Enter the country or territory for the information paper you
want. (We do not have information papers on all countries.) The
Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 nations active in
Antarctica during the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year
(Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New
Zealand, Norway, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and
USSR). The Antarctic Treaty’s primary purpose is to ensure “in
the interests of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue
forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall
not become the scene or object of international discord”. The
Treaty entered into force on 23 June 1961 and applies to the
area south of 60° South latitude. A key element of the Treaty is
the practical compromise on the question of territorial
sovereignty in Antarctica. Under the Treaty, Parties which
previously asserted rights of or claims to territorial
sovereignty in Antarctica (e.g. New Zealand) were not obliged to
renounce those rights or claims. Equally, the