russian Admiral Thaddeus Bellingshausen past the Antarctic Peninsula.