Partition of Antarctica

Essay by Bosco2357High School, 10th grade November 2014

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Committee: Partition of Antarctica

Country: Norway

Since first being sighted during a Russian voyage in 1820, Antarctica has remained completely free of civilian settlements for over a century due to its bleak and unforgiving climate.At the time of its discovery, 98% of the continent was covered by thick continental ice sheets. Not much has changed since, and with temperatures recorded as low as -130 degrees Fahrenheit, winds of up to 200 miles per hour, and average precipitation of only 6.5 inches per year, Antarctica remains the harshest continent on the planet in 2050. The main points of the Antarctic Treaty are as follows: the treaty neither recognizes, establishes, nor rejects any claims made by nations; no new claims will be made while the treaty is in effect; Antarctica is to be used for peaceful purposes only; any and all military activity - from military bases and maneuvers to weapons testing - is prohibited.

In the instance of the rapid melting of ice in the polar regions of the warming planet, division of Antarctica will come into the question. For this reason, Norway would like to assess its claim over the rightful areas of Antarctica in which they have been researching and would be beneficial to them in commerce and colonialism. [1: CIA World Factbook, CIA][2: CIA World Factbook, CIA][3: AFTERMATH OF THE RISE OF SEA LEVELS, People and Places][4: ATS - The Antarctic Treaty, ATS]

Norway made its initial claim in 1929 by claiming Bouvet Island, but no continental claim was made until 1939, when it learned of Germany's plans to claim the same area, and officially claimed the area a few days before the German claim was made. Its claim is recognized by the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, and Australia. While initially reluctant to...