Antarctica has no government or centralized authority. It has never been formally colonized, though in the 20th century several nations, often those within close proximity to the continent, made territorial claims. These claims have little practical relevance but continue be observed by cartographers.
Argentine: 25°W to 74°W; Overlaps Chilean and British Claims; Claimed in 1943.
German: 20°E to 10°W; Overlapped Norwegian claim; Claimed: 1939-1945.
South African: xxx°y to xxx°y; Claimed: 1963-1994.
Most countries that have observation or study facilities in Antarctica (see above) have such stations present within their claimed territory, though this is not always the case. The Antarctic Treaty defers these claims and most other nations do not recognize them. No other nations have made claims themselves, although the United States and Russia assert the right to do so. No formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west.
Geography
Typical for Antarctica are gigantic table-top icebergs. The continent is surrounded by a large pack ice zone, in which one of the most remarkable ecosystems of the planet developed, based on the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. It is the food of whales, penguins, fish, seals and many birds.
Antarctica has no permanent residents, but a number of governments maintain permanent research stations on the continent. Many of the stations are staffed around the year. These include:
Tabletop icebergs in Antarctica
