Firstly, Merry Christmas for all!

Hmm, when it comes to Christmas, we tend to think about snow and winter.. Which brings me to think about one of the last ice reserves on our planet.

The South Pole. (opposite of where Santa lives)


Centered asymmetrically around the South Pole and largely south of the Antartic Circle, Antarctica is the southernmost continent and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean; alternatively, it may be considered to be surrounded by the southern Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean, or by the southern waters of the World Ocean. It covers more than 14,000,000 km² (5,400,000 sq mi), making it the fifth-largest continent, about 1.3 times as large as Europe. It is the only continent without a native human population.

Ok, cut the oh-so-long descriptions.

The point is, for environment and scientific purposes, The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System signed by 47 countries, established freedom of scientific investigation and banned military activity on the continent. This was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War.

The main treaty was opened for signature on December 1, 1959, and officially entered into force on June 23, 1961. The original signatories were the 12 countries active in Antarctica during the International geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58 and willing to accept a US invitation to the conference at which the treaty was negotiated.

And following are the articles of the Antartic treaty:

• 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 scientific research or any other peaceful purpose;

• Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue;

• Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the United Nations and other international agencies;

• Article 4 - the treaty does not recognize, dispute, nor establish territorial sovereignty claims; 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 60 degrees 00 minutes south;

• 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 of 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 International Court of Justice;

• Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations.

A treaty signed leaving an entire continent solely devoted for peace, and science. Now that's progress. =)