posted by Vacation Home Rentals on May 27
Over the years many of the whaling nations made territorial claims to large sections of the continent of Antarctica. Britain, Argentina and Chile all laid claim to large sections of Antarctica, and some of those claims overlap. Other countries, such as Norway,, New Zealand, and France have also claimed portions of the continent. You can get the best adventure antarctica tours information by visiting this website.
The highest point of nationalism hit this continent in 1940. It occurred when Nazi Germany dropped swastika-engraved stakes over large areas of Antarctica to claim it for the Third Reich. When the world became involved in a global war, and then moved on to the Cold War, the continent was pretty much abandoned by everyone except the whale hunters. However, science would soon be motivated by celestial events to return to Antarctica.
Between 1957 and 1958, sunspot activity hit a peak that drove both scientists and governments around the globe to descend upond Antarctica where they could use its unique view of the southern hole in the Earth’s magnetic field to study the earth as it was bombarded by solar radiation from sunspot activity. The continent was soon home to a 67 country coalition of science personnel. This movement, and the cooperation among the scientists in this community were a drving factor in the Antarctic Treaty, an amazing international agreement.
This treaty sets preserves and saves Antarctica for the sole purpose of peaceful research, and was signed in 1959 by countries that had key, vested interests in the continent. Nuclear tests, eruptions, and radioactive waste disposal were not allowed. The only reason military activities were to be allowed on the continent was in the logistic support of science. The issues surrounding territorial claims were put to rest. Visit this site for further information on antarctica vacations.
This period marked an odd time in the Cold War where the superpowers both put aside their differences for the moment, staking no claims on Antarctica or recognizing any others as well. The smaller countries became reluctant to pursue their claims in light of the maneuvering practiced by the more powerful countries.
In the decades that followed, nations and business organizations started to desire the natural resources thought to be in Antarctica. There was a flurry of national bases erected, mainly on the peninsula and surrounding islands. Antarctica’s summer population of approximately 5,000, largely due to the fact that it’s only a three day cruise, dozens of science posts are home to most of these visitors.
During the 1960′s and 70′s, the U.S., Soviet Union, Poland, Italy, Britain, Chile, and Argentina all established bases on King George Island, and during the 1980′s, additional bases were opened by Peru, Uruguay, South Korea, China, and Brazil. True, most of these bases were established to conduct scientific experiments, but it was also a sign of political prowess for a lot of countries. They effectively gave themselves “squatter’s rights” on behalf of their country.
However, by the time the 1980′s rolled around, the use of Antarctica moved toward scientific research and retracted from using the continent for its resources. The Antarctic shares the destiny of the oceans, as more and more of them are being considered globally owned. It was Britain’s Halley Bay Antarctic base that first discovered the hole in the Earth’s ozone layer. This proved that industrial activity was degrading the atmosphere, allowing cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth’s surface.
So, in 1987, an international agreement was put into place to eradicate all ozone-destroying chemicals by the conclusion of the 1990′s. This finding emphasized the importance of the Antarctic scientific headquarters. They have since been shown to be essential in keeping track of the “greenhouse” gasses that have been prevalent in the atmosphere for decades. It was also in the 1980′s that the disgust for whaling reached its highest point. It was also during this time that the Green movement of the world supported using Antarctica as a world park.
By 1991 Antarctica received protection from ravaging of it’s natural resources with the Antarctic Treaty where participating nations agreed to ban exploration for oil and gas, mining and any other irreversible exploitation for at least 50 years. Today’s Antarctica is no longer used as a method to support industry, but instead, is showing the world how industry’s actions have impacted the planet and its atmosphere. It is also showing the world ways in which future calamities can be avoided.
