Antarctica
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Chile is one of seven countries worldwide, from both the
northern and southern hemispheres, to claim a portion of Antarctica as national
territory. Nonetheless, a treaty signed in 1959 protects the continent and
its outlying islands from mineral exploitation and arms testing, and indefinitely
suspends all formal discussion of ownership.
The Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches north like a finger
towards Cape Horn, is the northernmost and consequently warmest portion
of the continent. Nine countries have research stations on the Antarctic
Peninsula and its outlying islands, and most tours focus upon this area.
Geologically and biotically, the Antarctic Peninsula is
closely linked with southernmost continental Chile. South America and
Antarctica were neighbors on the ancient continent of Gondwanaland until
some 27 million years ago, when the formation of the Drake Passage definitively
separated the two continents. Antarctic plant fossils from the Pliocene
indicate the presence of a temperate ecosystem similar to that of southern
Patagonia.
Visit-Chile.org has also provided
a photo
gallery of over 90 of the most stunning scenic photos
ever published anywhere. |
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