Antarctic territorial claims Totally Explained

Everything about Antarctic Territorial Claims totally explained

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Currently there are seven claimant nations who maintain a territorial claim on eight territories in Antarctica. These countries have tended to site their scientific observation and study facilities in Antarctica within their claimed territory.
It is sometimes stated that the Antarctic Treaty defers or suspends these claims. However, Article IV of the treaty, which deals with the issue of territorial claims, merely specifies that previously asserted claims are not affected by the treaty.

Antarctic Treaty

The Antarctic Treaty states that contracting to the treaty:

isn't a renunciation of any previous territorial claim.
doesn't affect the basis of claims made as a result of activities of the signatory nation within Antarctica.
doesn't affect the rights of a State under customary international law to recognise (or refuse to recognise) any other territorial claim.

What the treaty does affect are new claims:

No activities occurring after 1961 can be the basis of a territorial claim.

No new claim can be made.

No claim can be enlarged. The Soviet Union and the United States both filed reservations against the restriction on new claims, and the United States and Russia assert their right to make claims in the future if they so choose. Brazil maintains the Comandante Ferraz (the Brazilian Antarctic Base) and has proposed a theory to delimiting territories using meridians, which would give territories to Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador too.
In general, territorial claims below the 60° S parallel have only been recognised between those countries making claims in the area. However, claims are often indicated on maps of Antarctica - this doesn't signify de jure recognition.
All claim areas except Peter I Island (see below) are sectors, the borders of which are defined by degrees of longitude. In terms of latitude, the northern border of all sectors is the 60° S parallel which doesn't cut through any piece of land, continent or island, and is also the northern limit of the Antarctic Treaty. The southern border of all sectors collapses in one point, the South Pole. Only the Norwegian sector is an exception: the original claim of 1930 didn't specify a northern or a southern limit, so that its territory is only defined by eastern and western limits.

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