Who Owns the South Pole?

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Does the polar bear belong to the North Pole or the South Pole and where do penguins live? Is it colder at the North Pole or at the South Pole? Have you ever asked yourself all these interesting questions? This article deals with facts worth knowing about the northernmost and southernmost point of our earth.

There is life in the eternal ice too.
There is life in the eternal ice too. © Jetti_Kuhlemann / Pixelio

Southern Pole Possession Claims

  • Since the South Pole is a single point in Antarctica, this point does not belong to any nation alone.
  • The South Pole is on the uninhabited continent of Antarctica. But Antarctica is not an independent state. The Antarctic Treaty is in place to ensure that there is no war over property claims and that the continent is used peacefully and for research. This contract came into force in 1961. It was signed by twelve signatory states.
  • States that have claimed ownership of parts of the Antarctic agreed in the Antarctic Treaty that they let these claims rest and the continent together and peacefully to use.
  • The twelve states that signed the treaty in 1959 call themselves consultative states. These include Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and Norway. All of these states are demanding ownership claims.
  • Belgium, Japan, Russia, South Africa and the USA are also included. These states, however, do not make any claims to land.
    • Where do penguins live? At the North Pole or at the South Pole?

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  • The Antarctic is administered by two organizations. On the one hand there is the SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) and on the other hand the COMNAP (Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs).

Interesting facts about the South Pole

  • The South Pole is the southernmost point on earth. This point is in Antarctica and is also known in geography as the geographic South Pole.
  • However, other southernmost points are also defined. These are the Antarctic Magnetic Pole, the Antarctic Geomagnetic Pole, and the South Pole of Inadequacy.
  • The geographic South Pole is located at the southern end of the Earth's axis and is exactly opposite the North Pole. On the subcontinent of East Antarctica, the South Pole lies under ice, which at this point rises up to 2,800 meters above sea level.
  • The view from the South Pole is directed exclusively to the north.
  • The Norwegian Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach the geographic South Pole together with an expedition group in 1911.
  • In the southern winter it is dark at the South Pole and in the southern summer the sun is quite low and is strongly reflected by the snow.
  • It is also colder at the South Pole than at the North Pole. This is due to the reflection of the sun. In winter there is a temperature of around -65 degrees and in summer a maximum of -25 degrees.
  • The emperor penguin is one of the most famous inhabitants of the South Pole. It is best adapted to the cold and has few enemies.
  • Toothed whales and baleen whales are native to the waters and leopard seals also live around the South Pole.

What belongs to the North Pole

  • Like the South Pole, the North Pole is known as the geographic North Pole and is the northernmost point on earth.
  • Here, too, other poles are defined, such as the Arctic Magnetic Pole, the Arctic Geomagnetic Pole, and the North Pole of Inadequacy.
  • The geographic North Pole is on the North American plate, but not on the mainland. The Arctic Ocean is located beneath the approximately 3-meter-thick floating ice sheet of the North Pole.
  • From 21. March to 23. September no darkness. This is followed by a twilight phase, which lasts for several weeks and then not complete darkness. This darkness is also called the polar night. Dawn then lasts for several weeks, followed by a slow sunrise.
  • American explorers Robert Edwin Peary and Matthew Henson are officially the first explorers to reach the North Pole in 1909. However, this is not scientifically guaranteed due to insufficient records.
  • It has been proven that the first person to set foot on the North Pole was the Briton Sir Walter William Herbert in 1969.
  • The polar bear is one of the most famous creatures in the Arctic. Other animals living on land are the arctic fox, the arctic fox and wolves.
  • Beluga whales and walruses live in the water.
  • Many tiny creatures and plants such as algae continue to live under the ice layer.

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