How To Write An Essay On Antarctica

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Antarctica. A vast expanse of icy wasteland, frigid tundra. Antarctica is the largest unclaimed land mass on planet earth, and it's also the largest international affairs time bomb. The situation in Antarctic is docile now, but already nations are gearing up waiting for the date to tick to 2048 so they can make a grab at the beautiful, and possibly lucrative continent. To understand the situation in Antarctica, and how international law is governs the region, you have to understand the history. Multiple nations have claims on Antarctica, seven nations made claims prior to a treaty, which will be discussed later, being drafted. The nations who struck out said claims were Britain, Norway, France, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile. They divided continent into land claims that were boundaries where dictated by meridians (the lines of longitude). However many of these claims overlapped with each other, and they were never really acted upon. Until that was cold war came about the …show more content…

No new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica shall be asserted while the present treaty is in force. (Art IV, Antarctica Treaty)
The article goes on then to state that Russia and the United States maintain a "basis of claim" in the Antarctica, which means when the time comes they may take territory on the continent as their own. All these states, including ones who have no claims (such as China, which has been investing in the building their presence in the region), want what is in the Antarctic, but the treaty for the time being bars them from doing so. However with economic pressures mounting, and the climate warming, it is only a matter of time before someone decides to exploit the Antarctic

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