Antarctica
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Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least populous continent. First discovered in the early 19th century, the continent's year-round low temperatures combined with lengthy nights during the winter have made it a hard one to explore and settled. In fact, it was not until the 1950s did the region start to major settlements and bases, This was the result of the Scramble for Antarctica in which a mixture of world powers and nearby nations began making land claims on the continent. The reasonings varies from searching for untapped resources to looking for somewhere to conduct secret weapon testing.
By 1962, Antarctica has 7 nations with significant presence on the continent.
| Territory Name | Administrator | Home Nations |
|---|---|---|
| New Swabia | Rudolf Mayr | Germany |
| Ancestral Heritage Antarctica Group | Wolfram Sievers | Burgundy |
| Japanese Antarctic Sector | Kinugasa Hayao | Japan |
| Argentine Antarctica | Jorge Edgar Leal | Argentina |
| Chilean Antarctica | Julio Escudero Guzmán | Chile |
| French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Xavier Charles Richert | France |
| OFN Antarctic Administration | William Francis Raborn | United States/Australia/New Zealand |
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Location, Geography and Climate
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least populated continent. The frozen continent is added in the TNO submod Deep Freeze, that is planned to be integrated into the main mod in 2024. Antarctica is the continent with the coldest climate in the world, reaching around -57°C (-70,6°F) on the interior of the continent and around -15°C (5°F) on the coasts like on McMurdo Station. Antarctica has a landmass of 14,200,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi) and is almost completely covered by a 2km (1.2mi) deep ice sheet. It also is the largest ice desert in the world.
History
Early days
The 1st confirmed sighting of mainland antarctica was by a Russian expedition on the 27 of January 1820. Another sighting of Antarctica was made 3 days later by Irishman Edward Bransfield. These consecutive sightings officially confirmed the old theories of « Terra Australis ».
Start of Exploration
While some expeditions were made during the mid 19th Century, the first major Antarctic expeditions occurred between the 1890s and 1920s in what is known as the heroic age of Antarctic exploration.
the First German expedition to the continent happened between 1901-1903, under captain Erich von Drygalski, who dubbed the patch of land he reached Kaiser Wilhelm II Land. The explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott set out to become the first people to reach the South Pole, with Amundsen suceeding and Scott arriving 33 days later. Scott and his team would tragically die on their journey home.
1930s-1960s
Nazi Germany first staked its claim in Antarctica in 1939, when Captain Alfred Ritscher landed in areas claimed by Norway. he dubbed the land New Swabia.
