Antarctica Day

What Is Antarctica Day?

December 14th is "Antarctica Day." It commemorates December 14, 1911, when a team led by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first people in human history to reach the South Pole. Amundsen's five-man team, using dog sleds pulled by Greenland dogs and a shrewd polar strategy, beat the rival British team led by Robert Scott to the Pole by about five weeks.

The Race to the South Pole

Amundsen and Scott were racing to reach the South Pole around the same time:

• Amundsen (Norway): Reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, succeeding through an efficient march built around dog sleds
• Scott (Britain): Reached the South Pole on January 17, 1912, but tragically, his entire party perished on the return journey

Antarctica Today

• Area: About 14 million km² (roughly 37 times the size of Japan)
• Average elevation: Over 2,000 meters, said to be the highest of any continent
• Antarctic Treaty: Adopted in 1959, this international treaty reserves Antarctica for peaceful purposes and guarantees freedom of scientific research (mineral resource activities were later banned by a protocol adopted in 1991)
• Japan's research base: Showa Station (established in 1957) continues observations of auroras, weather, earthquakes, and wildlife
• Climate change: Rising sea levels caused by melting Antarctic ice are a pressing global concern

Visiting Antarctica

Private Antarctic cruise tours exist, allowing travelers to visit the edges of the continent and its penguin colonies. Trips typically depart from South America and are expensive—a once-in-a-lifetime journey for some.