Geography: Antarctica, part0
Self-tutoring about geography: the tutor follows up a lead.
Recently someone told me that you can’t just spontaneously travel to Antarctica – rather, who gets to go there is somehow controlled. I wondered about that idea, so checked up on it.
It turns out that, if you’re from one of 54 countries who form part of the Antarctic Treaty, you indeed do need permission to go to Antarctica. (Canada is on the list.) Reasons include, as I understand it, the following:
- Because of the climate, it’s not a safe place, and they want you to be aware of the potential dangers of visiting it.
- Scientists carry out research there and the countries that run Antarctica want to protect them from interference from visitors.
- There are heritage buildings and installations there, such as old whaling stations, which are meant to be preserved.
- Antarctica is essentially a wildlife reserve: they don’t want people going there and messing with the ecosystem.
Because of the potential hazard of traveling there, you need infrastructure to do it – people at those ports leading there will ask what you’re up to. You’d need a big enough boat that you’d be easy to track.
Interestingly, if you’re not from one of the countries in the Antarctic Treay, you might not need permission to go there – technically. However, those treaty countries still run it, so are likely in control there.
Source:
Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty
Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.