Long-form name: none

Type: The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, established for at least 30 years a legal framework for peaceful use, scientific research, and deferral of legal questions regarding territorial claims. Administration is carried out through consultative member meetings--the last meeting was held in Madrid (Spain) in April 1991. Consultative (voting) members include seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and nonclaimant nations. The US and other nations have made no claims, but have reserved the right to claim territory. The US does not recognize the claims of others. The year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations are--Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are--Belgium, Brazil (1983), China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985), the US, and the USSR. Acceding (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parenthesis, are--Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Canada (1988), Colombia (1988), Cuba (1984), Czechoslovakia (1962), Denmark (1965), Greece (1987), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), and Switzerland (1990).
Antarctic Treaty Summary: Article 1--area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for peaceful scientific and logistics purposes; Article 2--freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3--free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4--does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5--prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6--includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60o 00%19 south, but that the water areas be covered by international law; Article 7--treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8--allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9--frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10--treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11--disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ
Articles 12, 13, 14--deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations. Other agreements: more than 150 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include--Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora (1964); Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but was subsequently rejected by some signatories and is likely to be replaced in 1991 by a comprehensive environmental protection agreement that defers minerals development for a long period.

NOTE: The information regarding Antarctica on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Antarctica Government 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Antarctica Government 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.