British Antarctic Territory
The Territory was formed on 3 March 1962, although the UK's claim to this portion of the Antarctic dates back to letters patent of 1908 and 1917.The United Kingdom's claim to the region has been suspended since the Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1961, Article 4 of which states "No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica.In the 1950s, the Antarctic Treaty was negotiated to demilitarise the region and retain Antarctica – defined as all land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude – for peaceful research purposes.[citation needed] The Antarctic Treaty, signed by all relevant regional claimants, does not in itself either recognise or dispute any territorial claims, leaving this matter to individual signatories.[7][8] Over 99 per cent of the territory's land surface is covered by a permanent ice sheet, up to about 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) thick.[11] In May 2024, it was reported that Russia had discovered extensive oil and gas reserves in the Antarctic, with a significant portion found in areas claimed by the United Kingdom.While the UK's Foreign Office has expressed trust in Russia's assurance of conducting scientific research, critics argue that Russia's activities resemble oil and gas prospecting rather than genuine scientific endeavors and questioned The Foreign Office's management of the United Kingdom's Antarctic interests.The Royal Navy deploys the ice patrol ship, HMS Protector, in South Atlantic and Antarctic waters during the regional summer.Since Emilio Palma was born in the Antarctic territories claimed by the UK prior to 1983, he automatically had British nationality at birth.Visitors can tour the museum, buy souvenirs, post mail, and view the large gentoo penguin colony.The first issue came in 1963, an engraved set with 15 values ranging from ½d to one pound, featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth overlooking various scenes of human activity in Antarctica.
British Overseas TerritoryCoat of armsGod Save the KingSovereign stateUnited KingdomRotheraEnglishGovernmentDependencyconstitutional monarchyMonarchCharles IIICommissionerJane RumbleGovernment of the United KingdomMinisterStephen DoughtyPound sterlingTime zoneInternet TLDAntarcticaBritish Overseas Territories60°S latitudeSouth PoleArgentinaArgentine AntarcticaChilean Antarctic Territoryletters patentFalkland IslandsGraham LandSouth Orkney IslandsSouth Shetland IslandsAntarctic TreatyratifiedBritish Antarctic SurveyQueen Elizabeth LandQueen Elizabeth IISouth AtlanticSouth GeorgiaSouth OrkneysSouth ShetlandsSandwich IslandsGraham's Land50th parallel of south latitude80th degrees of west longitudeFalkland Islands DependenciesStanleyGovernor of the Falkland Islands50th degree of west longitude58th parallel of south latitudeVictoria LandEnderby LandWorld War IIOperation TabarinTerritorial claims in AntarcticaAustraliaFranceNew ZealandNorwaySigny Research StationAntarctic PeninsulaRonne Ice ShelfWeddell SeaCoats LandDiamond Jubilee of Elizabeth IIMount JacksonMount HopemosseslichensAntarctic hairgrassAntarctic pearlwortpenguinRussiaKing Charles IIIPolitics of British Antarctic TerritoryThe CrownPaul CandlerGeographyTerritorial ClaimsHalleyFossil BluffSky BluUnited Kingdom Antarctic Heritage TrustPort LockroyStamps and Postal HistoryAntarctic Treaty SystemForeign and Commonwealth OfficeRoyal NavyHMS ProtectorRRS Sir David AttenboroughNatural Environment Research CouncilBritish Overseas Territories citizenshipBritish Overseas Territories Act 2002immigrationnaturalisationEmilio PalmaBritish nationality lawRothera Research StationHalley Research StationFaradayAkademik Vernadsky StationUK Antarctic Heritage Trustgentoo penguinOrcadas BasePostage stamps and postal history of the British Antarctic TerritoryBritish currency in the South Atlantic and the AntarcticDiamond JubileeFilchner-Ronne Ice ShelfAustralian Antarctic TerritoryBritish Arctic TerritoriesCanadian Arctic ArchipelagoHope Bay incidentMarie Byrd LandPrincess Elizabeth LandRoss DependencyTierra del FuegoNational Science Foundation, Office of Polar ProgramsBBC NewsThe TelegraphWayback MachineForeign & Commonwealth OfficeAdélie LandEnderbyMac. RobertsonPrincess ElizabethKaiser Wilhelm II