Antarctica Day is an international holiday recognizing the anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. It is celebrated on December 1 each year. As an annual event, Antarctica Day encourages participation from around the world. Antarctica Day on December 1st as a globally-accessible platform to share, interpret and cherish the values associated with Antarctica for the benefit of present and future generations.
A 2006 satellite composite image of Antarctica
It took a bit of patience and a helping hand for the students in the computer lab to find a way to send one blue marble to Antarctica, the most remote of Earth’s seven continents, but in 2012, architect Jan Carl Willemse traveled there with one Blue Marble and shared the view. Jan later visited Rooftop School in San Francisco, where he made a presentation about his experience. He was interviewed by the students on Thursday, May 16, 2013.
 Blue Marble @ Paradise Bay, Antarctica (2013) |
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 Blue Marble Sleepover: Antarctica (2013) |
The Antarctic Treaty
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States) whose scientists had been active in and around Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58. It entered into force in 1961 and has since been acceded to by many other nations. The total number of Parties to the Treaty is now 57.
Some important provisions of the Treaty:
- Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only
Art. I - Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica and cooperation toward that end… shall continue
Art. II - Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available
Art. III
Our Spaces was created in 2009 as a legacy of the Antarctic Treaty Summit, which was convened on the 50th anniversary of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty – to advance education, raise awareness and promote research regarding governance and management of our global commons. The vision was to continue expanding ANTARCTICA DAY on December 1st as a globally-accessible platform to share, interpret and cherish the common values associated with Antarctica for the benefit of present and future generations.
The Antarctic Treaty, illustrated by schoolchildren from around the world, is presented in book form for young audiences by The Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces (Our Spaces).
Design a Flag for Antarctica
Flag design was one of the ANTARCTICA DAY student activities encouraged by Our Spaces – The Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces (www.ourspaces.org.uk) in collaboration with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (www.apecs.is), International Polar Foundation (www.polarfoundation.org) and Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation (www.ypasm.my).
If you are looking for resource material about Antarctica, try visiting the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Photo Collection, which has a great selection of CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 and public domain images, including plenty of photos of penguins!
An Adelie penguin near McMurdo Station. Photo by Alan Bacchiochi. Courtesy of the National Science Foundation (NSF) License: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.