Australian Antarctic Territory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Area | 5,896,500 square kilometres | ||
| Political status | Territory of Australia | ||
| Population | under 1000 | ||
| Currency | Australian dollar | ||
| Highest elevation: | Dome Argus (4030 m) | ||
| Map |
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The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia and is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation. It consists of all the islands and territory south of 60° S and between 44°38' E and 160° E, except for Adélie Land (136°11' E to 142°02' E), which divides the territory into Western AAT (the larger portion) and Eastern AAT. It is bounded by Queen Maud Land in the West and by Ross Dependency in the East. The area is estimated at 6,119,818 km². The territory is only inhabited by the staff of research stations. The main station is Mawson Station. The Australian Government Antarctic Division administers the area primarily by supporting various research projects.
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[edit] Subdivisions
The territory is divided into nine districts, which are from West to East:
| No. | District | Area (km²) | Western Border | Eastern Border |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enderby Land | 044°38' E | 056°25' E | |
| 2 | Kemp Land | 056°25' E | 059°34' E | |
| 3 | Mac Robertson Land | 059°34' E | 072°35' E | |
| 4 | Princess Elizabeth Land | 072°35' E | 087°43' E | |
| 5 | Wilhelm II Land | 087°43' E | 091°54' E | |
| 6 | Queen Mary Land | 091°54' E | 100°30' E | |
| 7 | Wilkes Land | 2,600,000 | 100°30' E | 136°11' E |
| 8 | George V Land | 142°02' E | 153°45' E | |
| 9 | Oates Land | 153°45' E | 160°00' E | |
| AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC TERRITORY | 6,119,818 | 044°38' E | 160°00' E |
[edit] Stations
Active and closed stations in the territory, from West to East:
| Station | Latitude | Longitude | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molodezhnaya (Russian) (closed) | 67°40'00.1" S | 45°51'00.0" E | Enderby Land |
| Mawson Station | 67°36' 09.7" S | 62°52' 25.7" E | Mac Robertson Land (Mawson Coast) |
| Soyuz (Russian) (closed) | 70°35' S | 68°47' E | Mac Robertson Land (Lars Christensen Land) |
| Druznaya (Russian) (closed) | 69°44'S | 72°42'E | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) |
| Zhongshan (Chinese) | 69°22'S | 76°22'E | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) |
| Progress (Russian) | 69°23' S | 76°23' E | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) |
| Davis Station | 68°34'35.8" S | 77°58'02.6" E | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) |
| Platcha | 68°30'41.8" S | 78°30'43.6" E | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) |
| Sovetskaya (Russian) (closed) | 77°58′ S | 89°16′ E | Wilhelm II Land |
| Mirny Station (Russian) | 66°33'00.0" S | 93°01'00.1" E | Queen Mary Land |
| Komsomolskaya (Russian) (closed) | 74°05' S | 97°29' E | Queen Mary Land |
| Vostok (Russian) | 78°28' S | 106°48'E | Wilkes Land (Knox Land) |
| Wilkes Station (closed) | 66°15'25.6" S | 110°31'32.2" E | Wilkes Land (Budd Land) |
| Casey Station | 66°16'54.5" S | 110°31'39.4" E | Wilkes Land (Budd Land) |
| Concordia Station (Dome C) (international) | 75°06S | 123°23'E | Wilkes Land (Banzare Land) |
| Leningradskaya (Russian) (closed) | 69°30'00.0" S | 159°22'59.9" E | Oates Land |
[edit] History
Victoria Land was first claimed for Britain on 9 January 1841 and Britain claimed Enderby Land in 1930. In 1933, a British imperial order transferred territory south of 60° S and between meridians 160 W and 45 W to Australia. The borders with Adélie Land were fixed definitively in 1938. In 1947, Britain transferred Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and Macquarie Island to the territory. On 13 February 1954[1], Mawson Station was established as the first Australian station on the continent proper. As Australia is part of the Antarctic Treaty System, under its provisions it makes no effort to assert true national sovereignty over its claimed Antarctic territory.
[edit] Postage stamps
Australia issues postage stamps for the Australian Antarctic Territory. The first issues came in 1957, and sporadically thereafter, settling into a pattern of an annual issue by the 1990s. All have been Antarctic-themed, and all are valid for postage in Australia, so in practice they are just Australian stamps with a different inscription.
[edit] Telephone connections
Assigned the country calling code +672, four Antarctic bases operated by Australia can be reached by direct calling from anywhere in the world. The area codes are 10-6 for Davis, 11-7 for Mawson, 12-8 for Casey and 13-9 for Macquarie Island, in each case followed by three additional digits.
[edit] External links
| Antarctic territorial claims | ||
|---|---|---|
| Current | Adélie Land · Argentine Antarctica · Australian Antarctic Territory · Brazilian Antarctica · British Antarctic Territory · Antarctic Chilean Territory · Ross Dependency · Queen Maud Land · Peter I Island |  |
| Former | New Swabia | |
| States and territories of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| States and mainland territories |
Australian Capital Territory · New South Wales · Northern Territory · Queensland · South Australia · Tasmania · Victoria · Western Australia · Jervis Bay Territory |  |
| External territories | Ashmore and Cartier Islands · Australian Antarctic Territory · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Coral Sea Islands · Heard Island and McDonald Islands · Norfolk Island | |
