Britain first started dispute Antarctic

Britain seeks future resource rights in the Antarctic, Arctic sovereignty dispute did not stop, the Antarctic sovereignty renewed war.

October 16, 2007, the British Foreign Office announced that Britain is prepared to submit a motion to the Antarctic seabed section sovereignty to the United Nations.

A hundred years ago, declaration of sovereignty

Britain with the Antarctic has a "bond", as early as 1772, the British Antarctic explorer Cook sailed boat ring, opened the prelude to the Antarctic expedition. And the country's fight for sovereignty over the South Pole is never interrupted.

According to public information display, the first time the British Antarctic declaration of sovereignty in 1908, to formally incorporated into the "Royal Letters Patent" in the form presented to claim to sovereignty over the South Pole, and in 1917 as the "British way." Later, more and more countries to join the ranks of Antarctic sovereignty to compete, from 1917 to 1946, New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway, Chile and Argentina have announced their Antarctic sovereignty.

British Antarctic Territory requirements, including situated between 20 ° E ~ 50 ° E, south of 50 ° S between all the 58 islands and land, and located at 50 ° E ~ 80 ° E to the south, 58 ° S all the islands and land. This area is located at the South Pole vertex point, and extend area of approximately 1,725,000 square km triangle area, which has two permanent research station.

However, in some countries where the overlapping territorial claims, disputes great. In order to ease the contradiction arising from territorial claims to Antarctica, after several rounds of consultations, in December 1, 1959, 12 countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and Soviet) government representatives signed the "Antarctic Treaty." The treaty "frozen States territorial claims on Antarctica and the ban put forward new territorial claims."

"Freeze" principle

This "freeze" principle refers to neither admit nor deny the existing claim to sovereignty. The relevant principles are not allowed to put forward new territorial Antarctic claim of sovereignty is clearly in favor of sovereignty has made the required "vested interests" State before 1959.

In addition, the "Antarctic Treaty" is only a temporary freeze on the requirements of each country's territorial sovereignty, territorial rights attached to the continental shelf or the like, such as is not defined. "The UK is now in use," Antarctic Treaty ", according to" United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea "to seek the right to Antarctic Territory outside."

It originated in the desire of resources

Although the UK will strictly abide by a clear statement, "Antarctic Treaty", but asked its continental shelf resources will certainly provoke a new round of battle for Antarctic resources.

In the 1970s, the world's energy crisis, the rich resources of the Antarctic into sight, the world have launched investigation on the Antarctic resources, to curb increasingly prominent resource wars, after years of controversy States finally reached in 1991. "Protocol on environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, "Article VII of the Protocol: Any mineral resource activities and scientific research are unrelated to prohibited within 50 years.