Antarctica Is Dedicated To Peaceful Research
The only people who live in Antarctica are scientists who study the ice sheets, weather patterns, geology, and other aspects of the planet’s southernmost continent. To ensure peaceful cooperation among nations that wish to send researchers to Antarctica, the Antarctic Treaty was ratified on December 1, 1959.
The writing of the treaty, which occurred during the uncertainty of the Cold War, took more than a year of negotiations among 12 countries, who were working secretly to write the treaty. Forty-eight countries are now signatories to the agreement, which safeguards Antarctica as a site of peaceful scientific research.