A view of our southernmost continent for Antarctica Day

© Jan Vermeer/Minden Picture

Greetings from way down under. A treaty for science

Twelve nations signed the Antarctic Treaty System on December 1, 1959, establishing the ice-covered continent as a place for scientific study open to all nations and banning any military activity there. Since then, additional countries joined in the treaty – now 53 nations participate in activities at the various research stations there. Our photo shows the northernmost part of Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula, south of Chile and Argentina.