Antarctic Treaty Territory

Paradise Bay, on the Antarctic Peninsula, is known for its icebergs.

Southern elephant seals breed on the sub-Antarctic Islands.

Adelis penguins are one of four penguin species that breed only in Antarctica.

The Antarctic Treaty Territory was established to preserve Antarctica and the islands around it and to advance international cooperation and scientific research.

This continent is the last unexplored area on earth, and as a land largely unspoiled by human influence, holds great scientific value.

The treaty land is identified as the land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees south latitude.

Antarctica is the highest, windiest and driest of the continents, averaging less precipitation than the Sahara Desert. Most of the continent is covered with ice, about 90 percent of the world’s total.

In most areas, the ice is from one to three miles thick. The weight of the ice has depressed the land so that much of the continent is actually below sea level. Only about 2 percent of the continent is not covered by ice.

Animal and plant life on Antarctica is sparse. The continent has only two native flowering plants, and the largest land animal is a wingless midge that grows to be a centimeter long.

The oceans surrounding Antarctica are a different story. Whales, seals, penguins and other seabirds abound in these waters in a miraculous chain of life supported by tiny shrimp-like animals called krill.

The only way to visit Antarctica as a tourist is to go with one of the expedition ships that offer cruises around the region. These trips generally have limited excursions on land.

Much of Antarctica and the islands in the Southern Ocean are protected for their scientific value and are off limits to everyone but scientists.