The windiest, coldest, driest and fifth-largest continent on Earth—Antarctica—was discovered in 1820. In the following decades, several countries organised expeditions to reach and explore the Antarctic ice sheets. Since the southernmost continent lacked an indigenous population, various nations claimed ownership. As tensions mounted, 12 countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 to set the region aside for scientific research and prohibit military activities. Today, we celebrate the anniversary of this treaty, which now has 56 parties.
Antarctica Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia
-
Big rocks, big heads
-
The Old Bridge, reborn
-
The citadel in Bonifacio, Southern Corsica, France
-
World Donkey Day
-
Collared aracari
-
National Hummingbird Day
-
Kick-off in Qatar
-
Victoria Street in Edinburgh, Scotland
-
Superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California, United States
-
Colors of spring
-
Sanctuary among the trees
-
Palace of Westminster, London, England
-
Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
-
A warm hug in the icy north
-
Why are blackbirds tied to winter?
-
Wadden Sea coast, Friesland, Netherlands
-
International Day for Biological Diversity
-
Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
-
Walruses in Svalbard, Norway
-
A young bull moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
-
Hay Festival
-
Aspens near Marble, Colorado, USA
-
Green sea turtle
-
An oasis in a sea of sand
-
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
-
Living rock
-
Alps of the sea
-
A beacon in the golden light
-
Blue as far as the eye can see