If you ask representatives from three different countries, the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia who discovered Antarctica you are most certainly going to get three different answers.
If you are to believe the folks from the US, a captain of a whaling ship, Nathaniel Palmer first discovered this southern-most land in November of 1820. A Brit would counter that assertion with the fact that Edward Bransfield of the Royal Navy spotted the continent a full ten months prior in January of 1820. Now… a Russian will tell you that the other two are not fully up on their Antarctic explorer history, as the true discoverer of the area was Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a captain in the employ of the Russian Imperial Navy.
Though I, in fact am an American, I do work for RT — a Russian company — and am part of the Russian Antarctic Expedition… also, you may have noticed that the very place where I was staying while in Antarctica is called Bellingshausen Station, named after the afore mentioned explorer. Given these parameters, I am sure you can guess as to what my answer would be to this question. Not to mention that dates entered into the various ships logs confirm that Bellingshausen did indeed get there first. Actually… three different countries playing a role in the continental discovery could have been a bit of foreshadowing for the future of Antarctica. Bellingshausen himself was born in Estonia, but of German descent while working in the service of Russia, this bizarre mixture of the man who discovered the place is actually a good example of the international platform Antarctica is now.
Antarctica was discovered just a short while before the age of imperialism when countries were scouring the globe, laying claim to every bit of land they could as to expand their respective empires. Given this atmosphere you can imagine that these countries were all about staking their claims on this newly discovered continent. Aside from outright territorial claims based on outright discovery and exploration, there is a geographical element in play here as well. If you think of North as “up,” as indicated on world maps and globes, then Antarctica is at the very bottom of our planet. With lines of longitude extending from South America, Africa and Australia, countries that are “Antarctica Adjacent” feel they have some proprietary rights through simple proximity. I am sure you can imagine that all of these claims of ownership would create a fair amount of tension. Right now there are 8 countries that have active territorial claims on parts of the continent—Chile, Argentina, Australia, Britain, France, New Zealand and Norway. (Australia’s claim is quite large, including nearly a third of the entire territory.)
Making things more interesting, some of the boundaries of these claims overlap. There are also six more countries — the United States, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, Spain and Russia — that have not yet made territorial claims, but have formally reserved the right to do so, based on previous levels of exploration. Before things got too out of hand, the international community realized the gem they had down south and created a way to let all of these countries to play together nicely in the proverbial sandbox.
I know it may seem like I have taken a turn from my usual topics to don a new persona, that of a dull history professor, but I assure you it is relevant! Actually, beyond the initial discovery of Antarctica, the stories of the explorers who paved the way for current research are fascinating. If you ever get a chance please look into the expeditions of Ross, Amundsen, Shackleton and Scott, please do! The trials and tribulations these folks went through for the sake of discovery are mind boggling. I have experienced conditions during the much milder Antarctic Summer season that make me have a new appreciation for what these earlier explorers went through… only they had less gear, less protection and absolutely no knowledge of what was ahead of them… and again, MUCH harsher conditions.
Now back to modern day Antarctica and the politics of it all… Today Antarctica is treated much like territory in outer space with the key points being it’s an area for scientific research and is strictly a demilitarized zone. There is no government, but instead it is run by an international consensus through the Antarctic Treaty System. Living in this environment is quite fascinating, as the level of cooperation between different countries by proxy through their respective bases is truly remarkable. I know I have mentioned this unified atmosphere in previous ramblings, but it is worth mentioning again. When one base needs something, another is there to help. If one individual is in trouble, the entire community rushes in for support.
The harsh physical environment of Antarctica is important in creating this level of camaraderie, but it is not the only factor that plays a role; the political mechanism in place does a great deal to facilitate this attitude as well. The original document was put into play in 1961 and was signed by the 12 countries that were active on the continent at the time. Since then, the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) has grown to include subsequent agreements and has been joined by a number of other countries interested in protecting Antarctica. According to these various documents the area is a protected from commercial development, waste disposal, military activity, resource mining, and will be kept as a nature preserve used for scientific research. The system also establishes that the continent is not a sovereign nation, nor is it or any part of it under the control of any one country, but rather it is overseen by the international community. This part of the ATS makes the claims of the various countries nothing more than symbolic and it helps prevent territory wars from breaking out between countries — at least until the treaty system expires. Of course the hope is that the ATS will always be renewed in some form or fashion, thus putting off any territorial disputes indefinitely. The ATS is currently set to expire in 2041.
What this treaty system does is allow the bases in Antarctica to operate freely and cooperatively for the better interests of everyone down there. Without the competition of propriety, the scientists and researchers in Antarctica can collaborate to make the collective experience better. Stan and I were able to witness one particular interaction that was possible because of this “teamwork” atmosphere. Actually… we were more than just witnesses, we were active participants.
The main language of business in Antarctica is English. This becomes fun to watch as most bases from non-English speaking countries have a “go-to” person that acts as the base translator. In many cases it is the base doctor, for Bellingshausen it is none other than our very own Captain Copepod. Usually how it works is, the chiefs of different stations will need something, and then the quartet consisting of both chiefs and both station translators will get together and figure out how to negotiate a deal. In the case that we were a part of, Vasily was out doing research and our chief needed to work with the person in charge of the Uruguay base. Stan speaks Russian, I speak enough Spanish to be dangerous and so our chief asked us to fill in that role. (This was also beneficial for us as we needed an interview with the Uruguay station chief regarding one of our stories; making the entire situation a win, win. After our interview, the two chiefs went to the negotiating table. The matter at hand…? Bellingshausen station needed meat and potatoes to get through until the next shipment from Russia, and the Uruguay station needed to supplement their oil supply. The trade… food for oil! (I would like to point out it was a much more successful and productive arrangement than the agreement of the same name between the U.N and Iraq.)
I knew that going to Antarctica was going to be very interesting, and as a journalist I am used to covering very important stories, but this extra responsibility was quite unique. Assisting in a negotiation between two countries that actually had an effect on the health and safety of the other people around me… that was very cool, and very important! Without oil, the Uruguay station wouldn’t have electricity or the means of survival to get through the winter season, effectively shutting down their base for the season. Without food, the Bellingshausen crew, including Stan and I, would have nothing to eat, thus hampering our ability to survive. On a fun side note… during this negotiation another deal was reached… Russian Vodka from Bellingshausen in exchange for Uruguayan wine. Needless to say, it was fascinating and though it seemed like a deal made over a coffee conversation, it was actually a diplomatic trade agreement between two countries. (I would like to point out that the actual work, as always, fell to Stan, and I was more of a very intrigued but passive participant in the process.)
The ATS has created an environment where shared resources between countries make everyone’s job in Antarctica easier. The Chinese have cars that were needed for the massive delegation visiting the Chilean station and were happy to provide them. The Koreans had a specific type of welding stick that the Russian’s needed and were quick to respond to the request. This is not just an ideology or a theory, or even a policy that looks good on paper, this idea of helping each other out is something that is successfully put into practice every single day. If it weren’t for this completely open system, our job in Antarctica would have been far more difficult; maybe even impossible. Getting to the continent was facilitated by the Air Force of Uruguay. The Air Force of Chile provided transportation on the O’Higgen’s base adventure as well as information and resources to help with many of our stories. Also, the Brazilian Air Force flew us out of Antarctica so that we could make the journey back to Moscow. Not only were these arrangements made possible by the ATS, but they were relatively easy arrangements to make. It is interesting to point out that countries that don’t necessarily have amiable relations in the “real world,” actually do work well together in Antarctica. On that note, Viktor Mikhailovitch, the Bellingshausen station chief says that when he first came to Antarctica 30 years ago he was told by a a Chilean colleague, “Leave the politics to the people on the mainland, we polar people need to stick together. If we don’t, who else to we have to depend on to come help us?”
During our stay we were able to witness this treaty in action on many occasions. We were also able to witness the enforcement arm of the treaty as well. One morning at Breakfast, Vassiley told Stan and me about a visiting delegation from the British Antarctic Survey who would be visiting and inspecting the station later in the morning. The group was coming in from the Royal Navy Survey Ship, the HMS Scott. As English speakers on the base, we were requested to be there to help make their stay enjoyable and that the inspection was smooth. The visiting team was very respectful and thorough, not only stopping by Bellingshausen, but also making visits to the Chilean and Chinese bases as well.It is the job of all signatories of the treaty system to help regulate and enforce the guidelines of the document.This is done regularly without friction; it is a very intriguing process to watch.
