Who owns Antarctica?

No state owns Antarctica exclusively, but it is governed and protected by different states through the Antarctic Treaty system which was signed in 1959 by 12 different countries. The 12 signatories included governments from Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and United Kingdom, whose territorial claims are overlapping in Antarctica’s territorial boundaries. Some important provisions of the treaty states that Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only, freedom of scientific investigations shall be allowed, results from the research done in Antarctica can be exchanged and available to anyone, and areas, stations, installations, and equipment shall be free at all times to inspection. Therefore, Antarctica is open for scientific research for the public, but they must observe research ethics and must adhere to the international law regarding environmental protection to preserve and protect the species and the life that exists in the regions of Antarctica, which is declared as Res Communes.

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