Territorial Claims over

Antarctica

Traditionally, the poor in raw materials countries of Southern Europe were

turning to Africa for resources. France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, but also

England and the Netherlands, had established colonies in Africa, in order to

exploit their vast resources. Germany did not have the time to do the same,

because it was created as a nation in 1871, and her tremendous rise made the

English, the French and the Russians to leave their differences aside and

destroy Germany in the First World War 1914-1917.

Even today the countries of South Europe are getting their raw materials

from Africa, and they are terrified to see China trying to replace them. Even

though the Europeans do not have colonies any more, they have kept under

their control some small islands, which will allow them to play a role in case

oil and natural gas is discovered in the future.

Madagascar was a French colony, and at the following map you can see

some of the islands that France keeps under her control to this day. The

volcanic islands of Kerguelen, located at Africa’s southeast, are almost

equidistance from Africa, Australia and Antarctica, allowing French to have

claims over the Indian and South Oceans, but also over Antarctica, which is

the least explored piece of the earth. See map 1.

Picture 1

https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki /

File : France _ on _ the _ globe _( French _ Southern _ and _ Antarctic _ Lands _ special

)_( Madagascar _ centered ). svg

At the following map you can see the islands controlled by France over the

globe. See map 2.

Picture 2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Overseas_departments_and_territories_of_France#/media/File:Outre-

mer_en.png

At the following map you can see the islands controlled by England over the

globe. See map 3.

Picture 3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:British_Overseas.png

There are 7 nations that have official claims over Antarctica i.e. Chile,

Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, which are countries near Antarctica, and

England, France and Norway. At the following map you can see each

country’s claims, with Australia and Norway claiming the most (orange and

green). See map 4.

Picture 4

https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / File : Antarctica _ territorial _ claims . png

At the following wikipedia table you can see the 7 countries that have

official claims over Antarctica.

Picture 5

https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki /

Territorial _ claims _ in _ Antarctica # Official _ claims