Antarctica contains research stations and field camps that are staffed seasonally or year-round, and former whaling settlements.[1] Approximately 12 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, send personnel to perform seasonal (summer) or year-round research on the continent and in its surrounding oceans. There are also two official civilian settlements: Villa Las Estrellas in Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva operated by Chile, and Fortín Sargento Cabral in Esperanza Base operated by Argentina.
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The population of people doing and supporting scientific research on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty)[2] varies from approximately 4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter. In addition, approximately 1,000 personnel including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research are present in the waters of the treaty region. The largest station, McMurdo Station, has a summer population of about 1,000 people and a winter population of about 200.[3]
Births
editAt least 11 children have been born in Antarctica.[4] The first was Emilio Marcos Palma, born on 7 January 1978 to Argentine parents at Esperanza, Hope Bay, near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula.[5] The first girl born on the Antarctic continent was Marisa De Las Nieves Delgado, born on 27 May 1978. The birth occurred at Fortín Sargento Cabral, Base Esperanza (Argentine Army).[6][7]
Solveig Gunbjørg Jacobsen of Norway, born in the island territory of South Georgia on 8 October 1913, was the first person born and raised in the Antarctic (the world region south of the Antarctic Convergence).[8] The first human born in the wider Antarctic region was the Australian James Kerguelen Robinson, born in the Kerguelen Islands on 11 March 1859.[9]
Languages
editAntarctic English, a distinct variety of the English language, has been found to be spoken by people living on Antarctica and the subantarctic islands.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Cool Antarctica: Who lives in Antarctica? Archived January 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "ATS - The Antarctic Treaty". www.ats.aq. Archived from the original on 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ NSF: McMurdo Station
- ^ Science Geeks: "Why 11 babies have been born in Antarctica" 14 July 2020
- ^ "Born Freezing: Meet Antarctica's First Citizen - WebEcoist". webecoist.com. 15 February 2011.
- ^ Meja, Natalia (11 March 2018). "Juana, salteña y madre de la primera mujer antártica". El Tribuno (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Marisa, la primera nacida en el hielo". La Capital (in Spanish). 24 August 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ Gravminner i Norge, DISNorge.no; retrieved 14 June 2012. (in Norwegian)
- ^ J. Robinson. Appendix B: Log of the Offley. In: Reminiscences. Hobart: Archives Office of Tasmania, 1906. pp. 98-99. (Transcribed and edited by D. Cerchi.)
- ^ Hince, Bernadette (2000). "Introduction". The Antarctic Dictionary: A Complete Guide to Antarctic English. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. pp. vii–x. ISBN 978-0957747111.
External links
edit- Antarctica at the CIA World Factbook (includes section on the population of Antarctica).