Highlights - Antarctic Circle
Seeing the legendary yet invisible line of the Antarctic Circle. is a dream come true. Here are five things you should know about it before your Antarctic cruise.
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Highlights - Antarctic Circle
Seeing the legendary yet invisible line of the Antarctic Circle. is a dream come true. Here are five things you should know about it before your Antarctic cruise.
66°33’49,978’’
This is the latitude of the parallel of the Antarctic Circle. It marks out and covers just about the entire Antarctic continent. However, it cuts off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, Enderby Land and Wilkes Land.
History
British navigator James Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time in January 1773. The explorer even went down to 71°10' latitude south. However, he didn't get close enough to the coasts of the White Continent. He concludes that the Terra Australis was nothing more than a legend. It wasn't until 1819 and 1820 that three explorers claimed discovery of the White Continent: Russian Captain Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, British Captain Edward Bransfield and American sealer Nathaniel Palmer. However, there's no evidence that they set foot on the ice floe.
The Antarctic Treaty
The Antarctic Circle is covered by the Antarctic Treaty. This protects all territories south of the 60th parallel. It prevents any territorial claims and prohibits nuclear tests on these lands, as well as any military presence or radioactive waste disposal.
The midnight sun
During the December solstice, the sun shines for 24 consecutive hours. This is when we can observe the midnight sun. On the contrary, during the June solstice, we witness the polar night. Darkness reigns for 24 hours.
